Comments on the Re-election of President Obama.

As a general rule, I try not to discuss politics or religion, because people can become so passionate about both.  Today, I do have something to say and  I think it is fitting to say it on this, the day of our President's inauguration .  I feel that we, as Americans, are part one family, the American family.   Out of love, there are some things that families must discuss for the good of the whole.   I think one of the biggest problems we face as a nation is that we see ourselves as separate bodies, when we should be one.   If we are expected to succeed as a nation, it will take all of us working as one body.  Last year proved that some of us are willing to destroy this country first, to disprove our president, and second, for both party and personal agendas. 

Of all the negative things I heard last year, and there were many, this one stuck out the most for me.   Someone went so far as to say this country is "Going to hell in a hand basket."  Well, to you I say, if that is the case, it surely wasn't because of the President.  He inherited that hand basket when he took office.  Now everyone expects him to work miracles.  Although he is a talented and industrious president, he is not a miracle worker.  People want him to fix in 4 years what those before him could not fix.  It amazes me the expectations people have placed on him.  

In 2009, I was so elated by the election of our first black president, but I found myself a little bit apprehensive.    I wasn't sure america was ready to take that step.  As the years of President Obama's term played out, it became clear to me that not much had changed.  I think the nation and the world were shocked by some of the things that transpired in Washington.  It was an embarrassment to us all.   You know, as an american citizen, I am so tired of the political games.  We are all residents of this country, and as such, whatever happens affects us all.   To me, there is but one thing that matters.  Years ago, our forefathers promised every man, regardless of his station, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Every man was guaranteed a right to live his life free from fear of social duress on the basis of class, color or creed.  In so doing, our forefathers changed the face of this country.  Yes, we have made great strides in this arena, but what I see is that, as a nation, we are beginning to falter on that decree.  I see a nation declaring its victories while millions of its countrymen live in defeat.  As an American, I took the promises of our forefathers to heart.  When our fellow countrymen made that decree, they said no to the lies, hypocrisies and deceptions of our past.  As Americans, we can't rest until things are as they should be, because, America, that was the decree.   America, it's time to put aside our party differences and our personal agendas and  prove that we, as Americans, have the ability to stand together, united, because in the words of the great Stevie Wonder, “We either stand together or fall apart.

I can go on and on on this subject, but I'm going to end here and post something I wrote that will further explain how I feel.  There are some things the president can't say, but I can.   

To all the nay-sayers

And player-haters

Those who stab me in the back

And do nothing but attack

You can call me names

But I proclaim

It does not matter what you say

You can’t take my blessings away

You can talk until you turn blue

I know what you're saying is not true

That’s all that matters to me

In the end, nothing you do will affect me

You see, I’m not trying to please you

By the things I do

I'm only trying to win the fight

For what is right.

Unfortunately, there will always be those

Who will turn up their nose

And have nothing positive to say

All the time getting in the way

Attempting to choke my God-given creativity

With negativity

I sometimes grow weary of the fight

Who cares who is right?

It’s a shame that we can’t appreciate one another’s gifts

Learn how to uplift

Encourage each other’s individuality

Instead of being so petty

If we never get past our doctrines and ideologies

We’ll never save our communities

It will take all of us working together

To get through stormy weather

There is no room for division

Among religions

This is not the time for arguments

It’s not the time for the erection of monuments

There is no room for pretense

What I need to know is this

How do we stop the violence?

Eliminate crime.

Improve education?

And build better schools?

What do we have to do to save your children and mine?

How can we help the homeless man on the street

Give him food to eat and put shoes on his feet?

These are the solutions we need to seek

We are running out of time

We need to stop hollering about restitution

And work together to find solutions

There will be no restoration

Without communication

If we continue to fight one another

We won’t get any further

We can go on complaining in vain

And things will remain the same

For where there is division

There is no vision

P. Newman-Harris

Last Post for King Day Celebration

Dr. Martin Luther King stated, "In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check."  When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Through his sacrifices, Dr. King paved the way for us.  He laid the ground work for all the opportunities we now enjoy.   Yet, some of us are squandering those opportunities.  He placed money in your name long ago in the bank account of opportunity.  We can claim what so many never had the opportunity to claim.  For those opportunities, I say thank you Dr. King.   And I say thank you to all on whose backs we ride.

Oh What a Day It Will Be

Someday, the clouds of hate will roll away.

We will forget the hurts of our past

And be free at last.

There’ll be no suffering for anyone

No guns

Nor wars to fight.

We will walk in the light

One day sunny and fair,

We will get there.

Oh what a day it will be.

Oh what a day it will be.

Oh what a day it will be

For you and me.

All confusion, doubt and suspicions

Based on race will be erased.

We will put our differences aside

And walk together with pride.

