ONE HUMAN FAMILY

I BEAR WITNESS

2012-01-22T04:04:00.000-08:00

We, as humn beings, are created with the capacity to love and nurture ourselves, and all other human beings, as well as all of those in the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdom. All manifest the Presence and Benevolence of our Creator.

No matter the language or name we use to acknowledge our Creator, be it God, Allah, Father, Jehoveh, Wakan Tanka, Unehlanvhi, Ya Baha'ul'Abha or the many other expressions of a Higher Being, we cannot adequately describe the Artist as we are merely the painting.

Our purpose on this planet is to seek the higher self in us that can serve others and leave this station in life better than we found it.

ALL RIVERS RUN TO THE SEA

2011-11-23T08:35:00.000-08:00

excerpt from CHEROKEE FEAST OF DAYS, DAILY MEDITATIONS, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Little is more symbolic to the Cherokee than a crystal-clear flowing stream. The banks of such a stream have known the most meaningful prayers, the worship and gratitude of the innermost soul. It is here that the Great Spirit speaks to us in supernatural ways, for the Cherokee. The stream not only cleanses and washes away wrong and error but it is the tongue over which slip the words that have been fed there by the last rain. The words are a direct form of communication to the Great Holy Spirit, Who so centers our lives. All rivers run to the sea - whether it is a person's life or the flowing stream. Some of it is turbulent, some peaceful - with depths and shallow places, with swift mainstreams and circling eddies. But it is always moving, always gathering into its flow the experiences that make us who we are.

MOVING BACK HOME TO CHEROKEE

2011-10-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

I just successfully found an apartment in Cherokee, NC on the reservation. It is the same apartment complex I used to live in only a different apartment. It is on the river and I can again wake up to the sound of the river and the birds. I can renew old friendships and find new friends. I can find the spirit of my daddy, fresh and loving again. The faces I see will be familiar and welcome.

It will take a while to get settled, the move is scheduled for November 1 so I will again be off track for awhile but never fear. I will return with a fresh spirit.

Much love,

Anne

REVISITING THE KALEIDOSCOPE

2011-08-22T04:59:00.000-07:00

excerpt from ANNE'S WRITINGS (see Aug 25, 2010)

I woke up this morning thinking of my first blog with my own ethnicity and remembered how strongly I felt impelled to share my journey of discovering my human family with others.
This poem of my own story was written in November 2002. The past two months have been a journey of healing and discovery with my biological family and I thank God for each pause and chance to renew and enjoy this. I wish you a loving journey with your own family as I repeat this first blog.

FOCUSING THE KALEIDOSCOPE

Reconciling my heritage. Who am I? My search.

Even as a child it seems I was always watching from the outside. Some would say trauma could cause a shell of protection around the heart and mind. Mayhaps, the physical, mental and sexual abuse I know to be a part of my earliest days caused this very real part of who I am.

Inside the shell only I know just how tender and fragile yet fiercely strong my heart and mind are.

Always, I remember searching.

What was I searching for? - my unique place in the universe.

One thing I seemed to always know, God was with me, loved me, nurtured me, protected me in even the most horrendous of times.

When I gave my heart it was completely. It was returned to me battered and sore. Still I think to give it again.

From my family the traits of many cultures formed the kaleidoscope of who I am. Getting the picture in focus has been my life's quest. My feeble, biased guesses tell me of the parts.

From the English I get the compulsions, the inclination toward living in the head rather than the heart, and the need for the image of perfection.

From the Irish I get the romantic notions, the thrill of the mysterious breezes and flutters of the butterfly, the quickening of my heart when I hear the whispers of the fairies, the raucous delight in the laughter of my children, the weepiness at the sigh of the stranger.

From the Scot I get the stoic, the persistence, the grit to put one foot in front of the other even though the path is thorny and around the corner may dwell danger and pain.

From the Jew maybe I get the sense of martyrdom, of being put upon by life's changes and chances, of persistence in my faith, of the desire for a culture that defines me yet is so illusive it shimmers distantly in its many forms and colors like a mirage.

From the Indian I get my center, my connection to the green, the wind, the sound of the rustle of leaves, the sense of the solidness of the earth, the soothing fluidity of a lake or ocean, the kinship to the animals who have their special purpose, the sense that there is a deep spirituality reflected in all of God's creation on this physical plane. The beat of the drums echoes my heartbeat, the piercing poignancy of the flute lifts my soul and causes it to soar and dip and throb. I sense an eternal wisdom in the still, calm acceptance of life's lessons and yet a fierceness in remaining true to inner understandings.

Who am I? Will my later years find me softening the shell and coming forth from my chrysalis to fly freely, toward the sun and the flowers and perchance be willing to rest on your shoulder?

Nov 2002

Anne Hunter Respess

ISN'T IT TIME

2011-08-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

Song from France by Gregory Paul, Baha'i

"Did you ever look into the eyes of happy childen
Did it make you feel like being young again?
Do you know there are a million kids just like them
Who won't live past the age of nine or ten?

Isn't it time, isn't it time, isn't it time
Isn't it time to help the children of mankind?

Did you ever look into the eyes of a child that's hungry
Did you wonder how it feels to have no food?
You could ask ten million kids who know the feeling
They will tell you that isn't very good.

Isn't it time, isn't it time, isn't it time
Isn't it time to feed the children of mankind.?

Did you ever look into the eyes of a war torn soldier
or hear the cry of mothers who have lost their son,
As they get down on their knees
And pray O dear God please
Change the world that gives our children guns.

Isn't it time, isn't it time, isn't it time
Isn't it time to save the children of mankind?

Did you ever think that if we really loved our children
We would not wait one day to end all wars
And then the earth could be as one great country
With peace for all mankind,
Forever more.

Isn't it time, isn't it time, isnt it time
Isn't it time to love the children of mankind?

WHY INTERMARRIAGE?

2011-07-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

excerpt from RACEUNITY@ (see Aug 31, 2010)

response to above question: July 18,

"Dear .......,

Your thoughts are very much on target! I would like to comment on your comments on intermarriage. In the joining of two souls attracted by love (which is how I believe all marriaqges should start out) there is an immediate need to figure out how to lovingly come together and work out sharing space, thoughts, maybe even toothbrushes occassionally. The need to find comfort and acceptance with another's differences in style, music taste, food preferences, communication nuances, etc. is so daily present that each becomes less selfish, less ego-centric, more patient, more giving (if they really want it to work). Don't all those actions seem to be good ways to eliminate the false barrier of the differences in skin color? Don't they give the possibility of a blending of cultures into a new culture based on love and respect. This is my understanding of why Baha'is are encouraged to intermarry. And when they produce beautiful children who have inherited the best of both we see a new race of humankind.

Love in the struggle,

Anne"

TRIBAL DANCING

2011-07-23T18:31:00.000-07:00

excerpt from CHEROKEE DIARY(see Aug 31, 2010)

Tribal dancing is passed on from one generation to another. I was glad to have been able to see many such dances both in powwows and community life, in Chicago, Illinois, Florida and Cherokee, North Carolina. One such time was a presentation by the American Indian Dance Theatre. This group has been entertaining and educating audiences all over the world since May 1987. It has achieved a unique position in both the international dance world and in the American Indian world. It includes dancers and musicians from many tirbes thoughout the US and Canada. The program not only announced the dances and dancers but gave a short description of the story behind each dance. I will attempt in a small way to convey some of the meaning in some of the most common of the dances seen. Many of the traditional dances recreate the old myths, tell stories of the hunt and battles and often incorporate animal movements.

The grass dance movements convey the story of the young men preparing a field for the community to have a community dance. The motion is a sweeping gesture to smooth and mash the prairie grass flat. The dancer's movements and their outfits simulate the grass rippling in the wind.

Many animals are honored by being represented in dance motions. For example:

The buffalo is honored for the sacrifice of their lives to provide the tribe with food for nutrition, skins for warm in clothing, blankets, and hide for the teepees. The bones were used to make tools.

The eagle is sacred to all tribes and is a symbol of wisdom, strength and power. It is believed that eagles are messengers between Man and the Creator.

Old style War Dance and Fancy Dance - The steps of the modern Fancy Dance are based on the older Warrior Society dances. Modern warriors challenge one another using their most intricate footwork, spins, leaps and brilliant plumage.

Traditinal and Modern Hoop Dances -Throughout the eastern woodlands socials are held in the Long Houses. The Smoke Dancer helps fan the smoke from the center fire out through the roof smoke hole.

Fancy Shawl Dance - Women rarely entered the dance circle as soloists until recently. The dance traces it's beginnings to the Butterfly Dance. After her mate is killed, the female butterfly mourns her loss by retreating into her cocoon, represented by the shawl. Her emergence celebrates freedom and her new life.

I hope this small attempt to familiarize those of you who don't have an Indian background with what I feel is the poetry in motion of a people maintaining their culture in a beautiful way. Those of you blessed to have this be your culture, please be forgiving of my feeble efforts to honor you.

ALL OUR RELATIONS

2011-07-12T11:49:00.000-07:00

Excerpt from ONLY BY YOUR TOUCH, by Catherine Anderson

"Jeremy (six year old) asked, 'Did God make those baby chipmunks, Ben?'

"' He did ', said Ben (Shosone veterinarian).

"' Are all of them my brothers and sisters, too?'

"'They are,' Ben said in that same oddly quiet way. 'And if you remember that when you become a man, Jeremy, you will be extraordinary.'

"'What's 'strodinary mean?'

"Ben thought for a moment. 'It means you may have to walk through life alone, that few will come behind you and only a very special person will chose to walk beside you.'

"Won't that be lonesome?'

"Ben fllicked Chloe (Jeremy's mother) a searching look. ' Sometimes, yes. But if you know you're walking the right way, you grow to accept the loneliness'"

ORGANIC UNITY-WORLD IN NEED

2011-07-08T04:38:00.000-07:00

excerpt from RACE UNITY@ (see Aug. 31, 2010)

My understanding of organic unity can be best illustrated with the example of the human body. It has many parts, some less important than others as far as being life sustaining and some so vital that without them we die. Our organs, such as the heart, the liver, lungs, stomach, skin, brain, intestines cannot be removed and the human body still live. If they all are healthy and work together as they should the body is in a state of unity.

