Graduation Speech: The Civil Rights Movement
It's hard to believe that nearly 8 years have passed since mom and I took Austin and Tanner to the Inauguration of Barack Obama, our nation’s 1st black President. I have been thinking a lot about it as we near the end of the most contentious and ill qualified election cycle I think our country has ever had.
Celebrating holidays such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday has always provided opportunities for me to teach all of our children about the civil rights movement, how far we have come and how far we still have to go. I know we have made progress, but am reminded as my kids were called the "N" word by some wannabe thugs last spring that we aren't "there" yet. Another reminder to our slow progress is when I had to explain to the kids what …show more content…
I'm shocked! We are having a ball! We spent a day in Philly and enjoyed the sights there and then took a horrific ride on the Chinese bus to DC. We are staying in Falls Church, VA., at my cousin's. We have been to the Holocaust, Natural History, American, African, Art and Space museums. We have seen the monuments. We took part in Martin Luther King Jr. memorials, and plan to do the Capitol, Library of Congress, and Arlington tomorrow. We are really enjoying the symbolism and the conjunction of Abe Lincoln's and Martin Luther King's birthday's. We are zipping around the metro like old pros. We woke up at 4 this morning, boarded the metro at 5, reached our destination without getting crushed at about 7. We got in line for our entrance, Austin threw up on someone’s coat; after which we suddenly had a little more space around us. When we got through security and inside our "kennel" it was about 8:15. We enjoyed the crowd, the energy and the political commentary until it started. It was a day I will never forget and hope my children won't either. It was breathtaking. There is nothing to equate to it. I can think of nothing in my lifetime that even comes close. it really is astonishing to that live in this country and have a peaceful exchange of power, that this many people could gather in peace without …show more content…
-Alean
My mom also kept a journal entry via e mail to the same friend, this was her take:
“We had a frigid, crowded, and utterly marvelous trip to Washington, D.C. It would take at least six journal pages to tell you all that we did. (I know this because that's how long Tanner's journal account is). If Tanner and Austin were real troopers, (and they were) their mother was a combination of professional event planner extraordinaire and drill sergeant! I thought I would just encapsulate the trip with a few images that I hope will forever stay in my mind,
Alean's yellow, 1/2" thick binder loaded with schedules, tickets, events, and options, along with blue ribbons tied to our luggage to distinguish it from 1.8 million other pieces of black luggage. (worked like a charm).
My jaw dropping as I watched the insatiable appetite of a 13-year old boy devouring every edible thing in sight.
Walking down a cobblestone street in Philadelphia in 12- degree weather, and having to step around a homeless man snuggled against the building for the
Celebrating holidays such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday has always provided opportunities for me to teach all of our children about the civil rights movement, how far we have come and how far we still have to go. I know we have made progress, but am reminded as my kids were called the "N" word by some wannabe thugs last spring that we aren't "there" yet. Another reminder to our slow progress is when I had to explain to the kids what …show more content…
I'm shocked! We are having a ball! We spent a day in Philly and enjoyed the sights there and then took a horrific ride on the Chinese bus to DC. We are staying in Falls Church, VA., at my cousin's. We have been to the Holocaust, Natural History, American, African, Art and Space museums. We have seen the monuments. We took part in Martin Luther King Jr. memorials, and plan to do the Capitol, Library of Congress, and Arlington tomorrow. We are really enjoying the symbolism and the conjunction of Abe Lincoln's and Martin Luther King's birthday's. We are zipping around the metro like old pros. We woke up at 4 this morning, boarded the metro at 5, reached our destination without getting crushed at about 7. We got in line for our entrance, Austin threw up on someone’s coat; after which we suddenly had a little more space around us. When we got through security and inside our "kennel" it was about 8:15. We enjoyed the crowd, the energy and the political commentary until it started. It was a day I will never forget and hope my children won't either. It was breathtaking. There is nothing to equate to it. I can think of nothing in my lifetime that even comes close. it really is astonishing to that live in this country and have a peaceful exchange of power, that this many people could gather in peace without …show more content…
-Alean
My mom also kept a journal entry via e mail to the same friend, this was her take:
“We had a frigid, crowded, and utterly marvelous trip to Washington, D.C. It would take at least six journal pages to tell you all that we did. (I know this because that's how long Tanner's journal account is). If Tanner and Austin were real troopers, (and they were) their mother was a combination of professional event planner extraordinaire and drill sergeant! I thought I would just encapsulate the trip with a few images that I hope will forever stay in my mind,
Alean's yellow, 1/2" thick binder loaded with schedules, tickets, events, and options, along with blue ribbons tied to our luggage to distinguish it from 1.8 million other pieces of black luggage. (worked like a charm).
My jaw dropping as I watched the insatiable appetite of a 13-year old boy devouring every edible thing in sight.
Walking down a cobblestone street in Philadelphia in 12- degree weather, and having to step around a homeless man snuggled against the building for the