 By and by

When the morning comes

There will be no tears to cry,

We will live as one

Darkness will no longer be our fate.

We will break all barriers of hate

 Someday,

Not far away,

As flags of peace begin to fly

We will lift our eyes to the sky

Can you feel it in the air?

We’re almost there.

Oh what a day it will be.

Oh what a day it will be.

For you on me.

Someday,

The clouds of hate will roll away.

We will forget the hurts of our past.                                    

And be free at last.

Love will rain

From every hillside and plain.

One day sunny and fair.

I know we will get there.

Oh what a day it will be.

Oh what a day it will be.

Oh what a day it will be

For you and me.

 There will be no suffering for anyone

No guns,

Or wars to fight.

We will finally get it right.

There will be no rivers of sorrow to sail.

Peace will prevail.

By and by, when the morning comes,

We will live as one

Darkness will no longer be our fate.

There will be no barriers of hate

 Someday, not far away,

As we lift our eyes to the sky,

The flags of peace will fly

The day we long to see

Will one day come to be.

Those of us who love and care

Know we will get there.

Oh what a day it will be.

Oh what a day it will be.

Oh what a day it will be.

For you and me.

copyright Patricia Newman-Harris

Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebrating his birth means appreciating the sacrifices he made to bring us where we are today

It has become a tradition with me on the day of the King Day Celebration to take time to reflect  on what Dr. King did for us.   I think, as a people,  it is something we should do both individually and collectively.  One year, while  doing my reflecting, I wrote a piece called Keep Dreaming.  I'd like to share some of those thoughts with you.  As I reflected on Dr. King's life and the things that have transpired since he was killed, I found myself wondering what  Dr. King would say if he were here today?   What would he say if he could see our children dying on the nation's streets as they fight brother against brother?  What would he say if he could see so many of our young men physically rotting  behind bars, and mentally locked behind bars imposed by drug and alcohol abuse.  What would he say to learn that in spite of all of his efforts, racial prejudice and hate is still alive and well today?

I think if he were here today he would tell us that we are the only ones who can place limitation on our dreams, that we have to dream high and reach higher.  I think he would say to us, keep the dream alive and never stop moving forward.  I think he would want us to do more than wait for our 40 acres and a mule.   I think he would want us to strive towards personal excellence by educating ourselves and seizing every opportunity that life has to offer.  I think he would fight to eradicate gang violence and unite gang members for a positive cause.  I think he would seek to help us realize the significance of returning to familiar values and morals in order to strengthen and rebuild the family unit. I think he would tell us to that in order to save our children, we as parents, must invest our time and develop an interest in securing their future.  Finally, I think he would say, my people keep marching, keep striving, keep praying and keep dreaming!

The privileges we embrace came at great cost

Lives were lost

Men, women and children

Were scarred and battered

Their dreams shattered

They suffered and endured the pain

For our gain

We have no right to cry woe is me

By God’s grace we are not hanging from some tree

We can’t forget from whence we have come

All that was done

for our gain

How can we not say thank you

For all that was done?

For the battles that were won

For our gain.

For our gain

They did it all for our gain

Men were sent to their graves

Not as free men, but as slaves

For our gain, Rosa took that ride
For our gain,

The Freedom Riders stood with pride

If we look back at our history,

We can’t help but say

Thank God for every victory

For every obstacle that was overcome

For everything that was done.

For our gain

For our gain.

We cannot fall asleep

There’s a promise to keep.

A debt we owe.

In case you didn't know,

If we are to honor our past,

There is a baton to be passed

A hill to be climbed by all

It is our destiny and our call

Martin shared his dream

Believing we’d know what it means.

Oh that he could have seen

All that we have seen

The defeats that have been swallowed up in victory

Because he labored tirelessly.

In faith he gave his life

He made that sacrifice,

For our gain.

For our gain

For our gain.

He did it all for our gain.

copyright P. Newman-Harris

Happy New Year

The Rear View

Here we are

Another year in the rearview

Yet nothing is new

At first glance,

We seem to have come far

But far is not far

When our mind is in the same place.

Year after year

We find ourselves here

Making new resolutions

Ignoring solutions

To the biggest problem we face.

We keep talking about the same thing,

And doing nothing.

Since the beginning of time

Answers have been ours to find

It has been written on the wall

If there is to be change at all,

It’s gotta begin with you and I

Or dream after dream will die

With the innocent victims that die

As we war and fight brother against brother.

Have we no love one for another?

We can’t let this year end like the rest

With a deluge of violence and unrest

We can make a change, yes we can

Take my hand

And I will take yours

Together we can walk through the door

Together we can bring peace

Together we can make wars cease

Or must we end another year

Looking in the rearview

And finding nothing new?

copyright P. Newman-Harris

Happy New Year to all!