Slavery Was No Accident ... A Response to Brad Paisley

A Response to Accidental Racist

"Never judge a book by its cover," that’s true, but some of us have been “reading” the book a long time and discernment is a trait of those who have. I’m not a youngster, not of your generation, and I won’t tell you all the stories of racism in my life because I’m tired of not only telling the stories, but that the stories continue in the 21^st century. So, we’ll take your song line by line and I hope that you hear this with a strong heart, a heart willing to change and to be an example of the change we need here in America.

You ask the man at the Starbucks down on Main to understand that the Rebel Flag T-shirt that you wear honors Lynard Skynyrd rather than the South that once enslaved men, women, and children who looked like him, assuming that the man at the Starbucks was black. I guess I would ask if the Starbucks was located in the South because that’s important, too. I’m from Texas and don’t dislike your flag, I abhor it and what it has represented. It is not a flag to be shared by all. Instead it represents as you so aptly put “proud rebel sons with an ol’ can of worms.”

And I so agree with you that you have a lot to learn because the lessons you’ve learned came from other proud rebel sons. And it is true that until we start learning from one another, the lessons will never be learned. They aren’t easy lessons and they certainly aren’t easy conversations, but I do honor your willingness to try with this song and your collaboration with L. L. Cool J.

I’m not judging you, rather I truly am trying to understand. I believe your song was not written to people who look like me, but to those who look like you who are tired of the racist moniker they are often saddled with. No, not everyone is racist, or their intentions, racist, but you fail to understand that systemic racism is what is alive and well in this country. Look at what our President, yours and mine, endures on a daily basis. You will never understand what it is like to work twice as hard to be considered half as good.  

Brad, I actually like your music, but then I like country as did my mother, by the way. You state that you’re proud of where you’re from, but “not everything we’ve done.” I can honor that pride and your consternation of the things done by your ancestors. As a Texan, I, too, am proud of my roots, but filled with sorrow of its history. And while you are caught between your Southern pride and the Southern blame, knowing that reconstruction did not fix everything … for you it’s only 150 years. For me, it is 600 years to overcome.

You say that your generation didn’t start this nation, but now you must understand something that maybe wasn’t understood before; that what you do today affects SEVEN generations, not just the next. You are actually the seventh generation, and so maybe it’s up to you to fix this, but not just by saying let bygones be bygones. Yes, you’re paying for the mistakes, but we’re living with the wounds as if they happened just yesterday.

What have you learned? What do you know? And by getting an African American man to stand with you, I applaud you, but because of systemic racism, you can’t begin to understand that it is not enough. You also need to understand that L L doesn’t speak for us all, only for himself. You’ve only just begun. One man or twenty, people of your generation talking together is a start. Yes, you should.  But have you considered talking to an elder of the Black Community? Would you be interested in putting yourself in the uncomfortable position of knowing the real pain inflicted on an enslaved people? There are not enough gold chains to overcome the chains of slavery, or the horror that came with enslavement—from separation of families to horrific lynchings.

I guess Accidental Racist is a good beginning, but slavery was not an accident. It was intentional. It was wrong. And it will not be healed with one song. Again, I concede that it is a good beginning.

Where do you go from here? You tell me.

P. K. McCary is a writer and peacemaker living in Houston, Texas. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter.

New Year Mandalas of Hope and Reflection

Reflection of The Beloved Community,

An Artistic Expression

Happy New Year. May your next 365 days encompass all that you dream and hope and May Peace Prevail on Earth. Starting Today. Okay, pleasantries out of the way, let's get down to it.

Mandala

/ˈmandələ/ 

A geometric figure representing the universe in Hindu and

Buddhist symbolism; may also represent a symbol in a dream,

representing the dreamer’s search for completeness.

       The Shape of Things to Come. I love mandalas. The above poster holds several different mandalas representing the Dream. Different patterns, colors, shapes and sizes, the mandalas are artistic expressions of something vast as well as small. The vastness of The Beloved Community throughout the world and the smallness of each one of us creating and participating in its creation. Some might look at this and say, well, they aren't all mandalas, but I believe they are. The definition most associated with mandalas is that they are geometric figures that represent the universe. I like that, but I also LOVE the idea that mandalas represent symbols in our dreams. Our Dreams. Dr. King's I Have A Dream speech is symbolic to many who have felt disenfranchised or have an injustice served upon them or those they love. By the time Dr. King gave that speech, he espoused nonviolence as the only way to get to that dream. When Dr. King went to India to learn more about nonviolence,  as a way to achieve victory for the cause of Blacks in America, a mandala of flowers was laid for him when he arrived. Several floral mandalas have be laid for him after his death in honor of his sacrifice. All in all, mandalas represent both nonviolence and peace, for peace can best be achieved through nonviolence. 