If our society's vital organs, such as our families, our workplace, our community life, our government have a unity of spirit (oneness of love and support for all) this is what I think organic unity means. We are working on it in fits and starts but we have made some progress. We have a long way to go though. Sometimes, as in the birth of a child, it is very painful, inconvenient and time consuming but the end result of the sweet baby is worth it. We are in the throes of giving birth to a new world and as long as we hold on to the vision of what we can be we will stay energized and continue in our efforts.

Love in the struggle,

Anne

Dec. 11, 2000

A PLACE IN THE SUNLIGHT

2011-07-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

excerpt from CHEROKEE FEAST OF DAYS, DAILY MEDITATIONS, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

"Speak to me of serenity, of treasures yet to be found, of peace that flows like a river. Tell me of tranquil places that no hand has marred, no storm has scarred. Give me visions of standing in sunlight or the feeling of spring mist against my cheek as I live and move and breathe. Show me paths that wind through wild lilies and beds of buttercups. Sing me songs like the mingled voices of wrens and meadowlarks, the lowing of gentle cows, the soft mother-call of a mare to her colt. Lead me past a glass-smooth pond where frogs croak of coming-out parties, their graduation from frisky tadpoles to squat green frogs. Find me a place in the sunlight to sit and think and listen to the sweet inner voice that says so quietly, 'Peace, be still.'"

ABRAHAM - FUGITIVE SLAVE,ADVOCATE FOR INDIANS

2011-06-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

excerpt from A SALUTE TO BLACK PIONEERS, AN EMPAK "BLACK HISTORY" PUBLICATION SERIES, VOL III

Abraham, 1790-1870, was a fugitive slave, adopted by the Seminole Indians in 1826. Although uneducated, he was a persuasive and gifted speaker. He was spokesman for Chief Micanopy during the period when the United States was relocating the Indians from Florida to Oklahoma and Kansas. He was referred to by the Indians as the "prophet, high chancellor, and keeper of the King's conscience."

...born to slavery in Pensacola, Florida about 1790...was reported to be a full-blooded Negro of large and powerful stature....No parental information is recorded, records do indicate that Abraham was married and fathered a daughter and two sons. In the early 1820s, he ran away and took shelter with the Seminole Indians. Abraham played a key role in both the Seminole Indian War and in their peace negotiations with the U.S. Government.... He feared that, while traveling across southern terrritory, many fugitives would be recaptured by their former masters. During the peace negotiations, he wanted a guarantee that his people would not be returned to slavery once they left the Indian territory.

In 1826, as prime minister and privy counselor to Chief Micanopy, Abraham accompanied the Chief to
Washington, D.C to negotiate relocation plans. In 1832, as interpreter for the Seminoles, he witnessed the signing of the removal treaty. In 1833, Abraham went with the Seminole delegation to investigate the proposed site of the Indians' new home. For the next two years, he served as interpreter at all councils at which United States agents insisted on the Seminole's removal.

Relocation plans collapsed when the Indians learned they had been tricked, and hostilities borke out December 28, 1835. Abraham proved to be a cunning and brave warrior, both feared and respected by the U.S. Army....Seeing that relocation was inevitable, he and two Semonole Chiefs, Jumper and Alligator, agreed to a peace conference with Jesup in 1837. Due to Abraham's diplomatic finesse, an agreement was made for the Seminoles to relocate, accompanied by their Black allies.

Later, the assumed treaty was broken by White agents and hostilities resumed. Under the threat of hanging by government agents, Abraham continued to work for peace. Working through Chief Micanopy, he brought about the surrender and compliance of the other chiefs; and later in 1837, a second treaty was signed, with a protection clause for the Blacks."

TRANSiTIONS AND GOALS

2011-06-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

This month has been a whirlwind of change for me and I have not been able to blog as often as I would have wished but never fear, I am forever committed to oneness and this effort to encourage it.

What have I been doing? Well, trying to move back to the Cherokee Reservation, my beloved home. Unfortuantely I have been put on a waiting list for an available apartment but soon, so very soon, I will be back home where my heart yearns to be. In the interum my sweet sister and her husband have welcomed me to their home in the nearby mountains until my apartment comes open. It will be a joy to spend time with them on their mountain top and meditate on their deck as I view many miles of mountain beauty.

WRITING-A LEAP OF FAITH

2011-06-19T12:11:00.000-07:00

excerpt from POT OF GOLD, by Judith Michael

this expresses much of why I write

"Writing... is a leap of faith and a declaration of love. You believe you can put on paper the ideas that are so clear and vivid in your mind; you give yourself to what you create with a kind of love that can't be duplicated even in the most passionate affair; you believe that someone will publish your work and others will read it and libraries will buy it so that future generations will discover it. You believe you can create stories that resonate with the readers of your own time and also future generations; that you can find universal themes and present them in ways that give people hope or greater understanding or the rare pleasure of an escape from the shadows of the world around them. Or all of the above! In other words, you believe in the future and in your ability to make a place for yourself in it, on your own terms."

CURIOUS ABOUT THIS BLOGS STATISTICS?

2011-06-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

As of 6-15-11 1905 hits have read this blog since Aug, 2010.

Countries represented:

United States   1049
Russia               600
Germany             47
Slovenia              35
Canada               32
Philippines           10
United Kingdom    9
France                  8
Australia               7
Croatia                 7

Specific blogs top ten hits:

OVERBOARD/DOING ENOUGH?
WILLIAM WHIPPER - NONVIOLATE ADVOVATE
MIGRATION FROM AFRICA 75,000 YEARS AGO
MY OWN STORY-ANNE
MY FAVORITE BAHA'I QUOTE
HUMAN FAMILY-MAYA ANGELOU
DR. CHARLES RICHARD DREW - BLOOD BANK
OLD RICHMOND SR. CITIZENS AND ONENESS
LOUIS GREGORY-RACE AMITY WORKER
BOARDING SCHOOLS

Love in the struggle,

Anne

TRANSFORMATION

2011-06-04T06:52:00.000-07:00

My favorite of all creatures save humans is the butterfly. It changes from stark roughness to amazing beauty. I have been told that it is the only creature whose total DNA changes from crysalis to butterfly.

excerpt from ONLY BY YOUR TOUCH, by Catherine Anderson

"...chrysalis...

"That's where butterflies come from," he explained, touching the fragile shell with his fingertip as he explained the metamorphosis from caterpillar to pupa and then to butterfly. "When I was about your age (6), my grandfather found one of these, and we watched it every day until the butterfly finally came out."

"You got to see it?"

"Actually, no, but there was a butterfly flitting around when we found it empty, and my grandfather believed that it had come out of it's chrysalis just before we got there. He was dying at the time, and I was very young. I think he was trying to prepare me for that final good bye. He'd been trying to teach me the difference between our bodies and our souls. You know what a soul is, don't you?"

"The part of us that goes to heaven?"

"That's right. It's the beautiful part of us that no one can see. It's how we think, and how we feel. More important, though, it's how we make other people think and feel when we're with them. When we die, they bury our bodies, but our souls aren't inside us anymore. They've flown away, just like a beautiful butterfly from it's chrysalis."

RICHARD RODRIGUEZ-WRITER

2011-05-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

Born in July 31, 1944 in San Francisco, he learned to speak English when he started to school. He earned his BA from Stanford University, his MA from Columbia University and was a PH D candidate at the University of California at Berkeley, He studied in London on a Fulbright scholarship.

He has been a teacher, journalist, educational consultant, televsion spokeperson. He earned the Peabody Award in 1997.

His books have been widely acclaimed and recognized for their complexity in showing some aspects of being in America with a Mexican heritage.

HUNGER OF MEMORY, THE EDUCATION OF RICHARD RODRIGUEZ 1981. "socially disadvantaged child to fully assimilated American"

DAYS OF OBLIGATION, AN ARGUMENT WITH MY MEXICAN FATHER (1992) Nominated for the Pulitzer Prize

BROWN: THE LAST DISCOVERY OF AMERICA the changing demographics inAmerica.

He is now writing THE GOD OF THE DISERT, aboutJudaism, Christianity, and Islam.

WHERE WOULD WE BE?

2011-05-25T11:38:00.000-07:00

Don't know the original source but this came to me in an email from a friend.

This is a story of a little boy named Theo who woke up one morning and asked his mother, "Mom, what if there were no Black people in the world?" Well his mother thought about that for a moment, and then said "Son, follow me around today and let's just see what it would be like if there were no Black people in the world." Mom said, "now, go get dressed and we will get started."

Theo ran to his room to put on his clothes and shoes. His mother took one look at him and said, "Theo, where are your shoes, and those clothes are all wrinkled, son, I must iron them." But when she reached for the ironing board it was no longer there. You see Sarah Boone, a black woman, invented the ironing board and Jan E Matzelinger, a black man, invented the shoe lasting machine. "Oh,. well", she said, "please go and do something to your hair." Theo ran in his room to comb his hair, but the comb was not there. You see, Walter Sammons, a blsack man, invented the comb. Theo decided to just brush his hair, but the brush was gone. You see, Lydia O newman, a black female, invented the brush. Well, this was a sight, no shoes, wrinkled clothes, hair a mess, even Mom's hair, without the hair care inventions of Madam C. J. Walker, well, you get the picture.

Mom told Theo, "let's do our chores around the house and then take a trip to the grocery store." Theo's job was to sweep the floor. He swept and swept and swept. When he reached for the dustpan, it was not there. You see, Lloyd P Ray, a black man, invented the dustpan. It was not there. He then decided to mop the floor, but the mop was gone. You see, Thomas W. Stewart, a black man, invented the mop. Theo yelled to his Mom, "Mom, I am not having any luck." Well, son," she said, "let me finish washing these clothes and we will prepare a list for the grocery store. When she was finished, she went to place the clothes in the dryer but it was not there. You see, George T. Samon, a black man, invented the clothes dryer.

