August 28 - Dr. King, My Mom, Remembering, Barack Obama, & 21st Century America
August 28 - Dr. King, My Mom, Remembering, Barack Obama, & 21st Century America
August 28
1963: Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his “I have A Dream" speech
1985: My mom was dying from terminal bone cancer. I had spent days and nights at the hospital trying to comfort her. On August 27, on a night I should have been with her, I went to San Francisco to do a drug deal. At 5 a.m., on August 28, I called the hospital to see how she was. She was dead. She had died at 3am on August 28, 1985. It is a disgrace and a sorrow that will be with me forever.
My mom fought, in her own way, to give respect to all people. I remember once my friend and I had gone to her work with her to pick up her paycheck. While she was inside, my friend and I were watching an old African American man dig through the refuge container outside her store (She was a grocery checker for Lucky Markets) and we were laughing. I think I was eleven. She came up behind me and grabbed me and slammed me against a wall, and slapped me across the face. She said, “that man is a human being and don't let me ever hear or see you disrespect any human being. Shame on you!”
I can remember that moment as if it were yesterday.
My mom had hopes and dreams that America would someday really be a nation of one. So, rather than acknowledge loosing her, I try to remember her for all the great things she believed in and the great mother she was to me. I celebrate her life each and every August 28. I, add, to the celebration, and to this date, which will live with me forever, to remember Dr. Martin Luther King's “I Have A Dream” speech, because in his words are the dreams of my mom too. Yea, were white people, but, the “Dream” speech crosses all divides.
As with every August 28th, my morning began listening to Dr. King's speech. It's only 17 minutes long, but, its one powerful 17 minutes, and in his words I see and hear my mom, and the beliefs of my dad, my grandmother, and all who embraced creating a world that works for all.
2008: Barack Obama...
Stand up for change! My mom would have embraced this idea. "It is time to pass the torch from one generation to another. (John F. Kennedy)." Stand up for change! It is time to allow our nation's beacon of hope to shine again. Stand up for change! It is time to completely unshackle the bonds of centuries-past. Stand up for change! It is time to set a new course for our nation, one in harmony with the planet. Stand up for change! It is time to step up and onto the frontier of the 21st Century, where the sky no longer is the measurement of how far, as, a people we can go. Stand up for change! Limitations are a mind-set. The 21st Century is limitless. There is much work to be done. It is time to begin...
I read a piece about a couple who had moved to the inner-city. They had come from rural America. Their seven year old daughter was attending her first day of school. When their little girl came home she was excited to tell her mom about a new friend she had met. Her mom ask her daughter, “what color is your new friend? The little girl looked at her mom and said, “I never noticed.”
It's time to create an America rooted in the 21st Century.
It's time to create a world that works for ALL...
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Creating A World That Works For All
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very touching story
and I love how you put your mom's name in the tag line, also. I think I'll relisten to the "I Have a Dream" speech later tonight when I get home...as I've just been inspired...+1
Peace,
Mia NW
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Yes, a touching story, that is, the first part
But using personal tragedy in one's life to promote a political agenda takes away the human touch of the story. It is sad, but then, it has become so habitual.
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Thanks for sharing that
It got me to thinking about some of the regrets I have in my life -- we all have them. But I'm certain your mother knew you loved her very much.
I dearly hope we see some some positive changes in our country in the coming years. We are in definite need of an image makeover, that's for sure.
Regrets and Dreams :(
Life's lessons are hard! Aren't they? We can never go back and change things, but it is a good memory you have of your mother and I am sure she is gleaming down on you from the heaven's on this day :)
The thing we need to remember is, we can never go back, we must live each day as it is our last.....trying not to do things we will regret later. Always comes down to, "if only I would have known". Also, treating others as if they were you :) (don't laugh at those that are less fortunate)
Thanks for your post :)
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I can assure you there is no political agenda aimed at here,
Agenda is a general buzz word used by many to deflect from the real meaning in comments, articles, and publications meant to empower people. Screw politics.
And, yes, I did borrow some words from John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama. But, they were words, which hit the nail on the head when it comes to the fact that there's not going to be much sitting down, letting others do things, in building our country back to fruitfulness.
It's going to take everybody, you included, sir, to once, again, empower the American people. Our people, including those who had hopes and dreams before us, have been dealt one lousy hand by those special people in Washington D.C.