“For last year's words belong to last year's language.

And next year's words await another voice."

T. S. Eliot (Playwright)

        So, each year I take the day before the New Year and the New Year itself to give people my best wishes and then I take a moment to reflect and make a few new year resolutions. That's all well and good, but do I have to throw away all that happened in the year before to achieve what is needed in the new year? I hope not. T.S. Eliot's poem Little Gidding is part of a 4-part series written during war time. As with a lot of us, we look at what was wrong with the year (or years) before vowing that things will be different. I say it every year as the last 8 years have been quite difficult. I hope to refine each new year, but don't always know how. Am I using the language of years gone by, that didn't work then and don't work now, to move into this new time? Yes, I have and do. Today, I end it. No more. 
        You see, I forgot the rest of Eliot's lesson from his professing ghost  where he continues the conversation with, "we must go through a refining fire, where you must move in measure, like a dancer." And so, at the end of the year I started collecting mandalas. Painstakingly, I started redefining mandalas as not just your average geometric symbols, but further--the face, the movement of color and light, finding a sculpture and a painting that represented symbols, and then placing them all together so that one must look, not at one, but all. Not at the same time, but one at a time, and then step back and there they are--together. Eliot's poems do that. He explores images of "great beauty and haunting power of his own past, the past of the human race, and the meaning of human history." This exploration was done on a daily basis and so shall ours. While the New Year symbolizes much for each of us, it should be part of a daily exercise of exploring the world in which we live in order to achieve the Beloved Community. Not a utopian place, devoid of conflict, but a place of utopian (beautiful and haunting) ideas on how we can achieve that place in every segment of society.
        So, today I think of this passage of time as another opportunity for the new and exciting. I'm not starting fresh, I'm freshening and polishing up my act, finishing those things I have started. I'm throwing off the shackles of shame and despair and recognizing my fallibility without beating myself up about it. I'm fixing things, throwing other things away (recycling if I can), and I'm putting on my dancing shoes each day as I dance through life IN the BELOVED COMMUNITY that is already here. Hear the music? Dance with me.

Where you can dance with me:
The Beloved Community Project Website or The Beloved Community Project FB Page
Think Peace International and Peace Train America

Design by

P K and Company

We Got It Done ...

But, what does it mean?

Diversity--The Faces of Our Future

We elected President Barack Obama to a second term and some people are excited and others are decidedly pissed off. It was a close race. Forget whatever one else is telling you. It was close. But, it wasn't divided by simple ideology. There were so many reasons people voted for President Obama or Mitt Romney or DIDN'T vote for either one. For the record, I supported President Obama. Let's just get that out of the way. Does that make me less objective? Maybe. But, then again, it doesn't mean that my subjectivity is without merit. Either way, I'm going to have my say, so if you keep reading, I'm hoping that you keep an open mind or don't, because either way it will say to me whether or not you're willing to listen.

     I chose President Obama because I believe and still do believe, that he was and is the best choice. I will digress for a few seconds to say that I know that on some ballots there were other candidates, but I didn't know them (or know them well as presidential material) and so we can stop with anyone wanting to point out this fact. I already know that the choice was not just between Romney and Obama. I, however, stand by my statement. No need to have an argument that isn't relative to this conversation. It is a conversation that needs to be had and I'm willing to have it, but this isn't that conversation.

     So, what now?

     First, let's talk about the reasons that I think President Obama got elected again. I will add here that if you think I'm saying President Obama a lot, you're very astute. I listened to the disrespect of not according him his title by pundits who called him Barack or even Mr. Obama. I will respect both the office and the man in this piece, so you'll read it a lot. So, back to why I think President Obama got elected. In America, there is a serious bout of hatred and bigotry going on. I believe it is an epidemic. If you are not white, then you are suspect. I mean there are white suspects if they are liberal, but they get a respect pass because they are white (mostly). Don't give me examples of whites disrespected by Republicans because I get it. My point is that the disrespect for President Obama was a monumental in-your-face kind of disrespect, from finger wagging in his face to being told you lie while speaking to the legislature. So, for those of us who have been so disrespected, who have had to endure the type of disrespect because of the color of our skin or our ethnicity, we identified and we gave our vote to the brother who endured this type of disrespect with grace and a strength that befuddled many. No matter the disrespect, President Obama stood proud and he stayed the President. Want to know what is Presidential? That's a big one.