Mom asked Theo to go get a pencil and some paper to prepare their list for the market. So Theo ran for the paper and pencil but noticed the pencil lead was broken. Well, he was out of luck because John Love, a black man, invented the pencil sharpener . Mom reached for a pen, but it was not there because William Purvis, a black man, invented the fountain pen. As a matter of fact, Lee Burridge, invented the type writing machine, and W. A Lovette, the advanced printing press.

Theo and his mother decided to head out to the market. Well, when Theo opened the door he noticed the grass was as high as he was tall. You see, the lawn mower was invented by John Burr, a black man. They made their way over to the car, and found that it just wouldn't go. You see, Richard Spikes, a black man, invented the automatic gear shift and Joseph Gammel invented the supercharge system for internal combustion engines. They noticed that the few cars that were moving were running into each other and having wrecks because there were no traffice signals. You see, Garrett A Morgan, a black man, invented the traffic light.

Well, it was getting late, so they walked to the market, got their groceries and returned home. Just when they were about to put away the milk, eggs, and butter, they noticed the refrigerator was gone. You see, John Standard, a black man, invented the refrigerator. So they just left the food on the counter. By this time, Theo noticed he was getting mighty cold. Mom went to turn up the heat and what do you know. Alice Parker, a black female, invented the heating furnace. Even in the summer time they would have been out of luck because Frederick Jones, a black man, invented the air conditioner.

It was almost time for Theo's father to arrive home. He usually takes the bus. But there was no bus, because it's precursor was the electric trolley, invented by another black man, Elbert R Robinson. He usually takes the elevator from his office on the 20th floor, but there was no elevator because Alexander Miles, a black man, invented the elevator. He also usually dropped off the office mail at a near by mailbox, but it was no longer there because Philip Downing, a black man, invented the letter drop mailbox and William Barry invented the postmarking and canceling machine.

Theo and his mother sat at the kitchen table with their head in their hands. When the father arrived he asked, "Why are you sitting in the dark?" Why? Because Lewis Howard Latimer, a black man, invented the filament within the light bulb. Theo quickly learned what it would be like if there were no black people in the world. Not to mention if he were ever sick and needed blood. Charles Drew, a black scientist, found a way to preserve and store blood, which led to his starting the world's first blood bank. And what if a family member had to have heart surgery. This would not have been possible without Dr Daniel Hale Williams, a black doctor, who performed the first open-heart surgery. So, if you ever wonder, like Theo, where would we be without US? Well, it's pretty plain to see. We would still be in the dark!!!

If you gained any insight from this please pass it on, so that others may know.

ALTER YOUR VISION

2011-05-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

excerpt from CHEROKEE FEAST OF DAYS, MEDITATIONS, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

"Nothing ever remains quite the same - but a time comes when we have to follow new guidlelines and think new thoughts and do new things. It does not take a superhuman, but it takes a believer - a worker with ears to hear and eyes to see - not just the physical but the spiritual. We cannot take for granted that any other human can have accurate perception and spell things out for us. The miracles are not all in other heads, other hands, other methods. There must be a burst of inner fire that sparks a miracle, that opens a door to a greater life, a greater calm. We are never so blind as when we close ourselves off by our critical views, our hardened hearts, our failure to perceive the greatness of gentle things. O friend, look away from lack and need and pain. Alter your vision and it will alter life.

WHY DON'T WE JUST GET ALONG?

2011-05-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

excerpt from ANNE'S WRITINGS II, (see Aug 31, 2010)

This question was posed by Rodney King, in anguish, as he watched the violent riots swirl around in Los Angeles after the exoneration of four policemen who had brutally beaten him during a stop and search procedure in 1991.

The "why" spans almost four centuries of this country's history. We citizens of America are still feeling the residual effects of slavery which touched our country as the first slaveholding ship docked in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. Carrying 20 captive Africans this first ship started a process which reached a peak of about 6 million imported in the 18th century alone. The first organized opposition to slavery did not occur until the Quakers made their first statement against slavery in 1724 over 100 years later. It took another 100 years plus before all slaves were declared free in Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and then two more years before slavery was constitutionally abolished by the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution. It took yet another 100 years before full and equal rights to education and judicial process were instituted by law with the Brown vs. the Board of Education decision in 1954 and the Civil Rights Law of 1964.

Rather than go into a fuller discussion about dates and historical fact I refer you to the history books. I would like to proceed with the psychological history of why we still "don't get along".

From 1619 until 1863 there were several categories of people involved in the slave trade - first, the African kidnapper, then the ship captain and crew, the slave trader, the auctioneer, the plantation owner and his overseer, and the victim - the African slave.

In order for any of these people to function in their roles there had to be a powerful motivation of greed or fear. There also had to be the ability of those in the greed category to suspend empathetic feelings for the slave.

The African kidnapper usually reached outside of his own tribe to capture the enemy tribe. Greed and revenge eliminated the sense of empathy for the condition of the captive. But there were African kidnappers who made their fortunes in the slave trade with apparently little or no regard for revenge. Greed was the sole motive.

The captives were caged in holding pens like cattle with very little food or water, beaten and terrified, bewildered and grief-stricken over the horrendous visions of permanent separation from family and home. Some fought until death rather than acquiece. Others frantically tried to figure out ways to escape. Children approaching maturity and women were in the midst of this captivity as well.

The ship captain and crew were very brutal to the captives in the crossing from Africa to America. The slaves were stacked like cords of wood two deep, to fill the ship beyond its capacity, creating severely unhealthy conditions. Many died and were tossed callously into the sea, some jumped in desparation or suicidal despair when an opportunity presented itself. Lying in their own body waste and nausea, many became severely depressed or mentally unbalanced. Food was rationed only to the point of keeping them alive.

Meanwhile the slave trader was preparing the customers, the plantation owners and their overseers for the business of being slave owners. There were brochures and training manuals on how to break the spirit of the slave in order to maintain control and avoid insurrection. These materials advised the owners to remove all African identity by changing the captives names to American names, not allowing the native language to be spoken, forbidding observation of all religions, observance of tribal or family traditions and forcing instant, exact obedience through intimidation and pain. There was collusion in the churches as preachers taught erroneously that the Bible justified slavery. The scientific community spread the concept of "lesser creature" or "different species" with the media joining in, instigating and re-enforcing stereotypes of sub-human ape-like creatures who could rightly be treated as the mule or domesticated animal.

When the ship arrived in port the slave trader enlisted the auctioneer to entertain and entice the buyers with tales of the physical strength of the men and the desirability and breeding qualities of the women. Prodding and poking the hapless slave, stripping them to show muscles and potential work abilities, there was no respect or allowance for the dignity due a human being.

With the indoctrination of slave ownership prowess, the plantation owner turned the slave over to his overseer to house and train in the chores of the plantation. Whips, branding irons and holding pens were used as normal tools to break the spirit of the slave. The housing was sub-standard shacks or barracks and the food was basic gruel-type rationing or left over produce, the undesirable animal remains such as guts, feet, ears and tails of the animals slaughtered to feed the owners. The field hands worked from daylight to sunset with breaks seldom given during the day. Too afraid of the whip in the daytime and too tired to move at night, the slave went from day to day losing most contact with the joys and pleasures a human needs to maintain a sense of self and value. Learning to survive became paramount. Survival skills honed the ability to read and second guess the needs of the owners, to negotiate as diplomatically as possible to obtain basic needs. Gradually a culture developed among the slaves of supporting each other, protecting each other, being vigilant to avoid the ire of the owner and spotting opportunities to improve conditions. In order to keep hope alive and despair as low as possible the belief in relief in the life beyond death became a strong component of worship services. Looking to heaven for happiness kept the spirit of the slave alive and thriving. The release of emotion allowed in the singing of hymns brought forth the uniquely beautiful spirituals we now enjoy. Gospel singing became an outlet for expression and renewal of spirit. Word that some people wanted to help free slaves began filtering into the plantation grapevine, a second hope began to emerge. Freedom became a dream. Some of the negro spirituals had coded messages relaying the impending arrival of a rescuer who would lead a group through the "underground railroad" and to freedom in the north.

Meanwhile the owners, their families and the white workers and neighbors developed a strong set of beliefs in the "rightness" of this society. The clergy and media re-enforced and sanctioned this way of life so guilt was not a part of the mind set of most whites. There was no social contact to acquaint the white with the human qualities of the slave so empathy was very rare indeed. The brain-washing of children from infancy to the concept of superiority and right of ownership left no realistic possibility of seeing the slave as a fellow human being in need of sensitivity and respect.

In the mid 1700s our founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. During the consultation process while these were being written notes and journals were kept revealing the attitudes of the leaders of our country. These leaders were in large part slave owners. Their notes reflected that the slave was not considered a full man entitled to the "rights" they were including in their papers. The laws being put on the books as the judicial system of the country evolved were very specific about the lack of rights of the slave and the privilege given to the owners and to all whites.

The poorer whites developed the belief that at least someone was poorer, less qualified and therefore deserving of their scorn. A virulent animosity became commonplace among poorer whites toward the slave. Even though these whites owned no slaves there was a disdain and mistreatment when opportunity arose directed toward the slave.

Another hundred years passed with this society continuing to become more deeply entrenched in the plantation-slave way of life.

In some of the northern states there was a growing sentiment of distaste for slavery, of uneasiness about the tales of mistreatment and abuse. Some citizens became active in abolishing slavery. These ablitionists helped and encouraged escape plans for runaway slaves. Individuals began offering their homes as hideouts in a path to the north. Cellars were hidden and used to hide runaways until they could safely leave the states which had slavery. Some of these homes were Southern, it was very risky so all was done in secrecy and careful planning. Some heroes and heroines bcame well-known for their courage in assisting in freeing slaves.

Four hundred years later we are struggling in many ways to redeem this country and it's people. Unaware racism (white issue) and internalized racism (black issue) can only be healed when it is recognized and openly dealt with on an individual basis.

THE TASK IS ENORMOUS BUT THE TIME IS NOW.

