On the Memorial of Rosa Parks, 10/31/05
Memorials and eulogies are exceptionally challenging to deliver. Often the individuals defied description because of their unique act of courage, foresight, or generosity. The words often fail to say something insightful about the dead, and fail to inspire the living in our grief. Shrouding the dead in word is difficult.
I think of Ossie Davis' eulogy to Malcolm X as the classic tribute. His voice, if he were reading a TV guide, already shook your soul. In honoring Malcolm X as our "black prince," he encouraged us to respect and nurture the black princes among us, especially in their periods of moral failings. The tributes I heard yesterday, as I heard Ossie Davis (granted at the end of Spike's "Malcolm X"), didn't leave me moved as much as they moved within me, within my psyche.
I arrived in time to hear the final strains of the youth gospel choir. There strong voices were encouraging. I went to the memorial to be encouraged, uplifted. All of us, and there were hundreds, stood outside to be among the humble who honored Rosa Parks.
"I owe you to be successful," Oprah said. She'd first heard of Rosa Parks from her father, and if her accomplishments were an accurate indicator of her physical accomplishments, Oprah thought she was a giant. The lesson to us: physical size bears no relationship to one's potential for greatness.
Instead of being defeated by the ever increasing number of required signatures on a petition to honor Parks with a Congressional Medal, Sen. Stabinow called on Tavis Smiley and Tom Joyner to rally the country. Her "cousins" she called them. Of course, the pair's combined charisma and confidence in the mission made supporting the bill an obvious decision, and collected more signatures than needed. Use your resources to challenge the system.
Finally, everybody's uncle Sen. Ted Kennedy. Though Catholic, I did not expect that his reference to Parks' faith to be as powerful as it was. She believed the Lord was with her, he said, and knew He would protect her as she defied the law. I shivered. Listening to roaring red-faced Kennedy, I shivered.
Racism. Iraq. NRA in DC. Oil. Gun violence. Hurricanes. Bush. I have to believe the Lord is with me, and with us all.
I think of Ossie Davis' eulogy to Malcolm X as the classic tribute. His voice, if he were reading a TV guide, already shook your soul. In honoring Malcolm X as our "black prince," he encouraged us to respect and nurture the black princes among us, especially in their periods of moral failings. The tributes I heard yesterday, as I heard Ossie Davis (granted at the end of Spike's "Malcolm X"), didn't leave me moved as much as they moved within me, within my psyche.
I arrived in time to hear the final strains of the youth gospel choir. There strong voices were encouraging. I went to the memorial to be encouraged, uplifted. All of us, and there were hundreds, stood outside to be among the humble who honored Rosa Parks.
"I owe you to be successful," Oprah said. She'd first heard of Rosa Parks from her father, and if her accomplishments were an accurate indicator of her physical accomplishments, Oprah thought she was a giant. The lesson to us: physical size bears no relationship to one's potential for greatness.
Instead of being defeated by the ever increasing number of required signatures on a petition to honor Parks with a Congressional Medal, Sen. Stabinow called on Tavis Smiley and Tom Joyner to rally the country. Her "cousins" she called them. Of course, the pair's combined charisma and confidence in the mission made supporting the bill an obvious decision, and collected more signatures than needed. Use your resources to challenge the system.
Finally, everybody's uncle Sen. Ted Kennedy. Though Catholic, I did not expect that his reference to Parks' faith to be as powerful as it was. She believed the Lord was with her, he said, and knew He would protect her as she defied the law. I shivered. Listening to roaring red-faced Kennedy, I shivered.
Racism. Iraq. NRA in DC. Oil. Gun violence. Hurricanes. Bush. I have to believe the Lord is with me, and with us all.
posted by Rhonda Henderson at 11:59 AM
1 Comments:
Amen sister
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