I remember

I remember...

• "White water fountain only"
• "Colored restroom"
• Leon, the only African American kid in my primary school
• Mrs. Hines, my first African American teacher
• Separate schools for "them"
• Arguments for "separate but equal...some more equal...from my own family
• I remember segregated lunch counters
• African Americans not allowed to try on clothes at school
• the suspicion of a person of color in my neighborhood
• I remember...
• my first African American friend
• Prescilla, now a heart surgeon, and African American, who had so much class
• SFC Diggs, the African American platoon sergeant who made his white platoon commander look good

I know now...

• If a white friend loses his job due to the down turn, the mere weight of referrals from friends will ease the burden for most, while few AA's enjoy such
• A white son gets opportunity because of the privilege of affluence
• We ignore the sin and pain of the past
• Most AA's look to tomorrow with hope, peace and good will - not the equal turn they've been given.
• My sons hate injustice, don't even recognize or judge by color, and have a deep ethos different from my experience - and we gave it to them intentionally, and one of their heroes is MLK.
  

I hope today...

• For change, not just in, but definitely including racial reconciliation
• Change in how we approach the world, deal with poverty, and opportunity
• Change in politics
• Change in economics
• Change in dealing with people different from us, even here...we've become a divisive, confrontational people who are agro to anyone not like us...

Mr. President, you represent so much more than ideology, race, or politics. You carry the burden of planting, nurturing and birthing hope, change, peace. You carry the chance, the one chance in my lifetime, to bring real change, to bring hope, and restore decency, virtues and character as part of the American fabric. It has been lacking for so long, eroding one bite at a time for so long.

May the Lord Himself turn His eyes to you, bend down His ear to listen to you, and speak directly to you. May He give you favor, grace, blessing, empowerment, influence, stalwart resolve, unshakable character, wisdom far beyond your years, intelligence rarely experienced, protection above human ability, and success to bring about healing to not just this one nation, but to nations globally, rich, poor, western and peoples of color in poor lands.

May your mistakes be few, and caught early. May your ego remain humble. May He choose you as today's guide out of such deep sins, for which we now pay penance.

Mr. President, God bless you...not out of sentimental desire, but fervent intercession for all people. This idea, this empire, this people called America can be like all fading empires in history, or with one chance, it can be a people who bless others. May God bless others through and because He blessed us and continues to bless us here.

Amen.

As I pass by the closed school, pictured in the Norman Rockwell painting above, I often think of Ruby Bridges, the little girl, now 55 years old, and her role to work and bring that Katrina shuttered building to life once again as a charter school in the St. Claude neighborhood. Ruby lives a mere 5 miles away from us. Her dignity and honor and life time commitment to empower those with out the seed or germination of seeds of possibility are an example to us all. Mrs. Obama said this week in an interview, "The veil of impossibility is being ripped off of millions of children" ...who never before dreamed of new heights and possibilities. Mayor Nagin of New Orleans said the USA has reached a "new level of maturity".

We bear witness of change and prayerfully of healing, deep healing in the poverty, social decay, spiritual malaise and emotional depravity of our past. Could we actually become a healthy people? Do we, can we, might we, actually dream such lofty things?