MOTHER THERESA - SILENCE OF THE HEART

2011-05-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

excerpt from NO GREATER LOVE, MOTHER THERESA, forward by Thomas Moore

Born in 1910 in Skopji, Albania, recipient of Nobel Peace Prize, US Medal of Freedom, UN Albert Schwetzer Prize. She went to Loreto Abbey, Rathfarnham, Dublin, Ireland in 1928 and from there to India where she began her novitiate. She taught geography in St. Mary's High School in Calcutta from 1929 to 1948. Then in 1950, she started her own order, the Missionaries of Charity, to minister exclusively to the poorest of the poor.

"To be alone with Him, not with our books, thoughts, and memories but completely stripped of everything, to dwell lovingly in His presence - silent, empty, expectant, and motionless....

"We cannot find God in noise or agitation.
Nature: trees, flowers, and grass gow in silence. The stars, the moon, and the sun move in silence. What is essential is not what we say but what God tells us and what He tells others through us. In silence He listens to us, in silence He speaks to our souls. In silence we are granted the privilege of listening to His voice.
Silence of our eyes.
Silence of our ears.
Silence of our mouths.
Silence of our minds.
...in the silence of the heart God will speak.

"Silence of the heart is necessary so you can hear God everywhere - in the closing of the door, in the person who needs you, in the birds that sing, in the flowers, in the animals.."

Excerpt from MOTHER THERESA, MEDITATIONS FROM A SIMPLE PATH:

"The fruit of silence is Prayer.
The fruit of prayer is FAITH.
The fruit of faith is LOVE.
The fruit of love is SERVICE.
The fruit of service is PEACE."

BOY'S DREAM - QUETZALCOATL'S PROPHECY

2011-05-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

information and excerpt from WARRIORS OF THE RAINBOW, STRANGE AND PROPHETIC DREAMS OF THE INDIAN PEOPLES, by William Willoya and Vinson Brown

When Vinson Brown was five years old, his father, who was a doctor on the Sioux Reservation of Pine Ridge, South Dakota, saved the life of the chief of the Oglala Sioux and was gifted with a beautiful, beaded pipe bag. When the boy touched it he felt a sensation go up his arm and into his heart. From the age of five until the age of nine he had the following dream every few weeks:

"In my dreams I seemed to be floating in the sky looking down at a land of many round hills. On the top of each hill was a group of Indians. Some of them were lying on the dry grass, with their fingers digging into the ground despairingly. Others lifted their arms hopelessly to the sky. Women were huddled together weeping. All were wearing old, cast-off whitemen's clothing, just rags. Their faces were filled with a deep sadness, ....There seemed to be growing a strange light up in the sky. Looking up, I saw the sunlight flashing on the wings of a beautiful white bird, a dove...As the dove came near the top of one of the hills, a strange and remarkable thing happened. The Indians there suddenly sprang to their feet, gazing up at the dove. The white men's rags fell from their bodies and disappeared. Instead they now lifted their heads proudly under the handsome headresses and their bodies were covered with clean buckskin that glittered with beads....Their faces glowed with happiness and joy....They began to march up into the sky after the dove, marching with the springing steps of conquerers....Other dark-skinned peoples rose joyously from hill after hill....Drums began to mutter, lifting and rolling into thunder, and pipes shrilled.... Voices chanting ancient songs.... Slowly a bow formed in the sky, a rainbow of people marching to glory, a rainbow of unity...."

Many years followed and Vinson tried to get someone to interpret his dream. When he was an adult and travelling from New Mexico to Arizona he met an Otomi Indian. When he heard about the dream he said, "I know what the dream means.... Long ago there lived a great prophet-king of the Toltec Indians of southern Mexico, called Quetzalcoatl...

"He foretold that in time the white men would come out of the eastern sea....that the white men would be like a bird that had two different kinds of feet. One foot would be the foot of the dove and the other would be the foot of the eagle. The foot of the dove meant the religion of Christianity... a religion of love and kindness... The foot of the eagle meant the way most of the white men treated the Indians, by clawing them, killing them, enslaving them and exploiting them.

"But Quetzalcoatl promised that a few hundred years after the first coming of the white men other white men would come to the Indians with both feet the feet of the dove.... They would lead the Indians up from the earth of despair and defeat into the sky of hope, freedom and triumph....

"The fact that the Indians you saw in the sky were wearing the clothes of the ancient days meant that these white men would not make fun or laugh at the old Indian culture and religion. instead they would teach the Indians to be proud of their ancestors and get back the great spirit and knowledge the ancient people had. As true brothers, both the Indians and these white men would start to build a better world in which justice, peace and love between men would rule."

William Willoya and Vinson Brown began their search fot this "great spirit of change that is now growing in the world."

NELSON MANDELA - IN THE PRESENCE OF A GIANT

2011-05-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

Info from wikepedia

Born July 18, 1918, in Umtata, Transkei, South Africa. Anti-apartheid activist, Leader of African National Congress, arrested in 1962, released Feb. 11, 1990, elected President of South Africa 1994-1999, winner of Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

excerpt from article in CITIZEN-TIMES, Asheville newspaper 7-18-94, titled WITH MANDELA, IT'S ALL ABOUT ACTION, NOT ABOUT WORDS, by Bill McGoun

"Bangkok - He is gray of hair and stooped with age. He steadied himself with a cane in his right hand and was assisted by an aide on his left. He proceeded slowly up the ramp to the speaker's platform in Conference Room A of the Media Center at the IMPACT Exhibit Center....

There was no mistaking that this was a special morning.The corridors of the Exhibition Center have been a mass of humanity all week, what with 17,000 people on hand for the XV International Aids Conference. But this was different. Hundreds were lined up outside the Media Center, evidently restrained by a barrier. I had hurried inside, past a continuation of the barrier, and taken a seat in the second row.

As the guest appeared the room got nearly quiet. The spectators knew they were in the presence of a giant. This aged man endured 28 years of imprisonment to free 38 million of his countrymen from their shackles. He showed that a land once ruled with an iron hand by a white minority can transition to black rule without massive bloodshed or a continuation of oppression with the roles reversed.

Nelson Mandela. Those two words say volumes. They speak of courage few of us can even comprehend. They represent a man with every reason to be bitter and vindictive who instead led his nation into a rebirth for all its people, whether their ancestors lived in Africa, Europe or Asia.

His body may be frail but his voice isn't....he was brief and to the point Thursday morning....

He inspires with his life. When he finished, he left the stage and did not take questions. That didn't matter to me. What would I have asked? What insight could he give with his words now that he has not long ago given with his actions."

RETURN OF THE SPIRIT

2011-05-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

excerpt from WARRIORS OF THE RAINBOW, STRANGE AND PROPHETIC DREAMS OF THE INDIAN PEOPLE, by William Willoya and Vinson Brown

"Listen, oh my ears, listen, as the fawn listens for its mother in the forest, but listen, my ears, for the Words of the Spirit.

Watch, oh my eyes, watch, as the otter watches over his children, but watch, my eyes, for the Way of the Spirit.

Feel, oh my fingers, feel, as the lair cub feels the warm tongue of the bear, but feels my fingers, the Touch of the Spirit.

Day by day, I shall gather strength from Thee, thinking, thinking, but stilling my thoughts, as the calm of summer stills the waters of a pond.

When my heart is quiet, when my thoughts are still, when I have forgotten my pride, when I am filled with love for all Your creatures, lead me, oh Grandfather.

In Thy love I shall grow, oh Ancient One, until hatred disappears, until all envy and jealous and petty thoughts are blown away as the wind blows the fog from the valley.

I was weak, but now You make me strong; I was proud, but now I shall be humble; I was filled with bad thoughts, but now they shall be gone forever, even as the wise youth leaves the ways of childhood and becomes a man.

I am longing, oh Grandfather, for Thy spirit; into the silent places I go seeking, even as the Eagle Chief climbs toward the sun.

I will go with my mind at peace; into the darkness I shall go and fear no evil.

On the feet of my breath I shall cross the skies and the vastness of space shall be as the hollows of my hand through which I pierce as the lightning touches earth and sky.

Then will come Your spirit, oh Center of All Being; as the light of the outer world fades, the light of the inner world shall glow, and I shall be swept as on waves of glory into Thy nearness and Thy knowledge.

SISTERS

2011-05-03T08:02:00.000-07:00

DEDICATED TO FRAN AND MARZIEH; AND BETH AND AMANDA

THE STORY OF TWO VERY DIFFERENT SISTERS

One is here, one lives there. One is a little taller than the other. Two different colors of hair, two different outlooks on life, two very different views from their windows. Both have different tomorrows ahead. Each is unique in so many ways. Each has her own story, with all the busy things going on in the present. Each has different work to do, and different demands on the day. Each has a separate destination and a distinctly different path to get there. But...

For all the things that might be different and unique about them.. these two sisters will always share so much. They will always be the best of family and friends, entwined together, through all the days of their lives. Their love will always be very special; gentle and joyful when it can be, strong and giving when it needs to be, reminding them, no matter how different their stories turn out...

They share the incredibly precious gift of being "sisters". And when you think of some of the best things this world has to offer, a blessing like that is really...what it's all abut.
-Laurel Atherton, Blue Mountain Arts

WORLD HARMONY IN ACTION - MAY 1, 1912

2011-05-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

excerpt from 239 DAYS : ABDU'L-BAHA'S JOURNEY IN AMERICA, by Allan L. Ward

"They moved outside the tent and spadefuls of earth were turned by persons from Persia, Syria, Egypt, India, Japan, South Africa, England, France, Germany, Holland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark and by North American Indians; Abdu'l-Baha finished the effort and placed the stone."

Thus the dedication of the first Baha'i House of Worship in the Western Hemisphere set forth literally in concrete terms, a union of souls dedicated to world harmony. The nine doors of the temple are opened to peoples of all nationalities, all religions, and all colors. The words of all religions are read and heads are bowed in unity.

Over the inner nine doors you will find inspiring, welcoming words engraved on the crystal and concrete surfaces. In regular services you will hear voices raised to God in many languages, faiths and scriptures. There are no sermons, only quotes from all the major religions of the world.

WILLIAM WHIPPER -NON VIOLENT ADVOCATE

2011-04-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

excerpt from A SALUTE TO BLACK PIONEERS VOL. III, An Empack "Black History" Publication Series

"William Whipper, a leading Black intellectual, was a famed abolitionist, shrewd businessman, and banker. He was also one of the earliest advocates of the non-violent movement in America, twelve years before Thoreau wrote his famous essay on civil disobedience, and a hundred years before Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, ajr. made the theory world-famous.

