January 24, 2009 11:18 AM
The sounds of rumbling woke me from my slumber.
Is it to much to ask that we don't run a vacuum at 11 on Saturday? Seriously, it's supposed to be my sleep in time. I don't know why I was so tired, though. I think I went to bed at 1am, which isn't bad all things considered. Oh well, now I'm up and ready to take on the world... or at least go put a dent in these gift cards that I have been carrying around. I also want to get a haircut, cause i feel shaggy and the back of my head makes me think I have a mullet (I don't, it's all perspective, but it's my perspective, so it matters the most). Eventually I should settle in and do some homework, I know and understand this. I've already completed some of my assignments, so yay me on that. But there is a lot more still to do and with my urge to do EVERYTHING (as in, all expected readings) this semester, I am going to have my work cut out for me. I don't know if this resolve will last, but I am going to do my best. My goals, oh my goals, is to get another 4.0 semester. Cause that was fun.
Posted by beck at 11:18 AM
| Comments (0)
January 20, 2009 01:03 PM
Thoughts after 12pm on January 20th, 2009.
In a small room, me and a group of my colleagues just watched what, in my recollection, was one of the best speeches I have ever had the privilege of watching. There was a general sense of hope and awe and this deathly quiet that fell over all of us as we watched our 44th President speak. I will admit that I wasn’t an Obama supporter at the beginning of the election; my heart and mind lay with Senator Clinton of New York. But after her defeat and gracious bow-out at the Democratic Convention, I turned my support towards Obama. I argued at work, I talked with friends, I diligently read online as the election grew closer. I cast my vote in his favor. Now watching him, I imagine that it was a vote well cast. I still have my Clinton; now she’ll play the role of diplomat to the world (her popularity, strength and conviction should see her through). Obama, however, does provide a sense of hope; a change in our nation’s history that symbolizes a move forward beyond the race riots and civil rights issues that plagued us in the 60’s. It’s a small change, the beginning, but there’s a sense that this might be a new time.
Perhaps I am gushing. Perhaps I am seeing things through rose-tinted glasses. I still had to watch Rev. Warren give a speech, when I know the man is more than willing to cast me in the role of sinner. But after the last eight years, I feel hope. I am happy that I was privileged to watch history be made live.
Posted by beck at 01:03 PM
| Comments (0)
January 18, 2009 08:31 PM
We pause to remember so that we never go back; so that we always move forward for social justice and human rights.
The following is taken from today's Meridian, a Mississippi based newspaper. The editorial was written to help memorialize Martin Luther King Jr. on the anniversary of his birth and to help celebrate the history making moment about to occur on Tuesday. The editors speak not only about the nature of human sacrifice and the reality of our world, but offer an apology for the "neglect" their paper showed in the past to the Civil Rights struggle. I thought it was a pretty powerful piece and wanted to share. The original can be found at http://www.meridianstar.com.
Tomorrow, as the nation celebrates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we also pause to remember those in East Mississippi who were integral in the American civil rights movement.
We pause to honor them through vowing to never forget their struggle, their passion, their persistence, their courage -- and what these human qualities have meant to our community.
We pause to remember James Chaney, Obie Clark, Polly Heidelberg and others so important to the struggle for equality who are no longer with us. And to honor those who are still with us like Rev. Charles Johnson and State Rep. Charles Young.
We pause to remember so that we never go back; so that we always move forward for social justice and human rights.
We vow to be their voice. We vow to embody their passion.
It is also important, and historically significant, that today marks the start of official inauguration events for Barack Obama, the country’s 44th president and the first black person elected to that highest of political offices.
His swearing in Tuesday will, in a special way, fulfill the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., James Chaney, Obie Clark, Polly Heidelberg and the countless other front-line soldiers in the fight for civil rights across America.
The same as Americans put aside political ideology in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on our soil on Sept. 11, 2001, to support President George W. Bush, we should now respect and rally to the historical significance and symmetry of the civil rights movement and Barack Obama’s inauguration as president.
The civil rights pioneers of East Mississippi helped build the foundation of human values that made this milestone inauguration possible. So it is especially important that our communities come together at this moment.
It is also important that we not forget our past failings to live up to those values.
There was a time when this newspaper – and many others across the south -- acted with gross neglect by largely ignoring the unfairness of segregated schools, buses, restaurants, washrooms, theaters and other public places.
We did it through omission, by not recording for our readers many of the most important civil rights activities that happened in our midst, including protests and sit-ins. That was wrong. We should have loudly protested segregation and the efforts to block voter registration of black East Mississippians.
Current management understands while we can't go back and undo some past wrongs, we can offer our sincere apology -- and promise never again to neglect our responsibility to inform you, our readers, about the human rights and dignity every individual is entitled to in America -- no matter their religion, their ethnic background or the color of their skin.
Posted by beck at 08:31 PM
| Comments (0)