     "So, you're saying you voted for him because he's black?"

      That's okay. I hear the questions you're asking as you read this (I'm good like that). Yeah, you might say so, but those who felt this way, who voted for him, in part, for this reason, aren't all black. They voted for him because despite the vitriolic hatred thrown his way, he never came down to their level. It was IMPRESSIVE. It said something about the man and people who were sitting on the fence cited this as one reason they voted for him.

      The other reason is Part 2 to the first reason that made President Obama impressive to many. Because he endured what we knew was beyond the pale disrespect, we also got that he was similarly sensitive to Americans. Both he and the First Lady Obama (yep, affording her the same respect). You could feel it when you saw him embrace a crying woman who lost her home, or would allow a young child to pat his head to see if the President's hair was like his. These weren't staged photo ops, they were the real deal. That some photographer took the opportunity is what a photo op is supposed to be. People said, "he's not perfect, but he cares for the average person."

     "Not everyone felt he cared."

     I get that and there were times when what he did, made some people think that way. My Latino friends here in Texas and around the country complained about his attention to immigration and that under his watch, more immigrants were deported. See, I get legitimate complaints (unlike legitimate rape). This complaint was true. But, some of the people who said he didn't care were buying into a narrative that refused to acknowledge what he did do right. Auto workers can see where he did his job. Those who were able to refinance their homes with his support did, too. But, he couldn't get to every American and that was also true. I know. My son lost his home. He voted for President Obama, though, because he said that without him, it would have been so much worse. He saw the big picture and a lot of people did. The lesson I've learned from those who voted for President Obama have said that while it wasn't enough, it could have been worse, and that he was on the right track. They also saw clearly the obstruction of the Republican party from day one and they didn't like it. Guess it goes back with being impressed with the man, his integrity and his ability to stay focused on what this job as president entailed.

     He did his job and he got better each day. And in the end, he didn't divide us as much as those other folks did. We weren't just pockets of votes, although as a political strategist with a strong team of strategists, he got that we were young, we were old, we were black, white, red, brown, yellow, and white, and all the spectrums in-between, we were Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, and many others, believers and non-believers, gay, straight, transgendered, women, men, immigrants and natives, teachers, stay-at-home moms and dads, students, and well a host of others who are simply Americans. Yes, he spoke directly to some of us and let us know that he would listen to all of us.

     So, what now?

     Well, for me, I have my list and I'm willing to work with those whose list is comparable. I might not get everything that he needs to do, but we will have to work on what WE can do to help President Obama do what we need. On the top of my list are the following issues: the criminal justice system overhaul (especially the prison to cradle pipeline), abolishing the death penalty in this country, and ending drone strikes. These are at the top, but I'm concerned with job creation, but I want to be a job creator rather than getting a job, so overhauling the tax system that won't penalize my getting loans or having to pay higher taxes than Mitt Romney would be a plus. The question is, what's your list include? And if you have a list, are you willing to make sure that the word gets out because President Obama is one man. We, however, are many. Let's get busy!

Getting the Job Done ...

Now, that's seriously cool!

Well, they came out swinging and yet ...

There is still much work to do. After listening to the men these past two nights, I admit that I was more impressed with some of the women (we'll get to Clinton later). With individuals such as Michelle Obama and Lilly Ledbetter--I knew that the conversations that needed to happen are happening. Still, we're lacking in some basics. The Republicans have done a good job of pointing the fingers at Democrats as not aware that it IS the economy, but they have also done a good job at casting Democrats as just envious of the Right's ability to succeed. It's a smoke screen though and I believe that while there are the 99% there at the convention, as one friend pointed out, the real conversations of the 99% are lacking. Why? Because in pointing the fingers at the Republicans, we'd have to point them at the Democrats as well. The 1% is not made up of just Republicans and we must acknowledge that there are those on the left and the right who collude with one another to keep us in this mess America finds itself. No one is blameless and while politicians are known for there ability to incite their constituency, they also demonstrate an unwillingness to build a better America for all.