"He was born in 1805, the son of a Columbia, Pennsylvania White businessman. His mother was a Black domestic slave in his father's household. He was raised in his father's house and was treated much the same as his White half-brother. Early in life, he was given the opportunity to acquire sound principles of financial investment and management. His father left him a small lumberyard when he died. With his partner, Stephen Smith, Whipper built a successful wholesale business which expanded to other cities in Pennsylvania....

Smith became one of the wealthiest Blacks in America because he devoted his energies only to the business aspect of their partnership; conversely Whipper chose to share his wealth with the Black movement. In 1870, Whipper stated: "I would prefer to be penniless in the streets, rather than have withheld a single hour's labor or a dollar from the sacred cause of liberty, justice, and humanity." He gave considerable sums of money to help Black slaves and to aid the Union during the Civil War. In 1880s, Whipper devoted much of his personal time and money to the Negro Convention Movement, the first nationwide effort by Blacks to plead their cause in America.

Whipper, the forerunner of Thoreau, Ghandi and Dr. King advocated moral suasion and non-violence. He wrote a famous article, entitled An Address on Non-Resistance to Offiensive Aggression, which was published in the Colored American. In it, he claimed that non-violence "is not only consistent with reason, but the surest method of obtaining a speedy triumph of the principles of universal peace." William Whipper died in 1885, but his doctrine of non-violence is still practiced by many present-day congtemporaries."

COMES THE DAWN

2011-04-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

excerpt from WISDOM OF OTHERS, (see Aug 31, 2010)

COMES THE DAWN

After awhile you learn the subtle difference
between holding a hand and chaining a soul,
and you know that love doesn't mean leaning,
and company doesn't mean security,
and you begin to accept your defeats with
your head up and your eyes open,
with the grace of woman not the grief of a child,
and learn to build all your roads
on today because tomorrow's ground
is to uncertain for plans, and futures have
a way of falling down in mid-flight,
after awhile you learn that even sunshine
burns if you get too much,
so you plant your own garden and decorate
your own soul instead of waiting
for someone to bring you flowers,
and you learn that you really can endure,
that you really are strong,
and you really do have worth,
and you learn and learn....
with every goodbye you learn.

-author unknown

REMEMBER THEIR NAMES - 1492-1890

2011-04-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

information and excerpts from BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE, An Indian History of the American West ,by Dee Brown

Why do we have grave stones? Memoirs? biographies? To honor those we care about. These tribes and their leaders had families, homes, and prayed to the Great Spirit. I wish to remember them, please join me.
LOCATION                                     TRIBE                                   LEADER

San Salvador                                   Tainos                                unknown
   "                                                    Arawak                             decimated by 1502
Virginia                                            Powhatans                          Wahunacook,Pocahontas
Massachusetts                                 Pemaquid                             Samoset
          "                                            Wampansags                        Massasoit, Squanto, Hobamah,
                                                                                                    Metacom renames King Philip
Northwest                                       Chesapeake, Potomacs,
                                                       Pequots. Montauks, Nanticokes,
                                                       Machapungas, Catawbas, Hurons,
                                                       Eries, Mohawks, Senecas,
New York                                      Mahicans, Raritans
Southwest and Southeast               Five Nations of the Iroquois
                                                         Cherokees
                                                          Chickasaw
                                                          Choctaw
                                                          Creeks
                                                           Seminoles
Great Lakes                                     Ottowas                                      Pontiac
Midwest                                          Shawnees                                     Tecumseh
Ohio                                                 Miamis
Illinois and Iowa                                Sauks and Foxes                         Black Hawk
Illinois                                                Winnebagos
"                                                       Pottawotomies
Illinois and Iowa                                Kickapoos
Southeast                                          Cherokees                               Trail of Tears to Oklahoma,
                                                                                                         Hundreds hid in hills of NC
Pacific Coast                                      Modocs                                  Kintpuiash
           "                                             Mohaves
          "                                               Paiutes                                    Wovoka
          "                                               Shastas, Yumas
Western Plains                                  Dakata (Sioux)
                                                              Santee                              Minnesota
                                                              Teton                                Dull Knife
                                                              Oglala                               Red Cloud,
                                                                                                       Crazy Horse
                                                              Hunkpapa                         Sitting Bull
                                                              Brulee                            Spotted Tail
Colorada                                               Cheyenne                      Black Kettle
                                                                                                  Tall Bull
                                                                                                  Roman Nose
                                                                                                  Litttle Raven
Southwest                                      Araphoes, Kiowas              Santank,Santanta
                                                                                                 Lone Wolf
                                                                                                 Kicking Bird
      "                                                Apaches                             Mangas,Colorado
                                                                                                  Cochise,Victorio
                                                                                                  Delshay,Nana,Geronimo
   "                                                 Comanches                        Ten Bears,Quanah Parker
Rockies                                         Utes                                   Ouray
California,Oregon,Idaho                 Nez-Perces                        Chief Joseph

"During the following thirty years (1860-1890) these leaders and many more would enter into history and legend. Their names would become as well known as those of the men who tried to destroy them. Most of them, young and old, would be driven into the ground before the symbolic end of Indian freedom at Wounded Knee in December, 1890. Now, a century later, in a age without heroes, they are perhaps the most heroic of all Americans." p.12
                                                                                                  l

239 DAYS AND UNIVERSAL PEACE - 1912

2011-04-17T12:17:00.000-07:00

excerpts from 239 DAYS, ABDU'L-BAHA'S JOURNEY IN AMERICA, by Allan L. Ward

excerpts from THE PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE, by Abdu'l.Baha

On April ll, 1912, the son of Baha'u'llah, the Prophet Founder of the Baha'i Faith, Abdu'l-Baha arrived in New York City, to visit. He traveled across the country and gave 139 talks in churches, synagogues, learning centers, the Bowery, homes and meeting places thoughout the country. The newspaper articles and eyewitness stories of this time is relayed in 239 DAYS. The content of each talk is given in PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE.

I took as a project for the second time in my 41 years as a Baha'i to combine these two books and read on the anniversary of each day these events took place and follow His journey myself.

On April 17,2011, I read the following from April 17, 1912:

"Abdu'l Baha, the Exemplar, served these friends a meal which He prepared Himself at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Kinney. ' It was,' Mahmud wrote, 'a magnificent supper.' Abdu'l-Baha told the friends, 'Become as waves of one sea, trees of one forest, growing in the utmost love, agreement and unity.'"
-239 DAYS, pp. 26,27

"....Day by day become more closely attracted in order that the love of God may illumine all those with whom you come in contact. Be as one spirit, one soul, leaves of one tree, flowers of one garden, waves of one ocean.

As difference in degree of capacity exists, among human souls, as difference in capability is found, therefore individualities will differ one from another. But in reality this is a reason for unity and not for discord and enmity. If the flowers of a garden were all of one color, the effect would be monotonous to the eye; but if the colors are variegated, it is most pleasing and wonderful. The difference in adornment of color and capacity of reflection among the flowers gives the garden its beauty and charm. Therefore, although we are of different individualities, different in ideas and of various fragrances, let us strive like flowers of the same divine garden to live together in harmony....

I am joyful, for I perceive the evidences of great love among you. I go to Chicago,and when I return I hope that love will have become infinite. Then will it be an eternal joy to me and the friends in the Orient."
-PROMULGATION OF UNIVERSAL PEACE, pp. 24-25

PRAISEWORTHY

2011-04-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

excerpt from BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE, An Indian History of the American West, by Dee Brown

"It began with Christoper Columbus, who gave the people the name Indios..... As was the custom of the people when receiving strangers, the Tainos on the island of San Salvador generously presented Columbus and his men with gifts and treated them with honor.

' So tractable, so peaceable are these people,' Columbus wrote to the King and Queen of Spain, ' that I swear to your Majesties there is not in the world a better nation. They love their neighbors as themselves, and their discourse is ever sweet and gentle, and accompanied with a smile; and though it is true that they are naked, yet their manners are decorous and praiseworthy.'

All of this, of course, was taken as a sign of weakness, if not heathenism, and Columbus being a righteous European was convinced the people should be made to work, sow and do all that is necessary and to adapt our ways.' Over the next four centuries (1492-1890) several million Europeans and their descendents undertook to enforce their ways upon the people of the New World....

Arawak resistance brought on the use of guns and sabers, and whole tribes were destroyed, hundreds of thousands of people in less than a decade after Columbus set foot on the beaches of San Salvador, October 12, 1492"

When I lived in Cherokee NC, I saw a t-shirt with the words "We've known about terroism since 1492".

What is wondrous and awe-inspiring to me is the deep spirituality and nurturing present in my friends in Cherokee and other Indians I have met along my way.

ASA PHILIP RANDOLPH - UNION ORGANIZER - 1889-1979

2011-04-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

excerpt from A SALUTE TO BLACK CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS, An Empak "Black History" Publication Series Vol. IV

Asa Philip Randolph, a powerful union organizer and civil rights leader, spent forty years of his life in constant battle for better working conditions and higher wages for all laborers. He founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1925 and became its first president.

Randolph, born on April 15, 1889, in Crescent City, Florida, was the son of James W. Randolph, an itinerant minister of slave parentage.... After completing high school, Asa traveled to New York City and entered City College....

By 1925, the Pullman Company, builders, operators of sleeping cars and parlor cars for the nation's railroads, was the largest single employer of Blacks in the United States. It paid its 12,000 porters about $60.00 per month for 400 hours or 11,000 miles, whichever came first. Porters were required to pay for their meals and ...their own uniforms.... They also worked straight through without layover time.

Ramdolph was secretly asked to organize the porters because he was an outsider and could not be hurt buy the Pullman company. After several meetings, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters was formed on August 25, 1925.... Twelve years to the day, August 25, 1937, Pullman's president announced to the Brotherhood negotiators, "Gentlemen, the Pullman company is ready to sign.".... This contract included a wage settlement of $1.25 million, and the porters' work month was reduced from 400 hours to 240 hours....

