And when we get home, I know we won’t be home at all. This place we live, it is not where we belong. And I miss who we were in the town that we could call our own. Going back to get away after everything has changed. Could you remind me of a time when we were so alive? Do you remember that? Could you help me push aside all that I have left behind? Do you remember that? (Everything has changed.) So we stand here now and no one knows us at all. I won’t get used to this. I won’t get used to being gone. And going back won’t feel the same if we aren’t staying. Going back to get away after everything has changed. It’s taking up our time, we can’t go back. We can’t go back at all.
January 20, 2009
His Story
Today is Inauguration Day. I am excited to be living in this particular era in history. For my associates degree my emphasis is in this very subject, and this last spring semester was my preferred time in history to dive into, which included the civil rights movement. In my women’s studies class, we were assigned a research paper on a woman who grew up during these pivotal times. I chose my mother, who was born in 1947 and attended high school in Michigan during the early to mid 60′s. She remembers the segregation, the riots, Martin Luther King, etc. My mom was a strong woman. She was a social and popular student, yet befriended a group of African Americans in her high school at a time when it was looked down upon from her peers. At this time in Michigan de facto segregation was in practice, and people stuck to “their side of the tracks”. 1965 brought on many riots just after the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act were passed. My mom was caught in the middle of one of these riots. Before school ended that day, her African American friends came and found her because they knew danger was coming. They formed a circle around her along with some other white friends, leading them out of the school to safety. My mom described the chaotic scene, with violence going on and cars being flipped over in the parking lot. It was so interesting to hear the first hand experiences of somebody who lived it.
Also during spring semester I had the benefit of being assigned a book to read for my American History class. The book is Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody and I highly recommend it. It is a biography of the life of an African American living in the south during the civil rights era and her tireless efforts to instigate change. During her college years she was involved in one of the Woolworth sit-ins in Jackson Mississippi; a non-violent protest where Moody, joined with a few other students refused to leave the segregated counter until they were served. The white students protesting with them were harassed just as much for their association. Below is a picture from this particular sit-in.
This was just after a group of white students poured in and began harassing Moody and the other protesters. It became much more rowdy afterwards and violence broke out. Nonetheless, they stood their ground. (Anne Moody is to the far right – 1963.)
Anne Moody’s life was so rough. She fought so hard, put her life and family’s life in danger, and never gave up in the most frustrating of times. By the time she was just my age she was on the K.K.K’s list of people to actually kill – she was making that much of a difference – and she still didn’t stand down. It is truly amazing. I can’t fully describe the contents of the book, you really have to read it. I dove into her character so much that I felt as though I went through what she went through. I cried and felt frustrated, and overcome with joy whenever there was a tiny break through. Immediately after I finished it I felt convicted for any time I’ve ever complained about my situation. Many of us have lived such comfortable lives. We really have no comprehension of what it means to be persecuted or have our faith be tested.
This book paired with the interview from my mom just made this era come alive. To see the past through the eyes of those who lived it – those who are still alive, and those who are connected to me – wow. It really makes you think about how far we’ve come.
Today an African American man was just inaugurated as president. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty darn amazing.
The New President
So we officially have a new president. Honestly, I feel eager and excited to see what happens from here. I didn’t vote for Obama, but because he is our leader I’m supportive of him and will pray for our leadership. I’ve seen the attitude of so many “anti-Obamans” as being so negative; I’ve heard him actually referred to the anti-christ! As if he’s going to completely ruin us. I think it’s a lot of hype. I really don’t see him to be an evil man.
It makes me wonder how much credit we give to our real Savior. So Obama was elected president of ONE very privileged country out of the entire world. I see how people live in other places and feel very fortunate. It also makes me wonder how Christian we really are when we act the way we do about other human beings. I don’t see danger in Obama, even if everything he is about isn’t exactly on my same page (McCain wasn’t either for what it’s worth.) We also have to remember that “Republican” does not automatically equal “Christian”. I think I’ve seen more hypocritical Republican-Christians than liberals, unfortunately. On the same point, we should not judge fellow Christians who are *gasp* Democrats. I myself do not claim to be defined by either one. I hate categories. I believe what I believe, and sometimes that falls into both. We should get to know people, not try to put them in a box and jump to conclusions about how to define them.
And maybe I will be proved wrong. Maybe chaos will occur, maybe Obama won’t live up to America’s expectations – for now I’m optimistic. But even if things go wrong, God is always on the throne, and the person who won this presidency was already going to win this presidency. We need to accept that, and furthermore believe in the plans that God has for us. HiStory still continues.