Women like Lilly Ledbetter and Sandra Fluke did an amazing job of telling us why women will have it better with Obama than Romney, but the show stealer was Sister Simone Campbell, who is the thorn in the side of the vatican as they demonstrate (successfully) what sisters married to Christ are called to do--raise cain and abel. Still, nothing so far has raised my hope more than when military mom Elaine Brye with sons who are all (except the youngest) now in the military, introduced the First Lady. She explained that Michelle and Barack care about them (military families) and while there are those that the Republicans would say don't feel cared about because of this administration's failures (we'll get to that later, too), Elaine shows us what we don't always see in the media and the blogs. We care more about what Michelle is wearing than what she does. What some learned last night is that the First Lady had a clear set of goals that she was going to do and that she has and is doing them.

I think sometimes we do forget that there are human beings behind the mask of politicians. While we can point the finger at those we are already against--Romney for one--he is a father and husband. Don't throw out the baby with the bathwater here. Acknowledge his failures, but it looks like he was a pretty good father. I've listened to a couple of his sons speak and I don't think of them as the "you-know-what" (expletive) that their father is. Whether we are more drawn to the Obama's story than the Romney's (and vice versa), the human element is often what we forget. In the end, however, what we find fault most with politicians is THEIR unwillingness to see that the decisions they make affect a person. I have to add here that "corporations ARE NOT people."

Albeit we limit our thinking to one or two issues that are important to us, we, as citizens of this Nation, must be aware of all the issues and how those issues affect the strength of this country. If you are against gay marriage for religious reasons, you have to learn that policies of human rights and equality are not always of a religious bent, but a justice one. President Obama had it right when he said he realized that his own daughters were friends with children who had two mommies or two daddies and that they were each citizens of this country and entitled to fair treatment. Of course, this will set up a maelstrom of responses of those who would disagree with the president and with me right now, but don't just focus on this one issue is all I'm saying. You don't have to compromise your principles or beliefs in acknowledging the rights of others. Think on it.

When Michelle came out after being introduced by Elaine, she said that it was an extraordinary privilege to serve families in the military and that she has met the best of America.  I think that if you go out and greet the people and not use them as fodder for the next ad, you might just realize all that is at stake. Yet, what I realize most is that being in the military for some families is an honor, such as Elaine's brood who all serve (except one--but who probably will), but that for those who think of it as an honor, we need leadership that will not put those sacrifices to the test in areas where we should not be. But, that is only half of the conversation. Our America was built on the foundation that we would serve as an example of democracy and WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THAT RESPONSIBILITY. If we don't want our children dying for causes that could be better served with diplomacy, we should be aware that there are others dying not American and that we share a responsibility to them as well in our decisions to go to war.

Michelle talked about her unwillingness to pursue a run for the presidency with her husband, but once she accepted the challenge, she knew her first job was to learn how to keep their children grounded under the glare of political scrutinies. She wanted normal and didn't want that to change, but it did. She gave her daughters a chance to grow, bringing her mother to the White House to live with them. That's what families do and that is who they are.

Towards the end, Michelle said something that resonated with me; that being president doesn't change who you are. It reveals who you are. It's a life where those high stakes that have no margin for error, are made and this president has made them. It is not always the right decision, but it is the best decision that he could make with what he knows. Were there some miscalculations, some detours that have to be and are yet to be righted? The weights of death and destruction are no easy burdens. But, this presidency, according to the Republicans is a dismal failure and I take exception to that on so many levels. I have never said that I agree with everything this president has done, but neither have I disagreed with everything that other presidents (who I didn't vote for) when I've looked at the bigger picture. I may not have liked it, may have wished it could have been different, but I can see a decision for what it is and leave it at that.

And that brings me to the Clinton speech that allowed us to look at this so-called failure of this administration. Clinton's speech hit home because he did what the Democrats should have done all along. From the beginning there were those in the Republican party who made a conscious decision NOT to work with President Obama. Moreover, they flamed that decision with pundits like Limbaugh and Hannity and Fox News. And there were Democrats who colluded with that thinking for various reasons, which in some ways is difference between Republicans and Democrats. And while I could give you quip after quip of Clinton's firebrand sermon (he hit the nail on the head so many times, he built a ship), the bottom line is that we as Americans know that. We ALL know it, but there are those who have a problem with a black man being president. Pure and simple. Clinton called this attack on this presidency what it is--HATE.

