The benediction at Barack Hussein Obama’s inauguration was given today by Rev. Joseph Lowery:
Joseph Echols Lowery (born October 6, 1921) is a minister in the United Methodist Church and leader in the American civil rights movement.
Lowery was pastor of the Warren Street United Methodist Church, in Mobile, Alabama from 1952 until 1961. His career in the civil rights movement began in the early 1950s in Mobile, Alabama. After Rosa Parks’ arrest in 1955, Lowery helped lead the Montgomery bus boycott. He headed the Alabama Civic Affairs Association, an organization devoted to the desegregation of buses and public places. In 1957, with Martin Luther King, Jr. Lowery founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and subsequently led the organization as its president from 1977 to 1997. [Link]
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p>Without a doubt the most striking paragraph of the benediction (the full text of which can be found here) was the following:
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Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around … when yellow will be mellow … when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen. [Link]
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I realize that the “brown” could refer to Latinos just as well as South Asian Americans, but I liked the rhyme as part of the benediction. Yes, yes I know. The world shouldn’t be divided up in to colors like this. I don’t care though because the sentiment he was trying to express was clear and could be heard in the laughter of those present. It was not, like Faux News’ Glenn Beck would have us believe, a shot at whites:
Even at the inauguration of a black president, we are being called racist.
Mr. President — I want to believe. I want to trust. I want to hope for change — but I am really failing to see how this is any different.
USA Today reports that you smiled when he said this and shook your head. And it’s not like you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into. This is the same Reverend Lowery that even made Coretta Scott King’s funeral about politics!… [Link]
As South Asian Americans we’ve already come pretty far. The engagement by our community that I witnessed over the last year and a half has been inspiring. There is no doubt that we will be sticking around even after the high from this day fades and the hard work begins.
47 · Natives said
No, but it is apparently lower than your blood pressure. I think that the only thing lesser than your penis size is your boiling point.
Many Arabs and blacks are brown too. Salaam
Negro only means black skinned to people. To the majority of black people many Arabs look like Africans with straight hair, that’s it. They may look different to non-african men and women. The word Negro cannot just be applied to any African.
THANKS Yorubella and Melanie for making sure these guys knew the history of that phrase. I was wondering when these folks would figure it out.
As a South Asian American who cut her teeth in Asian American and people of color coalition work, its embarassing to me that until your comment, no one seemed to have a clue about this very very common refrain! Are most of you just really young, or do you have no experience in people of color unity work??
The common African American refrain does by itself refer to colorism within the African American community. But… I would say, by the late 80s/early 90s, the refrain had come to be widely known amongst Native American, Latino, and Asian American activists, students, and thinkers, as a way of referring to racial hierarchy itself: the way different people of color groups were perceived in wider society, in comparison to African Americans.
Of course, Latinos, Asian Americans, and of course Native Americans had been in the US for decades before this. But by this time, the “model minority myth” about Asian Americans in general was widely beleived; and urban Latino social and political clout were coming of age in major cities. At the same time, many African Americans felt that the same skin priveleges that had historically affected African Americans were now bestowed upon these other groups. Latinos and Asian Americans also saw this “skin privelege” affecting many of them –especially the lighter-skinned ones. So the refrain had now become a tool to describe racial hierarchy in a more multiethnic U.S.
To my knowledge, neither versions of the refrain include a reference to “if you’re red” — so yes, Rev Lowery, in retelling this refrain, must have added it in to paint a more complete picture of racial unity.
Those of you who have a history of racial coalition work will, like me, appreciate the significance of what he said.
(While I have many strengths even with Mastery of English as an US American as a rarity :p…my spelling stinks. Please forgive that.)
Absolutely borderdancer and all here or in spirit…or proxy if debating if that “spirit” exists.
Some of us saw what the offshoot of the Civil Rights did not just for Negro….then changed to Black….then changed to African American….but to ALL people of background. Alas the White…now Caucasian did get the backlash of the “double standard” for a while…and minorities were given equality as lip service when you see the economic development of the neighborhoods…or should I say the NON development (see liquor stores, check cashing places, no major brand of supermarket, etc.) And I am completely ashamed at the Liberal “Political Correctness” as the new censorship that grew. You can’t force thought even under the banner of “tolerance.” Read Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury. I’ll skip the “mistakes” of whether they are known as “Conservatives” or “Radicals” as now when the Conservatives denounced the last administration, and those who hid under “terorism” or “Freedom fighting” violence for “a freedom of one denying many” like Animals or the Enviroment…because now I’m confused who’s left right or center/centrist anyway. And looking at even right now, the “majority” of Mexican/Hispanic/Latino and other titles given are the MAJORITY of the US population, yet the MINORITY of economic support (for the sake of argument, noting the documented since the underclass support of the undocumented on the economy would take pages to define here….and such have as much right to NON HOSTILITY from others as any other “documented” group) goes to such a group.
