I can only speak for myself but I was struck by the sea of American flags waving in unison for a number of reasons. I stopped reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in the third grade, the same year my sister and I became the only children of African-American descent at the public grade school my mother somehow had managed to enroll us in. The city of Milwaukee had something called "intact busing" where they would take an entire class of black children from an overcrowded inner city school and bus them "intact" to a white school where they would have no contact with the white student body. They would arrive after the white students were in class and be ushered to a classroom in the basement - then they would be escorted out of their basement classroom and back to their bus before the white children were excused for the day. I would watch this daily spectacle from the window of my second floor classroom. Henceforth, I would choke on the words "with liberty and justice for all." Couldn't say it. Refused to say it.
When George Foreman waved a tiny American flag when he won the gold medal, I thought, "sellout." I was glad when Muhammad Ali knocked him out. In the movie "Rocky," when Apollo Creed came dancing into the ring wearing his red, white and blue trunks and his Uncle Sam hat, I thought, "you punk." When they play the national anthem at sporting events I attend, I never stand and I never remove my hat. Last night, when I went to see the Milwaukee Bucks annihilate the Dallas Mavericks (133-99), I didn't put my hand over my heart or remove my hat but I did stand in silence. In respect. In acknowledgement. ~rave! --- In scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, keithbjohn...@... wrote: > > Well said. One slight correction though: it wasn't for the first time we were proud to be Americans; it was the first time we were *really* proud to be Americans. There's a difference. I think blacks have always loved this country, always been proud to be American, but been saddened and upset by how it's fallen short of its promises. It's like having a child that you love, that has so much potential, but hasn't yet found his or her course in life. I've even heard parents say, "I've always loved my son, always been proud of him, but i'm really really proud of him for the first time." > > Frankly, by dint of volunteering for the military, by playing by the rules, by raising our kids to worship a God and support a country into which we were frankly dragged in chains, I think black Americans can be said to have shown more genuine patriotism, more faith in this country, than any other group. (Except perhaps Natives). I hope more people get that message, but there are always the doubters: witness Rush Limbaugh's "I hope Obama fails" rant. Sigh... > > Again, well said. > -------------- Original message ---------------------- > From: "ravenadal" <ravena...@...> > > I, Too, Sing America > > > > In the tapestry that was the throng blanketing the public concourse > > stretching from the Lincoln Memorial to the portico where President > > Barack Hussein Obama took the oath of office, I was struck by a > > strange and incongruous sight: a sea of black people waving tiny > > American flags. What bizarro world was this? Black people waving > > American flags? Get the flux out of here! And yet, there they were, > > waving their red, white and blue flags proudly, enthusiastically and > > full of the vigor of having obtained their full statehood rights. > > First Lady Michelle Obama was vilified for voicing an opinion similar > > to what these people were so obviously demonstrating: for the first > > time in their adult lives, they were proud to be Americans. > > > > ~rave! > > > > > > >