In the end, HATE has been allowed to cloud the judgement of some of us here in America. Deal with it. And if you want to know the biggest reason that you should not vote for a Republican president, this is the one. Anytime your actions are so fueled by hate, it means that you cannot lead. Take a bath, Republicans because the hate stinks to high heavens. Learn that if you loved this country and the Americans you say you wish to serve--love should conquer hate and it hasn't. So, what that means is that you don't love this country as much as you say you do and you certainly don't love Americans.

Tonight is the night we wrap it all up, but the conversations? Well, they are just beginning. 60 Days and counting. Remember--cool is getting the job done. Re-elect President Obama.

Racism--Let's Talk About It!

The Hard Conversations

On  July 31^st, 44 years ago, Franklin was introduced to the Peanuts comic strip family. Franklin was probably 9 or 10 when he came on the Peanuts scene, so in some ways, Franklin and I are perhaps (give or take a few years) around the same age—at least from the same generation. I don’t remember it—the first time Franklin appeared. I read the Peanuts comic strip, though. The reason had more to do with Snoopy than any of the other characters. Okay, I admit it. Kermit, Garfield, Marmaduke, and yes, Snoopy, are favorites of mine. And yes, I sometimes imagine that dogs and cats, for instance, are saying, “I wouldn’t have a human’s life for all the dog biscuits/cat nip in China.” Can’t say I blame them, but I digress.

Recently, however, as I prepared for this panel discussion and for a discussion on the hard conversations that seem to be lacking in our interfaith/peacemaking work and efforts, someone sent me a poster via Facebook of the whole Peanuts gang. The poster’s title was “RACISM” in all caps, with a subtext of “Sometimes it’s subtle.”

First, I am not looking forward to discussing race, nor do I intend this to be the entire focus of what I have to say today because it is only one of many elephants who/that take a seat on the floor of our gatherings each and every time we meet. It doesn’t matter if it is a very diverse group or not. These elephants are crowding us here today as I speak. It’s amazing how adaptable we are because most of us are pretty comfortable where we sit today. Truth is, I haven’t been comfortable for some time now.

You see: I am or have been Franklin for a good portion of my life. I’m usually or often the only or one of a few black people (I’m talking American blacks) at some of the most dynamic and some of the largest peace gatherings in America. Of course those who know me, know that I served on a huge international board, but I have also served on several prominent National religious and social justice boards. However, for the first ten years of my life, I was mostly Franklin, going to school with mostly white children. I was pretty comfortable, too.

Then I moved to Texas. Upon crossing the Texas border after a long hiatus from the state (I was born in Texas, but had not lived there since a toddler), my father exclaimed, “You know you’re in Texas because people here are friendly,” just as we were driving by a white family in a car who waved. I think it was one of the reasons he decided to come back to Texas rather than Oklahoma or somewhere else in the South because he wanted his children to have what he thought of as an equal chance. We lived in Prairie View, Texas, a rural area where my father taught mathematics and drafting. Here, my father pursued his doctorate at Texas A&M, and it was here that I first witnessed his vulnerability as a black man. My father, for the first time in my life, used words like peckerwood and other racial slurs I won’t repeat. He moved us out the rural Texas a few years later to Houston and on my first day of school I was called the “N” word in front of a host of students and teachers. Nothing happened to the guy by the way. No admonishment. No support for me.

But, again, I’m only setting the stage for what are the real lessons. It wasn’t that bad being called the “N” word by the boy, whom I understood to be the peckerwood my father spoke of—in reality more of the “N” word than I could ever be. Anyway, I hadn’t internalized that word to reflect who I was, so I walked away. Still, there were other incidents and truth be told, most of them were quite subtle, but just as hurtful. The only thing the experience at James Madison High School did for me was made me want to be around more people who looked like me. I graduated from a predominantly black high school where I had black teachers and counselors who valued, appreciated and respected me. I am so grateful to them, some who have passed on, but others who still mentor me today.

Back to the Peanuts comic strip and Charles Schulz. Mr. Schulz was once asked if any of his comic strips worried publishers. He spoke of the one where Linus’s blanket comes to life and attacks Lucy. Larry Rutman (one of Schulz’s publishers) thought that attacking blankets would frighten children, so Schulz finished up the strip and let it go. (By the way, any therapist worth his or her salt knows it wasn’t the blanket, but Linus himself who attacked Lucy—but again I digress).