Also, between 1940 and 1948, Randolph was highly instrumental in desegrating the war industries, federal employment, and the armed forces. In 1963, he was responsible for organizing and bringing together over 250,000 people, of all races, in the historic "March on Washington" for jobs and freedom. It was at this gathering that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" address, which stirred the souls of the nation.

The greatness of Asa Philip Randolph and his contributions to Black Americans can never be forgotten, for they are recorded in the pages of history and remembered in the hearts of men. He died at age ninety in 1979.

YES, I REMEMBER, EVEN AFTER 70

2011-04-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

excerpt from ANNE'S WRITINGS (see Aug 31, 2010)

When the touch of his hand on my arm caused a spark to travel over my skin and tingle.

When he walked into the room and a butterfly beat it's wings in my chest.

When his arms came around me from behind and cocooned me I felt safe and cherished.

When the touch of his lips on mine created a hungry, seeking energy.

When the smell of his bathrobe was uniquely sweet.

When a specially chosen gift to me made a lump in my throat so painful I could hardly swallow.

When he held our hours old newborn and introduced her verbally to all his relatives, I grew warm inside.

Yes, I remember with sadness and gladness.

ahr 3-19-08

STEVE BIKO - 1946-1976 - SOUTH AFRICA

2011-04-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

excerpts from BLACK CONSCIOUSNESS, STEVE BIKO, edited by Millard Arnold, Biko's testimony during a trial of his supporters. The complete transcript is recorded in this book.

excerpts from NEWSWEEK, 10, 1997, REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT, by Donald Woods (South African Journalist and Biko's friend)

remembrances from CRY FREEDOM, movie in 1987, sensitively and articulately portrayed with Densel Washington as Biko.

remembrance of song called BIKO by Peter Gabriel, sung during a concert in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in 1977 and South American Amnesty International Conspiracy of Hope Concert with Sting in 1986.

-----
In February, 1997 during the South African TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION, five South African security policeman confessed to severely beating Stephen Biko, which caused his death due to a massive brain hemorrhage.

WHY the murder? To silence ...."Bantu Stephen Biko, that country's (South Africa) most important Black leader, stepped forward to testify on their behalf and thus broke the ban on his public speaking. In the late 1960s, Biko, founded the Black Consciousness movement which called for the psychological and cultural liberation of the Black mind as a precondition to political freedom....

'(Biko speaking on Black Consciousness as witness in court for some of his suppporters)....they would no longer use the term Non-White, nor allow it to be used as a description of them because they saw it as a negation of their being. They were being stated as 'non-something', which implied that the standard was something and they were not that particular standard. They felt that a positive view to life, which is commensurate with the build-up of one's dignity and confidence, should be contained in a description which you accept, and they sought to replace the term Non-White with the term Black...you tend to begin to feel that there is something imcomplete in your humanity, and that completeness goes with whiteness. This is caried through to adulthood when the Black man has got to live and work....I no more work in order to live, I live in order to work.'"

In the movie CRY FREEDOM, the dignity and efforts of this man, Biko, and his fellow countryman were impressively and sensitively portrayed. The end is tragic but the message conveyed is powerful and enlightening. Washington conveys this very effectively.

The song BIKO by Peter Gabriel moved an audience worldwide by the poignancy of Biko's life and message. I was moved as few things have ever moved me. You can hear the song if you go on internet and search for Peter Gabriel - Biko.

APACHE WEDDING PRAYER

2011-04-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

Found this in one of my scraps of paper and was again inspired.

WEDDING BLESSING

Now you will feel no rain
For each of you will be shelter
for the other.

Now you will feel no cold
For each of you will be warmth
for the other.

Now there is no more loneliness
For each of you will be companion
for the other.

Now you are two bodies,
But there is only one life before you.

Go now to your dwelling place
To enter into the days of your togetherness.

And may your days be good
and long upon the earth.

-Author unknown

MIGRATION FROM AFRICA 75,000 YEARS AGO

2011-03-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

excerpt from FAMILYTREE DNA (history unearthed daily)

Present day theory suggests that Humans evolved from Africa and traces of these ancient genes are found in all modern day people.

75,000 years ago, humans migrated from Africa into the Middle East, later spreading into Europe and Asia.

Humans migrated to the European coast roughly around 50,000 years ago. This region endured hardships on population size during the last ice age. However, it was followed by a recovery period. Later, growth in agriculture, lead many habitants to move north cultivating new areas of this region.

Roughly 50 millinniums ago, boats were used in the migration patterns towards Australia. It is believed that one of the paths were along the southern coastline of Asia. Asians originated from two communal pedigrees, which in the modern era shows a dominance of similar lineage groups in particular regions of Asia.

20,000-30,000 years ago, migrants journeyed from Siberia across the Bering land that adjoined North America and Asia. Later, roughly 15,000 years ago, a new migration path was being carved out of the coastline. Apaches, Athabascans, and Navajos are uniquely different in the genetic leaneage of Native Americans and are believed to have migrated from the northern parts of Siberia, roughly a millenium ago. Eskimos and Aluets are the youngest of the Indians - they journeyed about 6000 years ago.

The first inhabitants of the Americas came from Siberia spreading through the Andes to Tierra del Fuego. some of these nomads migrated towards the east setling in the terrain, which is now Brazil.

Note from me: We are all one human family, with cousins all over the planet.

LETTER FROM JAPAN

2011-03-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

A letter from Sendai
3/14/2011

Things here in Sendai have been rather surreal. But I am very blessed to
have wonderful friends who are helping me a lot. Since my shack is even more
worthy of that name, I am now staying at a friend's home. We share supplies
like water, food and a kerosene heater. We sleep lined up in one room, eat
by candlelight, share stories. It is warm, friendly, and beautiful.
During the day we help each other clean up the mess in our homes. People sit
in their cars, looking at news on their navigation screens, or line up to
get drinking water when a source is open. If someone has water running in
their home, they put out a sign so people can come to fill up their jugs and
buckets.
It's utterly amazingly that where I am there has been no looting, no pushing
in lines. People leave their front door open, as it is safer when an
earthquake strikes. People keep saying, "Oh, this is how it used to be in
the old days when everyone helped one another."
Quakes keep coming. Last night they struck about every 15 minutes. Sirens
are constant and helicopters pass overhead often.
We got water for a few hours in our homes last night, and now it is for half
a day. Electricity came on this afternoon. Gas has not yet come on. But all
of this is by area. Some people have these things, others do not. No one has
washed for several days. We feel grubby, but there are so much more
important concerns than that for us now. I love this peeling away of
non-essentials. Living fully on the level of instinct, of intuition, of
caring, of what is needed for survival, not just of me, but of the entire
group.
There are strange parallel universes happening. Houses a mess in some
places, yet then a house with futons or laundry out drying in the sun.
People lining up for water and food, and yet a few people out walking their
dogs. All happening at the same time.
Other unexpected touches of beauty are first, the silence at night. No cars.
No one out on the streets. And the heavens at night are scattered with
stars. I usually can see about two, but now the whole sky is filled. The
mountains are Sendai are solid and with the crisp air we can see them
silhouetted against the sky magnificently.
And the Japanese themselves are so wonderful. I come back to my shack to
check on it each day, now to send this e-mail since the electricity is on,
and I find food and water left in my entranceway. I have no idea from whom,
but it is there. Old men in green hats go from door to door checking to see
if everyone is OK. People talk to complete strangers asking if they need
help. I see no signs of fear. Resignation, yes, but fear or panic, no.
They tell us we can expect aftershocks, and even other major quakes, for
another month or more. And we are getting constant tremors, rolls, shaking,
rumbling. I am blessed in that I live in a part of Sendai that is a bit
elevated, a bit more solid than other parts. So, so far this area is better
off than others. Last night my friend's husband came in from the country,
bringing food and water. Blessed again.
Somehow at this time I realize from direct experience that there is indeed
an enormous Cosmic evolutionary step that is occurring all over the world
right at this moment. And somehow as I experience the events happening now
in Japan, I can feel my heart opening very wide. My brother asked me if I
felt so small because of all that is happening. I don't. Rather, I feel as
part of something happening that much larger than myself. This wave of
birthing (worldwide) is hard, and yet magnificent.
Thank you again for your care and Love of me.

EMMA MOORE-ELIMINATION OF PREJUDICE WORKSHOP

2011-03-18T14:04:00.000-07:00

excerpt from COLORS OF MY WORLD (see Aug 31, 2010)

In the early 80s I found a kindred soul, a retired, older African American school teacher, who felt the need to heal, reveal, and kneel to make a difference. We spent a weekend retreat consulting, sharing our stories and organizing our workshop. We collaborated and co-facilitated an Elimination of Prejudice Workshop in 1983 at theBaha'i Summer School in North Carolina.

We had a musical presentation before each session, which set the tone of energy and commitment. The beginning session started with an anonymous survey of the demographics of the attendants. This survey became the starting point of getting to know each other. Stories were told, specific erroneous informaton we had been exposed to in childhood were shared, inspirational quotes were studied, historical and anthropological facts were expounded then a dialogue began which involved everyone. It was intense, emotional and effective. Awarenesses were heightened, hearts were touched, feelings of anger and pain were shared. Some whites came away with bafflement and "what was the big deal" changing to "MyGod, I'm beginning to get a glimpse." Some dark-skinned were able to share anger without retaliation, pain without excuses in response and left with a little more hope and trust.

HISTORICAL CHEROKEE

2011-03-10T10:18:00.000-08:00

excerpts from HISTORICAL CHEROKEE, NORTH CAROLINA, Visitors Guide & Directory

Long before Columbus discovered the "New World" or Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto first set foot in the Great Smoky Mountains (1540), 25,000 Cherokee ruled over 135,000 square miles covering parts of what are now eight states.

Their vast territorial holdings have long since disappeared, but today, an agressive initiative to revitalize the Cherokee language, culture and heritage is being kept alive through the efforts of Tribal Government.

Unique among the many tribes inhabiting North America, the Cherokee have a written language created by Sequoyah in the 1820s.

By 1827, a Cherokee newspaper, "The Phoenix" was being circulated throughout the territory.