But in the last few years….after the racial hatred setbacks of 9-11…there HAS been a unity beginning to form in parts of the US and the world. Gates and Bono offering billions to microteansactions. The call of personal responsibilty as of late. Calling Torture…Torture even if it “legally” is “allowed. (and THANK you Amnesty International!) The self-awareness of taking a “non bending stance” can be as bad as some of those bigoted (sorry dubba.)
If it weren’t for the “backlash” of the “anti-marriage” bills passed, I would have said we are on the rise still.
But we have a long road to go to treating others with the respect we wish to ourselves…also known as “The Golden Rule.”
With respect, I am a mutt of European, mid-eastern and a third generation US born citizen with 3 of 4 of my parents and grandparents born not only in the US, but in New York city as well (the other grandparent was from Russia, which is fine too.)
This in a future immigrating time when not just Austria/Hungry/Prussia/Germany, but Russia, Poland and other “border nations in conflict with each others’ border lines” would look to blame the minority (Jew, Romini sorry if misspelled, African, crippled/handicapped, gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered, poliically differing of the power dictatorship of fascism/communisim/”free nations,” etc.) for any downturn and…now the term is ethnic clensing….instead or murder or genocide of Hitler’s later action in the latter war after the former wars. (And notice all groups listed as example DIED in the Camps…not just “The Jews.”)
All this shaped what I became as of now and can be…as well as what presently happens as I look with a mind personally thinking, “the only constant is change itself.”
Not only do I follow a way of philosophy and the moral path of “be a good soul and do the right thing” as a personal truth, but I follow the religions of reformed Judism and non-denominational Christianity, but walk the path of Buddhism as well when it comes to foundations of my philosophy. Even so I respect and even follow other World beliefs and religions (well Sikhism and Hinduism as additonal for examples maybe but I doubt I’d qualify as a Zorostrian or Athiest, but I DO qualify as a FORMER Angnostic :p)
All this has shown (at least to my eyes) we have so many similarities, when told to foucs on the details of the few differences, we forget the message of FORGIVING those who transgress and LOVE of those who are our neighbor no matter what kind of neighbor And in the “Judeo-Christian” US especially, forgetting that we must turn the other cheek as Jesus reminds us to hate the SIN but FORGIVE the sinner. Only God determines our judgement, not us on this earth. Many agnostics and atheists can also remind us that we need to take responsibility for our OWN actions FIRST before comdemning OTHERS. Not all are suing American government because they are “offended” at the mention of faith.
Yet, we also must respect the US’s foundation of SEPARATION of “Church and State.” Nothing is wrong with Religion or with Civics…but neither one should run the other. We shoudl ALL have the right to our beliefs…but not publicly shout them in “optional prayer” or “adding god to a pledge” which was to fight the “Athiest communist people,” or sue the Boy Scouts…and so forth.
For our biggest enemy is not the Jew or Muslim or Christian Israel or Palistine, the Devil US or Socialist Argentina……
it is ignorance and those who speak with it more than knowledsge; those who have learned “enough;” those who speak on “fundamentals” yet ignore anything that does not meet their definition of such.
And the hiding of murder in all of the above and more in its name.
So ask no more why “you” weren’t included, and make yourself heard, but do not drown out the voices of our chorus in this melding and melting pot US country we call simply “home.”
Oh, if I may add an addendum to our widening race/religion/color group:
If you follow Buddha…more power to ya!
I AM, –the truthseeker
If its yellow let it mellow and let brown stick around… was he talking plumbing? Nice going Obamsa! Let black not give back? Did he say some Americans should be held accountable differently? Nice going Obamsa.
Obamsa true colors….hey he signed Freedom for Abortion Act. What better way to kill the infidels then to have their own mothers do it
The most influentential people in my life have life have been Irish Catholic Jessuit Priests. The heleped me re-discover my Hindu culture. I came from a very narow minded Presbyterian backgroud.