Call me Mr. President

From “Call me Mr. Tibbs” to Call me Mr. President

From Jim Crow to President Barack Obama… we went from Yes We Can to Yes We Did. This is a very momentous occasion, not just because we have the first African American President, but because we have a president of change. If we were to watch the reactions of not only those American supporters of Obama, but the faces of the people around the world, we would notice how much the world needs change. The faces of men and women around the world weeping with joy and excitement. The weeping faces of young and old Americans voting for the very 1^st time and knowing that their voices were heard. We now see how the world needs a ray of hope and something to look forward to.

What I believe to be the most compelling point, is the fact that we as African Americans do not see the election as being the breaking of the tape as we cross the finish line, but as the opportunity to be on the starting blocks to run the race. There are a few things that we know:

1. “They” are waiting for him to make the tiniest mistake so “they” can say “I told you so.”

2. How President Obama serves the people is a direct reflection on the African American community.

3. How we act is a direct reflection on President Obama (whether we like it or not).

4. We have a lot of work to do as a people to make this country better. This will not be an instant process, but after trying to fix the mess of the previous administration and then implementing the new strategy.

The question is: What’s next? What will change? What will change in the lives and values of our inter-city youth?...only time will tell. There can be no progress without a struggle. This is the time of struggle. Fixing the problems of the Bush administration will take time. To show the level of thought of his administration, Bush congratulates Obama and tells him to enjoy it and go on vacation…wasn’t that an issue with his term? Obama goes to work…good to see an immediate difference.

We are at the point where we can tell our sons and daughters that they can be and do anything that they put their minds to. We have not only broken the color barrier, but also the excuse barrier. There is no more blaming your lack of success on your home situation. No one ever said that it would be fair or easy. They just said that it would be worth it. I see a brighter future for America. Our children are no longer just competing with the other children in their classes, school, or state. This is a global market that we are living in and they are competing in a world market. It is time that we invest in our children and in our children’s future.

This future that we are hoping for will not be given to us, but through the crucible of time and hard work it will happen. Yes we can change the world. Yes can have a piece of the American dream. Yes we can make a difference in the lives of others. Yes we can and yes we will!!

CJ Corbin, II

Ksquare7.blogspot.com

---

State of the Union

The state of the union address is normally one that outlines how the United States is fairing socially, politically, and economically. I rise to address one state of our Union. This is the only time in recent years where it seems that the majority of the population cares about the election.
It does my heart good to be able to debate educatedly about the candidates. It matters not your political viewpoint...just have both a view and a point.
I must admit that it warmed my heart to have a political discussion with my 12 year old son. I think that the fact the we as Americans are very involved and concerned about who we have as our next President shows that we care about the direction this country is headed.
Get out and vote! We can change the world!!

YES WE CAN!!

This is a piece written by one of my Lodge brothers, Bro. Mike Grant:
“Yes We Can” – for me personally, in my life, represent the words that were whispered into my ear by my mother as a young black boy in South Carolina raised in a single parent household. Words whispered quietly, while gently embracing my small body to offer hope to the daily challenges and obstacles that awaited me in the cold, cruel, and unfair world that I was born into especially in the geographic region of my upbringing still plagued with overt racism and constant discrimination. “Yes We Can” as a mother/son family team sacrifice and make time to live by Christian values and establish core life/work skills such as integrity, clear communication, dependability, punctuality, and reciprocity.

At night, before getting on my knees as a toddler to say my bedtime prayers, the concept of faith and hope was instilled into me. I was taught to pray without ceasing, challenged to live my life by the scripture that all we need is the faith of a mustard seed in God and he shall deliver his promise of providing all of our needs and never giving us any more than we can handle. Words do matter – words can inspire people to transcend beyond barriers, obstacles, the evil ways of people that may despise you for various reasons and want to see you fail and in despair. Words can inspire people to set forth a spirit of excellence within themselves to realize “that they do possess the change that they have been looking for” as Obama states. Once we wage the battle within ourselves to stand for excellence without excuse and let that spirit of excellence within us permeate into our daily interactions with others, how we conduct ourselves on the job, how we treat our loved ones, how we approach life challenges, how we greet those that agree and disagree with our thoughts, then we can begin to showcase our character of excellence to society. If more children were given those words of inspiration and nurturing consistently at the earliest age possible– then perhaps they would not be torn apart as often by the unfairness of school systems that try to label, marginalize, and categorize our youth into “tracks” for how they will be educated and exposed to information.

When it rains, it is extremely difficult to set a fire to a massive pile of substance. You normally must wait until the rain stops and the elements begin to clear up before a fire can be blazed, which can be summarized into the spirit of timing. Well, I and many others, have had an overwhelming down-pouring of rain in our daily lives spawned from a wide array of negative forces and unfair treatment where it seems to keep that fire from spreading into our spirit and heart to consistently strive for overall excellence. Our psychological emotions have been washed and flooded with frustration and doubt, but now…the elements of many hearts, minds, and bodies, are becoming dry from the rising sun and a new flame of energy, inspiration, and hope is getting us “fired up and ready to go” so that our internal fire to be greater than we ever hoped can burn long and shine bright for all to see. God bless us all and Obama for President!

Michael M. Grant

Scaffolding

Nehemiah 6: 2-4 states:
2That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.
3And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?
4Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.
Scaffolding as described by Wikipedia:
Scaffolding is a temporary framework used to support people and material in the construction or repair of buildings and other large structures. It is usually a modular system of metal pipes (termed tubes in Britain), although it can be made out of other materials. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaffolding

This tells us that in a building of an edifice, it is necessary to have temporary support in order to fix, upgrade and also grow. When we look at the edifice our lives we have people around us who are like scaffolding. Some of them are there for longer periods of time than others, but their purpose in your life is to just be there as a support structure or as a learning tool to help you fix, upgrade, or grow.

The issue is that there are times where we don’t want to get rid of those of us that have filled the purpose that have in our lives. Albeit by death and not wanting to let go or by relationships and friendships that are like bleach…they serve a good purpose, but too much contact with it become toxic.

If we look at the passage of Nehemiah, we notice Nehemiah on the wall…building. Then there are those that see you doing a good work and want you to stop. They would have rather do you harm than to see you do good.

The real issue comes to play when we allow others to distract us. If Nehemiah had gone with them to Ono it would become a place of compromise. It would have should his weakness and lack of priority. I suggest to you today to take stock of those in your life that are scaffolding make sure that instead of getting off of that spiritual wall to place of compromise, recognize your self worth and say to those that would cause you mischief and take you to the preverbal Ono… say to them Oh NO!
Oh no…not one more night of a bad relationship.
Oh no…not one more day of feeling less than I am
Oh no…not one more day of not living up to my true potential
Oh no…not reliving past mistakes
Oh no!!!!!
The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settle for.

Just a little food for the soul…eat well.