Department of Justice Director, Eric Holder, is asking for an end to racism and other stereotypes. The New York Post's cartoon causes many people to wonder about its motive. Now it is issuing an apology to all those it offended.
"The New York Post apologized on Thursday to those offended by an editorial cartoon that critics said was racist because it likened President Barack Obama to a chimpanzee.
The newspaper acknowledged that the cartoon published on Wednesday had drawn controversy because African-Americans and others saw it as a depiction of Obama.
"This most certainly was not its intent; to those who were offended by the image, we apologize," the paper said in an editorial on its website headlined "That Cartoon."
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Odes to Myrlie Evers-Williams, Wife of Slain Civil Rights Leader, Medgar Evers
The Women of NAACP: Myrlie Evers-Williams and Rosa Parks
Myrlie Evers-Williams became a young widow
who had three children to raise by herself
She heeded her late husband's last word, "take care of my children."
The assassination of Medgar Evers, a WWII veteran who wanted to see change
had a lasting impact on the Evers children, Myrlie and the rest of the country
Medgar became a sacrificial lamb, the strong and intelligent NAACP field director
Myrlie was not ready to forget the seeds her husband had planted
"Evers fought segregation of schools and public places, struggled to increase black voter registration, led business boycotts, brought attention to the murders and lynchings of Blacks, like the slaying of black teenager Emmett Till, planned protest to allow negroes access to Mississippi's public beaches...."
Myrlie raised her children and continued to work for the advancement of colored people
She became the chair of NAACP from 1995 to 1998.
She kept her promise to her husband, Medgar Evers who wanted to see change
in Jackson, Mississippi.
Through the work of many others and after many years, change has come to America
"“I am just so thankful that I have lived long enough -- and have been able to participate in -- this change," said Myrlie Evers-Williams.
Medgar Evers and Martin L. King had laid down their lives for the movement to change
During all these years, Myrlie has witnessed and kept the flames of freedom going.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Rosa Sat So We Can Now Fly
Rosa Sat Poem
Rosa sat so
Martin could walk
[She was tired of giving in for far too long]
Martin walked so
[Martin walked and marched with his followers. He was a true leader]
Obama could run
[Without the works of those leaders laboring even during slavery, 1950s, 1960s
Obama would not be able to be where he is at right now]
Obama ran....so our
Children could fly
[Without the sacrifices of Medgar Evers,Emmet Till, Martin Luther King and countless others, the greatest chapter of world history and transfer of power would not be written]
Rosa sat so
Martin could walk
[She was tired of giving in for far too long]
Martin walked so
[Martin walked and marched with his followers. He was a true leader]
Obama could run
[Without the works of those leaders laboring even during slavery, 1950s, 1960s
Obama would not be able to be where he is at right now]
Obama ran....so our
Children could fly
[Without the sacrifices of Medgar Evers,Emmet Till, Martin Luther King and countless others, the greatest chapter of world history and transfer of power would not be written]
Monday, February 9, 2009
Rosa Parks Sat on the Bus to Stand Up for All Americans
(Here is a great book about this famous but humble Civil Rights Leader by Rita Dove)
CNN reports, "It was so unbelievable that this woman -- this one woman -- had the courage to take a seat and refuse to get up and give it up to a white gentleman," said Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat, who watched the drama unfold as a teenager.
"By sitting down, she was standing up for all Americans."
My Heart's Delights
My Heart's Delights
by JJC on Feb 3, 2009
Surrounded by tons of moving steel
Rolling every which way
on the freeway and nearby highway
Amidst all sorts of noise
And while witnessing the nakedness of trees
in the vast peach and nectarine orchards,
Little by little, I felt consumed by the beauty
of the distant snow-capped Sierra Mountain range
It was an overcast day anywhere in the Central Valley
Selma, Parlier, Reedley and the rest of the Valley floor
appeared to lie quietly in the sudden darkness for a few days
Yet, half of the far-away mountain tops was lit by sunlight
that projected its rays on specific spots in the background
The foreground of this natural painting had darker hues
On the road to Reedley, CA, I lifted my eyes and gazed once more
upon the snow-covered peaks which looked like hands raised
to praise the Most High
At that very moment, I was stirred to cry out "Rejoice in the Lord.
He will give you the delights of your heart."
His glory and grace anointed me. My cup overflowed.