Franklin, who finally debuted the year Dr. King was assassinated and on my birthday, nonetheless, did raise eyebrows. Schulz says that he could have added Franklin long before he did, but didn’t because he didn’t want to step on the work of others. One editor told Schulz that he understood why he added Franklin to the comic strip family, but was adamant that Franklin not be drawn going to school with white children. When asked by Rutman to change a strip with Franklin and Peppermint Patty at school, Schulz responded, “print it or I quit.” Still, Franklin was never featured prominently and Schulz said the reason why was that he didn’t do race things, explaining that not only wasn’t he an expert on race, he didn’t “know what it’s like to grow up as a little black boy.” He added, “I don’t think you should draw things unless you really understand them, unless you’re just out to stir things up or try to teach people different things. I’m not in this business to instruct; I’m just in it to be funny.” He felt that somebody else should do that.

I agree that he wasn’t the one to instruct us, but we learned some valuable lessons from him anyway. I wonder what Schulz would say about his comic strip being used as a discussion on race today? Because even though he did not intend to instruct us, instruct us he has. And what have we learned?

Well, I can’t really answer that for anyone else but myself. I can tell you this; that I both admire and resent Franklin—or should I say Schulz, for creating Franklin. Like in the first strip—where Franklin saves Charlie Brown’s ball—Franklin is drawn as the good Negro. I assume he was smart and for a comic strip character, pretty good looking. A few times he had a supporting role, but never a leading one. In the party picture shown here, Mr. Schulz draws a passive Franklin. That Franklin sits in a rickety chair different from the others, sitting alone on one side of the table—separate but equal? I don’t think so. Sure they gave him ice cream and cake, but anybody remember the “let them eat cake” response to starving? And guessing that the reason he seems passive and that he doesn’t complain might be because if he does, he won’t get to be at the table at all.

Right now I have to ask myself, what would I like you to understand? One might think that I want “you” to be empathetic to some aspect of the story I just imparted. But the truth is that I have had that kind of empathy as well as discussions and it has accomplished nothing. Instead I have found that it created a very uncomfortable relationship, which is why Franklins or Frankettes often remain silent. It is easier to leave than to work it out, a dangerous proposition if one really tries to his or her mind to it. If a Franklin does respond, usually it is with anger or sadness, neither of which solves much.

But, I want you to see what I see (or don’t see) in this picture. Obviously the few times that Franklin appears, he is liked. I believe that. These children are friends, but they are being taught a subtle lesson by the ones you don’t see. Is anyone following me here?

What isn’t obvious in this scene (or for me what is obvious) is that the children didn’t separate Franklin from themselves, the grownup did. The grownup is Schulz. Schulz is doing what he is guided to do I believe, but it isn’t enough because he doesn’t do race and it isn’t his job.

See, Charlie Schulz, you teach us something after all.

People—the biggest elephant in the room is the room itself. The system we live in needs and has to change, but can only change when we talk about it. I also want us to understand that while the example I’ve cited is about race, there are so many other issues that we fail to talk about as it relates to systems of racism, classism, sexism—name me an “ism” and I’ll show you quickly I can clear a room. And the main reason, the reason that leaves me challenged to participate is when we believe that the job belongs to someone else.

Personally, I don’t want the job—anymore. I leave it up to those who call themselves peacemakers to bring me to a safe place and open the doors to a new world. For that, I say, thank you, Rachael. The ball is now in the court of all other peacemakers.

Epilogue

Peacemaking is the planting, cultivating, and harvesting of the garden—a metaphor that resonates with me because in this picture a seed is being planted. It was planted the day it was drawn because Mr. Schulz, admittedly, wasn’t an expert on race, he still planted a seed that is growing exponentially. Someone sees it. They called it what it was, but not with hate or accusations—a simple statement Racism: sometimes it’s subtle.

How it grows depends on a number of things—things we don’t see, but can intuit. What is here in this picture of past, present and future is that Franklin doesn’t just represent me or any black person, but all of the people “isms” we have yet to discuss or choose to ignore.

When will be ready? It’s up to each of you. Thank you.

This speech was given at the North American Interfaith Network (NAIN) conference in Atlanta, Georgia, Monday, July 16, 2012

Be Afraid? I Think Not!

Today I received a message from the Obama campaign. Now before you read any further, know that I AM voting for the President to be re-elected. Know that I think he is the best man STILL for the job and that I UNDERSTAND that we have some challenges ahead of us. But, lately, I've been really, really, REALLY! upset with some of the campaign literature I've been receiving.