Not long ago, Cherokee students were not permitted to speak their native language in schools, but today, not only is it a required subject, but it's not uncommon for young and old to converse in Cherokee. The language, almost lost just a generation ago, is now a part of mainstream Cherokee society again.

Unlike the Plains Indians depicted in Western movies, the Cherokee lived in log cabins, wore turbans and adopted European clothes.

Of all the injustices done to Native Americans, none equals the cruelty and betrayal culminating in the tragic "Trail of Tears", when the Cherokee Nation was forcefully driven out of the mountains and marched 1,200 miles to Oklahoma.

Those who survived the journey to Oklahoma are known as the Cherokee Nation. Descendants of those who hid in the Great Smoky Mountains to avoid removal are known as the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians.

Today, there are nearly 12,000 members of the Eastern Band and many live in the Yellowhill, Birdtown, Painttown, Snowbird, Big cove and Wolftown communities on the Qualla Boundary - the Cherokee Indian Reservation.

Many books have been written about the history and culture of the Cherokee, but the best way to find out more is to visit all the cultural attractions on the Reservation.

I lived on the Reservation from 2004 until 2007. I hope to move back there this summer. Wish me luck!

JOHN - BLACK PANTHER, KKK, AND BAHA'I

2011-03-08T06:44:00.000-08:00

Excerpt from COLORS OF MY WORLD (see Aug 31,2010)

1970

Moving to Henderson, NC, after coming back from Trinidad was an attempt to assist a growing number of youth who had become Baha'is and there was only one adult. The intriguing part of this move was that all these new Baha'i youth and the adult were African American. My son and I were the only whites. Our arrival was too spontaneous to have secured housing so we stayed in the back of a one room building, which had been rented as a center for the Baha'i youth activities. We camped out on the floor and I began a search for a job and a place to live. Both came quickly. The job was in the office of a garment factory. It was pretty boring but easy to do. One advantage was the easy access to materials to make clothes. Since I was taller than average I pretty much made all my clothes, and employees were allowed to get large remnants from the factory floor to take home. The disadvantage of this place was my allergy to the sizing used in preparing clothes for packaging and selling. My eyes watered and crusted and my skin itched but it put food on the table and a roof over our heads.

One powerful story of that time was about a young man, fifteen years old, who lived in poverty with his mother and worked to keep food on their table while going to school. John had been involved with the Black Panther movement (radically aggressive protesters of rights violations) and was very bitter and strident. When he heard of the Baha'i Faith he fell in love with the teachings of oneness and peace. He studied alone and very intensely, as much as he could, the teachings and became a beautiful example of transformation. He and I were sitting in the small rented center talking one day and noticed out the window that a telephone lineman had put his extension basket, which lifted him high, at the window of the center to watch us. I don't know why unless he thought we were up to something. So John and I went outside and sat on the steps to talk just to kill any rumor of impropriety.

On a teaching trip to South Carolina the local Baha'is rented an American Legion Hut for our gathering to have prayers and plan activities. We didn't know at the time that the building was owned by the KKK and they didn't know who we were and what we stood for. When they found out they came into the building at the back with very angry remarks and the first person they approached was John. We didn't know what his reaction would be but it was beautiful. After hearing their rude and insulting remarks he just smiled and said,
"But I can love you". The Klan member who was shouting at him stopped, stared, then broke down and cried. Before the evening was over he had become a Baha'i and was asking us to go with him and tell his family about our beliefs.

DR CHARLES RICHARD DREW-BLOOD BANK

2011-03-05T09:56:00.000-08:00

excerpt from A SALUTE TO BLACK SCIENTISTS AND INVENTORS, Vol. II, an Empak "Black History" Publication Series

Dr. Charles Richard Drew was a world renowned surgeon, medical scientist, educator and authority on the preservation of blood. He was the pioneer of blood plasma preservation, leaving mankind an important legacy-the blood bank.

Born in 1904, in Washington, DC, he was the eldest of five children born to Charles and Nora Drew.... Charles Drew loved sports and was a tough competitor. He could have become a professional athlete or coach, but his desire to become a doctor was stronger. In 1928, Drew entered McGill University Medical School in Montreal, Canada, and won membership in its Medical Honorary Society. It was at McGill that he became interested in blood research. He received his Master of Surgery and Doctor of Medicine degrees in 1933.

After internship at the Royal Victoria Hospital and the Montreal General Hospital, in Canada, he taught at Howard University's Medical School. Afterwards, at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, in New York City, he researched a process for blood preservation. During his two years at Columbia, he developed a technique for the long-term preservation of blood plasma. He earned the Doctor of Science in Medicine degree in 1940, with a dissertation on "Banked Blood."

In World War II, England suffered heavy casualties and called upon Dr. Drew to initiate its military blood bank program. There he introduced preserved blood plasma on the battlefield. This system worked so well that the British asked him to organize the world's first mass blood bank project. Dr. Drew also became the first Director of the American Red Cross Blood Bank.

Dr Drew was killed in an automobile acident while on a trip to a medical meeting at Tuskegee Institutee in 1950. The irony of his death is that his life may have been saved if he had received immediate medical attention following the accident. Discrimination at nearby White hospitals did not allow him the blood transfusions needed to save his life.

Every blood bank in the world is a living memorial to the genius of Dr. Charles Richard Drew. His name will live forever in medical history. Schools and health clinics throughout the United States have been named in honor of Drew and his ingenious gift to mankind.

REALITY OF ONENESS

2011-03-02T11:34:00.000-08:00

excerpts from HUMANKIND IS ONE, AND IT'S TIME FOR US ALL TO EMBRACE THAT REALITY, by Jim Turpin, Jan. 25, 2003 in CitizensTimes

Some recent archaelogical findings are causing many scientists to change their minds about our ancestors. It is increasingly clear that life had its beginnings in central Africa. And, with the recent discoveries, there is strong evidence that advanced, curious, adventuresome hominids migrated north out of Africa along riverbanks, beaches and land corridors to populate what is now the Middle East and Eastern Europe. And, growing out from there for thousands of year, their descendents populated the rest of the Earth. (See National Geographic, August, 2002, "The First Pioneers.")

Add to that that geneticists have demonstrated recently that every human being - every one of us - carries a piece of a gene from the genetic material of a single African woman, given the designation "Eve". We can conclude that our concepts of the human genealogy tree is forever altered, that we are much more closely related - interrelated - than we ever imagined....

I met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in April, 1965. I spoke with him briefly after he made a brilliant speech in the dining room of the Raburn Senate Office Building in Washington, D. C. He spoke eloquently of the destruction of body and soul of segregation, of the inherent danger of long-lasting scars from "separate but equal", of the yearning for the reality of unity and oneness. I shared with him in that brief but very memorable exchange that my Montagnard friends and patients in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam knew of his work, were inspired by his leadership. They were attempting to practice his methods of nonviolence, despite the racial slurs and constant reminders of their inferiority by the Vietnamese. He thanked me and said, "Young doctor, the world has grown too small for anything less than brotherhood." I will never forget that.

But, now, something strange and frightening is happening. Until the '50s and '60s we had legal segregation. We were forced to practice segregated gatherings, schooling, eating places, amusements, and even worship. We were allowed to fight and die together. Now, those laws are mostly gone. In their place, however, is a "voluntary segregation", with our own neighborhoods, our speciality restaurants (as delicious as they are), our own churches, organizations, clubs and societies. We do not have to practice segregation any longer, but we do.

Something has to change, and soon. The old conventional ways are just not working. I am not sure what "thinking outside the box" really means, but if it includes considering some pretty radical ideas, it might be worth the effort. One thing is certain, we MUST spend more time together - worshiping, playing, eating, visiting, forming friendships outside the crayon boundaries. Humankind is one. It is time to practice it.

Jim Turpin, M.D., M.P.H., is the founder of Project Concern, International, a worldwide medical relief organization. He is the author of Vietname Doctor and A Faraway Country. He lives with his wife, Wrenn, in Fairview (Asheville, NC). They are co-founders of a Symphony on the Block.

NARYANAN KRISHMAN -HE GETS IT!

2011-02-28T06:37:00.000-08:00

My wonderful niece, Lynn, showed me this video and my second reaction (the first was weeping) was to say "I've got to blog this." This man has the heart and soul of a saint.

This is the address www.wimp.com/wecould/ Let me know how this touched you.

Love in the struggle,

Anne

CRAZY HORSE - TASUNKE WITKO

2011-02-24T18:20:00.000-08:00

excerpts and information from THE JOURNEY OF CRAZY HORSE, by Joseph M. Marshall III

"As the brilliant leader of a desperate cause and one of the most perenially fascinating figures of the American West, Crazy Horse...brought the United States Army to its knees...."

He was more.... He was many things and fulfilled many roles. He was a son, husband, brother, father and teacher. He was a crafter of weapons and tools, a hunter and tracker, horseman, scout, and fighting man, to list a few. He was also a deep thinker, a shy loner, a fierce defender of all that he held dear, a keen observer, a rejected suitor, a moral person, a family man, and a patriot. In short he lived his life, he made decisions, he took action, he reacted, he made mistakes, and he enjoyed or suffered the consequences of who and what he was and what he did or didn't do. That is his legacy.... I think of him as Wica or ":complete man". Wica is what every Lakota man strove to be. A Wica was the kind of a man who demonstrated the highest Lakota virtues of generosity, courage, fortitude, and wisdom.

WHAT DO I CALL YOU?

2011-02-22T07:59:00.000-08:00

excerpt from @RACE UNITY (see Aug 31, 2010)

We are all one and we are all unique. When we know this on a visceral level, a spiritual level, and emotional level, an intellectual level, on a family level we will be where we need to be.

I asked a friend of mine what he wanted to be called (referring to ethnicity, race, etc.) His answer was "Matthew". When my children were growing up I taught them to describe gestures, hair color, eye color, clothes color, etc. to designate an individual. If they were not born in America I asked them to also name the country, this gave a hint as to possible cutural differences. These were basically observations, not value judgments. It I wanted to know what they were like, they were taught kind, sweet, nice, funny, honest, friendly, shy, etc.