So, with all due respect, nice try using a buzz word, but, let me tell you something, my mom and dad worked every day of their lives, and worked hard, and, they did it because they believed in America, and what America stood for, and what America promised.
We are able to fulfill promises, not just because we have a kind heart, there is no division between hopes and dreams of individuals, and the government and policies of we, the people.
You make your shallow comments using a buzz-word like "agenda," to try to deflect the heartfelt reason I wrote this piece. There's no agenda here. I just want our people to regain their hopes, their dreams, their country, and their vision of a future with promise.
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It does matter what you believe, but, what you believe does not matter if you do not act upon your beliefs.
you can not vote on the truth
--Pope John Paul II, 1995
Political agenda
I agree with Joseph... I saw no signs of a "political agenda" in this article. He was relating his personal history to current events, which is perfectly logical for a a remembrance/reflection article.
Writing about one's family and history is a very personal matter. There's nothing wrong with putting one's personal view of the world or politics into the article.
Joseph, do you have a twin brother on Xomba, or have you recently changed your screen name, LOL? Your pic is very familiar...
Xomba ID Change from Big Pink to....
Although, work has kept me away from Xomba most of August, I am preparing some new articles to post. Xomba, and the friends I have made, are very important to me.
The purpose of this short note is to let you know I am changing my Xomba id from bigpink to josephehoward. It was after winning the $30 Amazon Gift Certificate for "Karma and the $140 Lottery Ticket hanging on a Bush," I realized the things I write needed to have my real name on them.
I have used bigpink since my late business partner, (remember all my long-time friends are dead), Michael DeRita passed on, in 1999. Michael and I brought the first owner-operator taxicabs into the Lake Tahoe Basin (California-Nevada), on April 1, 1988. Our first cabs were pink, and operated under the name Pink Taxi.
So, for me, to stop using the name bigpink (a name we grabbed from "The Band's" album, "Music from Big Pink"), it was a hard decision, one I toyed with for weeks. But, my decision to make-the-change was because of my timeline. If I was going to leave a debris field on the Internet, I should take responsibility for it, thus, the name change.
The good news is bigpink, at least, here on Xomba will remain with me in the form of my link, and that certainly pleases me. My story links will remain the same using bigpink, on the url link.
In the pink since ' 88...
In the pink
Whenever I saw your old name I would think of The Band... and that's not a bad thing.
Surprisingly
I thought of the Pink Taxis in Key West - weird huh?
Pink Taxis are superb
Not, at all weird, my friend, Pink Taxis are absolutely superb!
Touching
That is a very touching story. Brought tears to my eyes.
pink taxies
Pink taxies are as good as a drug treatment for rainy days. They might seem a little bit out of place, but... think pink!!!
Think Pink !
"Think Pink," yea, this statement was our first slogan when we operated our taxis in Lake Tahoe, Nevada / California. I'd forgot all about the original slogan till you mentioned it in this post.
Hmmmm. I'm going to have to start using it again. In 1993, when we moved the Pink Taxi name from the cabs to our graphics company we changed it to the current slogan, "in the pink since '88." Our Pink Taxi Company began service on April 1, 1988.
And, yes, it was April Fool's Day. Mike DeRita and I always laughed about our start date, as, two fools in a pink taxi. Yellow Cab's general manager, Sparky Dennison, pulled up in their company's yellow Cadillac, smoking a big cigar, get out and say, pink, huh, we'll see about this!
Little did he or us know that within six months the Feds would grab Yellow Cab, the owners of Pink Taxi (Mike and me) would become U.S. Custodians, and Pink Taxi would control Yellow Cab and its 40 car fleet. Mike and I had one pink taxicab on the day we took control of Yellow Cab.
And, Sparky Dennison, well, the last time I talked to him was when I told him he had 24 hours to return Yellow Cab's property, including the Cadillac, or face the U.S. Marshall's Office. He returned the property.
The story of Pink Taxi is quite a story with all the twists and turns of a suspense novel. Someday, I'll sit down and write its complete story.
I'm currently preparing our long held URL to an operating website. We have owned pinktaxi.com since 1997.
"In the pink since '88"
Think Pink!
And thank you for your comments!!