WE'VE GOT GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS!

That was the subject line in the email I received this morning from the Obama campaign machine. The email went on to say that the bad news is that the Romney campaign raised more money than we did. I'm going to agree with my friend who today told me her new response to statements such as this is--SO?

SO? They are raising a lot of money. Hey, the Koch Brothers have deep pockets and they are determined that they will buy what they choose. Guess what? They can't. Some things cannot be bought and it is my belief that this election is one of them. Money won't buy a brain and the things that comes out of mouths of idiots will be their undoing. Case in point:

One donor was quoted as saying, "I don't think the common person is getting it ... they don't understand what's going on." Interpretation: These people aren't buying our million dollar ads not because they aren't buying it, but because they are ignorant and uneducated. This person went on to say, "I just think if you're lower income -- one, you're not as educated, two, they don't understand how it works. This is the kind of thinking that we're up against in this election." Say what?

What are we really afraid of? That they are raising more money? Well, it seems that if they are raising so much money, they'd create ads that people would understand, right? Or buy into, okay. No, see that's the wrong way to look at it. It isn't that those poor, uneducated people don't know how it works or that they don't understand english. Instead, we need to have a little faith in the American people to sift through the utter feces-driven rhetoric and not buy it. No matter how they cover it up, it smells and when its all said and done--feces is feces!

Moreover, can they really think that insulting the America people is going to make them go, "Wow, I don't know nutin' 'bout birthin' no babies, so I guess I just gonna go and do what they say." Poor doesn't mean dumb. And hungry doesn't mean desperate. And so, I say to the Obama folks--stop sounding desperate. The later email I received notified me about the quote from the donor. That is the right message. Show us who they are. Show us who they think we are, too. And on election day, you will have informed people who understand about the real issues of this race. It's about people. Period.

Come on guys, get with the program. Give us information and keep giving us truth and integrity, something that money CANNOT buy.

I'm P.K. McCary and I approve this message. President Obama--so should you!

Laughter is Good for the Soul

In Celebration of the Life of LaMarcus Jackson

July 2, 1959 - March 11, 2012

Haynes Mortuary, Texarkana Texas, May 19, 2012

The last time I was in this place was at our grandmother’s funeral. I wrote a poem for her, but somehow I could barely recite it as I was overcome with grief. My grandmother, more mother than grandmother, was gone.

I have had other moments of grief. Like when I lost my granddaughter, Melliah. Nothing has EVER hurt so much. But, after losing both sides of my life—my past in my grandmother and my future with my granddaughter, there are some things I’ve learned. As I’ve matured, I can safely say that I’ve learned these lessons through some hard knocks. But, I’ve also learned these lessons from those who cared and loved me enough to share their insights.

When I lost Melliah I received two pieces of advice. The first was:

GRIEVE WELL

The second piece of advice came from 1 Thessalonians 4:13—Brothers (and Sisters), we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men (and women), who have no hope.

Therefore, the second piece of advice I received was to GRIEVE, but not without Hope.

As I’ve traveled around the world, there are two things that I’ve know. Sorrow has no ethnicity, color, race or creed. And neither does joy. And if we are to grieve properly, we must know that grieving well includes JOY, too. We cannot be here today in celebration of LaMarcus Jackson’s—our Mark’s—life without knowing that our sorrow will only be healed by the joy we find in the whole of his life.

Grief has a way of finding us. When Job was lambasted by hurt and sorrow than he had ever known he received some good news. The good news was the “[God] would yet fill his mouth with laughter, and his lips with shouting.” If you aren’t shouting the good news about what we’ve learned as Disciples of Christ, you won’t make it through the grief of our losing Mark. I looked up other ways to dispel grief and I realize that we forget that in the midst of tears, laughter comes and soothes the spirit. But, then Proverbs tells us that a “Joyful heart is good medicine” and Psalms explains yet further “then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongues with shouts of joy” because we know that God has done great things for us.

But in the midst of this storm of tears, Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is a “time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.”

I want everyone to look at the program (see above) I was honored to have created and see the picture there. We have our time for sorrow and then there are those moments when we laugh even as we cry, and yes, we mourn our cousin, brother, nephew, uncle, father, grandfather, friend today with a passion. We miss him. But folks, I’m hear to tell you that our Mark gets the last laugh because he gets to DANCE.

Peace? Oh, Yeah. RIP Mark--We love you.