In Texas they lynch Negroes. My teammates and I saw a man strung up by his neck and set on fire. We drove through a lynch mob, pressed our faces against the floorboard. I looked at my teammates. I saw the fear in their eyes and, worse, the shame. What was this Negro’s crime that he should be hung without trial in a dark forest filled with fog. Was he a thief? Was he a killer? Or just a Negro? Was he a sharecropper? A preacher? Were his children waiting up for him? And who are we to just lie there and do nothing. No matter what he did, the mob was the criminal. But the law did nothing. Just left us wondering, “Why?” My opponent says nothing that erodes the rule of law can be moral. But there is no rule of law in the Jim Crow south. Not when Negroes are denied housing. Turned away from schools, hospitals. And not when we are lynched. St Augustine said, “An unjust law in no law at all.’ Which means I have a right, even a duty to resist. With violence or civil disobedience. You should pray I choose the latter.
“
| — | Denzel Whitaker as “James Farmer Jr.” in the Great Debaters |
An old Italian gentleman lived alone in New Jersey . He wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but it was very difficult work, as the ground was hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament:
Dear Vincent, I am feeling pretty sad because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. I know if you were here my troubles would be over. I know you would be happy to dig the plot for me, like in the old days. Love, Papa
A few days later he received a letter from his son.
Dear Papa, Don’t dig up that garden. That’ s where the bodies are buried. Love, Vinnie
At 4 a.m. The next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son.
Dear Papa, Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That’s the best I could do under the circumstances. Love you, Vinnie
“I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all. I do not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood who hold that nature somehow has given them a lowdown dirty deal and whose feelings are all hurt about it. Even in the helter-skelter skirmish that is my life, I have seen that the world is to the strong regardless of a little pigmentation more or less. No, I do not weep at the world—I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife.”
In memory of Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960)
“It’s just that all these ordinary thingsssssss….” :)
more Danish tunesss
Ordinary Things by Lukas Graham
Abroad Update!
On one hand, I feel like I’m cheating myself by not blogging about my experience, but…
on the other, I’m having a great time being IN the experience.
Copenhagen has definitely been good to me thus far. The temperature did manage to go up past two degrees here in the past two weeks, so I’m nothing but thankful. I’ve established my routine with classes, commuting, volunteering and such, and even though I’m sure SOMEONE out there is saying, “Isn’t it boring to have a routine?”, let me explain.
I’m taking 5 classes, which are Psychology of Human Sexuality, Applied Psychology, Positive Psychology, Danish Culture and Language, and Human Trafficking in a Global Context. It’s a lot of material, and I’m STILL working on my Honors Thesis from back home. Bet THAT, Spelman Advisors!
I’m volunteering at a place called the Trampoline House, which is an organization/community set up as a safe haven for asylum seekers in Denmark. It’s so amazing, it deserves its own blog post, so I won’t say much about it here. I volunteer on Tuesdays and Fridays, and it has been not only an amazing experience, but a life-changing one.
My commute is HORRIBLE, coming at a whopping hour and a HALF to get to school, not even including when I have to wake up to get there. It’s the pits, so consequently, I don’t go out as much. But, it isn’t as bad as you make think. I do my fair share of partying back at Spelman and in the AUC, so a lot of my time IS spent reflecting on this opportunity, this experience, and life in general. I get the chance to really appreciate my host family, actually do my readings for class, and jeg kan godt lide at slappe af i weekenden (I like to relax on the weekends).
:)
I’m leaving for Milan in the morning, and I’m beyond excited to be traveling to Italy. It is such a blessing, and I am so thankful. That’s all for now.
I love you all. :)
Dear Morehouse Students:
After five of the proudest years of my life serving as your president, I have decided to step down from my
position at Morehouse College at the end of my appointment term, effective June 30, 2012.
When I came to Morehouse to serve as its 10th president, the Board of Trustees charged me to restore and
reenergize the intellectual and moral dimensions of the College’s mission and mystique. I have achieved
these goals through my vision and the College’s collective efforts to bring about a Morehouse Renaissance.
Although I have enjoyed the privilege of serving this great college, and we have witnessed many great
successes, I am looking forward to the next chapter of my professional life.
After much thought and prayerful reflection, I will be leaving the College to pursue my passion for teaching
and being more directly involved in the moral and intellectual development of students. Among my immediate
activities will be to serve as Scholar-in-Residence at Stanford University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Institute. I
am honored that the Morehouse Board has voted to name me President Emeritus and Distinguished Professor
of Social Ethics, leaving open the possibility of my returning to Morehouse to teach.
While the leadership of the College is changing, its mission is remaining the same. Morehouse will continue
its nearly 150-year track record of excellence in educating African American men – bright, dedicated and
motivated students, like you, who have made my presidency of Morehouse the highlight of my career.
To ensure that the College continues its pursuit of greatness as one of the nation’s premier institutions of
higher education, the Board has already initiated a rigorous search and selection process for my successor, who
will lead Morehouse through its next phase, including our planned capital campaign.
My fondest memories will be of the amazing students who come to Morehouse from around the globe. They
have responded to the College’s call to become Morehouse Men who are well-read, well-spoken, well-traveled,
well-dressed and well-balanced.
Tomorrow, January 31, at 7 p.m. in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, there will be a Town Hall
meeting for students. I look forward to seeing you there.
I thank each of you for your outstanding scholarship, leadership and service. Keep up the good work so that
one day soon I will meet you again as fellow alumni of our Dear Old Morehouse.
“
| — | Dr. Robert Michael Franklin ‘75 (via fuckyeahtheauc) |