I reached the abundance of his love and felt the touch of his hands
by JJC on Feb 3, 2009
Surrounded by tons of moving steel
Rolling every which way
on the freeway and nearby highway
Amidst all sorts of noise
And while witnessing the nakedness of trees
in the vast peach and nectarine orchards,
Little by little, I felt consumed by the beauty
of the distant snow-capped Sierra Mountain range
It was an overcast day anywhere in the Central Valley
Selma, Parlier, Reedley and the rest of the Valley floor
appeared to lie quietly in the sudden darkness for a few days
Yet, half of the far-away mountain tops was lit by sunlight
that projected its rays on specific spots in the background
The foreground of this natural painting had darker hues
On the road to Reedley, CA, I lifted my eyes and gazed once more
upon the snow-covered peaks which looked like hands raised
to praise the Most High
At that very moment, I was stirred to cry out "Rejoice in the Lord.
He will give you the delights of your heart."
His glory and grace anointed me. My cup overflowed.
I reached the abundance of his love and felt the touch of his hands
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Rosa Parks's Arrest; Rosa Parks's Montgomery Ride
Rosa Parks's Montgomery Ride
by JJC, Feb. 2009
Tired and hungry, Rosa only cared about catching a ride
Her job at the department store meant the world to her
But she quietly cared about how her black brothers and sisters
were being treated by the government and the Montgomery bus officials
After a long day and after witnessing all the hard news, she wanted to sit down
Rosa got on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Instead of going to the back of the bus
She sat down in a seat at the front. All hells broke loose!
Dogs could be unleashed on her frail body. She could be flushed out of the seat
with powerful water hoses besides all the stares from fellow passengers
"'Who does she think she is to brave the front seat of the bus'"
The bus driver got into her face and asked her to move.
But Rosa parks refused. The news about Rosa Parks's arrest traveled quickly
among the Black residents of Montgomery and the Black leaders had to have a plan
The event of December 1, 1955 led to the December 5, 1955 Montgomery Bus boyccott. Montgomery city officials would soon realize that if the Blacks walked to work and school instead of riding the public bus, the city would lose money.
Black and White civil rights leaders gave as many rides as they could in their own private cars. But the majority of passengers walked many miles for many weeks.
"If Black people could not sit wherever they wanted, then they would refuse to take the buses."
That peaceful protest was very successful. Driving While Black, Martin L. King was arrested by local police who said he was speeding.
Car pools were organized by black as well as white leaders. The boycott lasted over a year.
Finally, the Supreme Court of the United States proclaimed that laws separating whites and blacks on the Montgomery buses had to end.
Witnessing Rosa Parks on the Bus
Rosa Parks Sat on the Bus After a Long Journey
Martin Luther King was a student of Henry David Thoreau
who protested slavery and other unjust laws
Nobody thought that the Morehouse College student
would become a civil rights leader
Nobody thought much about Rosa Parks either
A seamstress who rode the public bus to and from her job
at a department store
Martin L. King embraced non-violence championed by Mahatma Gandhi
Rosa has long been a member of her local chapter of NAACP
Rosa refused to give up her seat. She was tired of giving in
She stared down the bus driver and the other passengers
All of them wanted her out of the prime seat. None of them was defending her
Change was about to come in the 1950s and 1960s.
Who would have thought that this single act would be
the start of the modern civil rights movement?
Everyone counts. Rosa sat so we can stand up together
Friday, January 30, 2009
Rev. Joseph Lowery's Great Benediction Could Pass For Obama's Inaugural Poem
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, thou, who has brought us thus far along the way, thou, who has by thy might led us into the light, keep us forever in the path we pray, lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee, lest our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee.
Shadowed beneath thy hand, may we forever stand true to thee, oh God, and true to our native land.
We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we've shared this day.
We pray now, oh Lord, for your blessing upon thy servant Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States, his family and his administration.
He has come to this high office at a low moment in the national, and indeed the global, fiscal climate. But because we know you got the whole world in your hands, we pray for not only our nation, but for the community of nations.
Our faith does not shrink though pressed by the flood of mortal ills.
For we know that, Lord, you are able and you're willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds, and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor, of the least of these, and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.
We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that yes we can work together to achieve a more perfect union.
And while we have sown the seeds of greed — the wind of greed and corruption, and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in a spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.
And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance.
And as we leave this mountain top, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques, or wherever we seek your will.
Bless President Barack, First Lady Michelle. Look over our little angelic Sasha and Malia.
We go now to walk together as children, pledging that we won't get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know you will not leave us alone.
With your hands of power and your heart of love, help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nations shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid, when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen.
Shadowed beneath thy hand, may we forever stand true to thee, oh God, and true to our native land.
We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we've shared this day.
We pray now, oh Lord, for your blessing upon thy servant Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States, his family and his administration.
He has come to this high office at a low moment in the national, and indeed the global, fiscal climate. But because we know you got the whole world in your hands, we pray for not only our nation, but for the community of nations.
Our faith does not shrink though pressed by the flood of mortal ills.
For we know that, Lord, you are able and you're willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds, and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor, of the least of these, and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.
We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that yes we can work together to achieve a more perfect union.
And while we have sown the seeds of greed — the wind of greed and corruption, and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in a spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.
And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance.
And as we leave this mountain top, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques, or wherever we seek your will.
Bless President Barack, First Lady Michelle. Look over our little angelic Sasha and Malia.
We go now to walk together as children, pledging that we won't get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know you will not leave us alone.
With your hands of power and your heart of love, help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nations shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid, when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen.
Elizabeth Alexander's Inaugural Poem for President Barack Obama
Praise song for the day.
Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching
each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is
noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of
our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a
hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of
repair.
Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons
on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.
A woman and her son wait for the bus.
A farmer considers the changing sky. A teacher says, "Take out your
pencils. Begin."
We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or
declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.
We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and
then others who said, "I need to see what's on the other side; I know
there's something better down the road."
We need to find a place where we are safe; we walk into that which we
cannot yet see.
Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the
dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the
bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the
glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.
Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for
every hand-lettered sign, the figuring it out at kitchen tables.
Some live by "Love thy neighbor as thy self." Others by "First do no
harm," or "Take no more than you need."
What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial,
national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need
to preempt grievance.
In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any
sentence begun.
On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking
forward in that light.
Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching
each others' eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is
noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of
our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a
hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of
repair.
Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons
on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.
A woman and her son wait for the bus.
A farmer considers the changing sky. A teacher says, "Take out your
pencils. Begin."
We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or
declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.
We cross dirt roads and highways that mark the will of someone and
then others who said, "I need to see what's on the other side; I know
there's something better down the road."
We need to find a place where we are safe; we walk into that which we
cannot yet see.
Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the
dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the
bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the
glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of.
Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for
every hand-lettered sign, the figuring it out at kitchen tables.
Some live by "Love thy neighbor as thy self." Others by "First do no
harm," or "Take no more than you need."
What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial,
national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need
to preempt grievance.
In today's sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any
sentence begun.
On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp -- praise song for walking
forward in that light.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
How will "Praise Song for the Day" Poem by Elizabeth Alexander Go Down in History
According to a guest writer on Mike Chasar's Popular Culture and Poetry, the poem did not resonate with the crowd and the world. Many viewers and poetry lovers made their own opinions of the poem too.
Check the review of the poem at Praise Song for the Day
Check the review of the poem at Praise Song for the Day
Welcome to Rosa Parks Poetry of Hope PoetryBusinessblog! Rosa Parks's Arrest
Rosa Parks's Montgomery Ride
Tired and hungry, Rosa only cared about catching a ride
Her job at the department store meant the world to her
But she quietly cared about how her black brothers and sisters
were being treated by the government and the Montgomery bus officials
After a long day and after witnessing all the hard news, she wanted to sit down
Rosa got on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Instead of going to the back of the bus
She sat down in a seat at the front. All hells broke loose!
Dogs could be unleashed on her frail body. She could be flushed out of the seat
with powerful water hoses besides all the stares from fellow passengers
"'Who does she think she is to brave the front seat of the bus'"
The bus driver got into her face and asked her to move.
But Rosa parks refused. The news about Rosa Parks's arrest traveled quickly
among the Black residents of Montgomery and the Black leaders had to have a plan
The event of December 1, 1955 led to the December 5, 1955 Montgomery Bus boyccott. Montgomery city officials would soon realize that if the Blacks walked to work and school instead of riding the public bus, the city would lose money.
Black and White civil rights leaders gave as many rides as they could in their own private cars. But the majority of passengers walked many miles for many weeks.
"If Black people could not sit wherever they wanted, then they would refuse to take the buses."
That peaceful protest was very successful. Driving While Black, Martin L. King was arrested by local police who said he was speeding.
Car pools were organized by black as well as white leaders. The boycott lasted over a year.
Finally, the Supreme Court of the United States proclaimed that laws separating whites and blacks on the Montgomery buses had to end.
=============================================
Please go to Poetrybusinessblog now to find all the poems you can read.
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