It is interesting to be on email and know I can't see the person but become familiar with the ways of expressing feelings, thoughts, ideas and opinions. I miss the variety of visual stimulation but know I am seeing more of the inner person when the responses are honest and sincere even though not always in agreement. It takes longer to feel comfortable because I tend to want to see the expression in the eyes and body language to get a sense of sincerity, intensity, et.

Must get back to work but know I love you,

Anne

THE GLOBAL VILLAGE

2011-02-17T15:59:00.000-08:00

excerpt from WISDOM OF OTHERS, (see Aug 31, 2010). This was printed in the UTNE READER, July/August 1990. p144, from World Development Forum (April 15, 1990)

If our world were a village of 1,000 people, what would its ethnic and religious composition be? IRED Forum, a publication of the Geneva-based ...Development Innovations and Networks, cites the approximate populations as follows:

In the village would be:
564 Asians
210 Europeans
86 Africans
80 South Americans
60 North Americans

There would be:
300 Christians (183 Catholics, 84 Protestants, 33 Orthodox)
175 Moslems
128 Hindus
55 Buddhists
47 Animists
210 without any religion or atheist

Of these people:
60 would control half the total income
500 would be hungry
600 would live in shantytowns
700 would be illiterate

Has it changed significantly since then?

ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN

2011-02-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

excerpt from I LEARNED IN KINDERGARTEN by Robert Fulghum

Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandpile... These are the things I learned:

Share everything
Play fair
Don't hit people
Put things back where you found them
Clean up your own mess
Don't take things that aren't yours
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody
Wash your hands before you eat
Flush
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you
Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some
Take a nap every afternoon
When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together
Be aware of wonder

HUMAN FAMILY- MAYA ANGELOU

2011-02-14T06:59:00.000-08:00

excerpt from @RACEUNITY(see Aug 31, 2010) sent to unity group 9-26-99, written by Maya Angelou

HUMAN FAMILY
by Maya Angelou

I note the obvious differences
in the human family.
Some of us are serious,
Some thrive on comedy.

Some declare their lives are lived
as true profundity,
and others claim they really live
the real reality.

The variety of our skin tones
can confuse, bemuse, delight,
brown and pink and beige and purple,
tan and blue and white.

I've sailed upon the seven seas
and stopped in every land,
I've seen the wonders of the world,
not yet one common man.

I know ten thousand women
called Jane and Mary Jane,
but I've not seen any two
who really were the same.

Mirror twins are different
although their features jibe,
and lovers think quite different thoughts
while lying side by side.

We love and lose in China,
we weep on England's moors,
and laugh and moan in Guinea
and thrive on Spanish shores.

We seek success in Finland,
are born and die in Maine.
In minor ways we differ,
in major we're the same.

I note the obvious differences
between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.

We are more alike, my firends,
than we are

FINDING THE AUTHENTIC SELF

2011-02-11T10:28:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered who and what you really are?

Some say we are a product of our environment. Is the core of who we are due to the level of poverty or wealth? to the education of our parents and then ourselves? the neighborhood we grew up in? the religion our ancestors held to? the traumas and stresses we had to endure and/or overcome?

Some say we are a product of the genetic make-up our ancestors passed on to us. Do we have a choice about how we turn out or is our destiny already laid out? Does our height, our skin, eyes and hair color determine our destiny? Does our health or lack thereof form our future? Is our mental capacity, our emotional stability, our personality pre-determined?

What if we are merely the results of a roll of the dice with these influences we had no control over?

I pose that if we consciously examine all these factors, actively distill all these variables then look with our hearts and our minds we can find that essence of ourselves that turns out to be truly us? We didn't choose all of these variables but we can choose how we react to them.

We can choose to be honest, kind, forgiving, giving, nurturing, loving, spiritual and express that in a fashion unique to just ourselves.

Love in the sturggle,

Anne

ODE TO DAN

2011-02-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

excerpt from ANNE'S WRITINGS (see Aug 31, 2010)

This was written while in high school friend passed away suddenly from a stroke at such a young age.

ODE TO DAN

He was only prelude
Of the part he was to play.
Why did he leave
Before the opening night?

He was the spring season,
The promise of golden summer.
Why did he go before
The fields showed his glory?

They say there is a reason
And in my heart this is true.
God, did You want his smile,
His kindness, his faith, with You?

I don't question Your wisdom.
I know You are all wise.
And work Your wonders here
Because of Your love for us.

Help me dear Lord, to see
Why my friend before his height
But with strength to climb
Left this earth for a home sublime?

Anne - High School, 1955

JUMPING AROUND

2011-02-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

Some of you might wonder why I seem to jump around from one theme or person to another. As we go through life we meet different people and obstacles without a chance to sort them out and take them on one at a time. Life is not so orderly.

If I stayed with one subject until I finished (until my life is over, I am never finished) that might not be the one you were most moved by and then you might drift away. For example, if you are Native American learning of African Americans encourages oneness and vice versa. Also, seeing your own culture honored might build your own self esteem. My goal was and is to engage you in a journey toward oneness and hope you pass this journey to others. You can't really recommend this to others if you don't know what it contains.

The list I update (mostly monthly) gives enough information to pick and choose topics. If you want to know who I am the very first and second blogs August 25, 2010 etc. gives you a start.

OLD RICHMOND SENIOR CITIZENS AND ONENESS

2011-01-31T14:29:00.000-08:00

excerpt from COLORS OF MY WORLD (see Aug 31, 2010)

In January, 1984 I met a neighbor of mine, at a church in a town about 10 miles from my house. My family and I were attending a Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial service and reception. I told Mr. spears that I would like to share some ideas on the Oneness of Mankind with some group in the our community and had heard that he knew of a community center in the black community. He eagerly requested that I speak to his church the next Sunday morning and invite church members to attend the meeting which he would arrange with the Senior Citizens at the community center. I was stunned at such an opportunity and eagerly agreed. The night before I tried to plan what I would say and came up blank. It was so stressful to have no idea what to say because I was (and still am) basically a shy person, not used to public speaking. I prayed for some plan and still came up blank. I developed a migraine and kept repeating the prayer "O God, make me a hollow reed from which the pith of self has been blown that I may become a clear channel through which Thy love may flow to others." Some Baha'is from a nearby community and my children went with me and sat in the congregation. Still not knowing what to say I just opened my mouth and spoke for about five minutes - actually it was a two way conversation with the congregation - after I started out by saying we came from the same set of parents (Adam and Eve) and therefore must be members of the same family. The reception to my talk was enthusiastic and very friendly. Thus began a series of regular, weekly meetings, which lasted almost a year.

It was challenging and frightening in some ways. Not what most might imagine but because I had grown to intensely love and cherish these new friends and felt a tremendous sense of wanting to build trust in our relationship. Because of my own particular personality, the bottom line from the outset was an honest, vulnerable, one on one sharing, even in the group meetings. Rather than sticking to a pre-arranged speech, eye contact, sensitivity to nuances of facial expression, body language and voice tone helped me be completely flexible in any exchange of thoughts, feelings and information.

At the meeting on the first Thursday, ten adults and one youth attended. I began by sharing my childhood of segregation and unawareness and told of various events and thoughts which led to a very strong awareness of the desire for friendship with all colors but frustration at being so alone in this desire.....My agenda at these meetings folllowed a fairly consistent pattern. They opened the meeting with a Christian prayer and hymn then turned it over to me. I began with sharing some discovery I had made in the various books I had read which revealed our common denominator of humanity. Sometimes it was noted anthropologist, Ashley Montague's research on the reality of only one race, sometimes it was a psychological thought (such as I'M OK, YOU'RE OK) concepts; pre-conceived ideas due to our childhood influences which were in error (such as all blacks liked watermelon and all whites are rich); group dynamics (such as fear on entering a strange group, power struggles, saving face); brainwashing done to white children (such as teaching prejudice and enhancing inclinations toward superiority); learning techniques on consultation, no competition. I mentioned a figure in black history or current events which had made a contribution to society (most of the time unrecognized). Also at each meeting there was at least one quote from the Baha'i writings concerning oneness, the nobility of each, and the need to love and be patient, while being honest and expecting fairness.

We shared recent examples in our daily lives in which the fruits of our study were manifested. Some shared family history of slave family members and past troubles. All of the members joined in the discussions. We had an open-minded, free-form discussion each time toward the middle and remainder of each meeting. They lasted from two to three hours because we forgot what time it was. We continued to build our friendships and I genuinely felt love and trust and honesty in our relationships. there was joy at our meetings and vigorous discussions (some quite challenging and thought provoking). I came home exhilarated! Almost all of those dear friends have now passed on but they live in my most cherished memories.

PRAYERS TRANSLATED INTO CHEROKEE

2011-01-26T10:44:00.000-08:00

Back in 2004-2007 when I lived on the Qualla Boundary, Cherokee Reservation, in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina I was fortunate enough to be a part of arranging for Elder Jerry Wolfe( who is in his eighties) to translate four Baha'i prayers into the Cherokee language. He completed this in both the phonetic pronunciation and the Cherokee syllabary. The goal has been to place this in the Baha'i National Archives in Wilmette, Illinois. Along with the translations I wanted to record Elder Jerry saying these prayers in Cherokee. After well over the last few years of trying to arrange this it was finally set for Monday afternoon of this week. I was so happy and excited I was almost babbling. My beloved Cherokee friend and fellow Baha'i, Hugh Lambert made this happen. He set up his equipment and talked Elder Jerry through the interview and translations.

Elder Jerry began the interview by chanting the Lord's Prayer and Amazing Grace in Cherokee. This was an unexpected and rich addition to the recording. It is hard to put into words how much joy this all brought to me. To have this precious language and my favorite prayers saved in the National Baha'i Archives and with the possible hope of the prayers being said in the Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette during devotions is immensely thrilling. Hopefully I will be able to memorize these prayers in Cherokee for my own private worship.

MARY McLEOD BETHUNE

2011-01-22T09:01:00.000-08:00

excerpt from A SALUTE TO HISTORIC BLACK WOMEN, An Empak "Black History" Publication Series

Mary Jane McLeod Bethune has left her mark indelibly printed upon the walls of time as an outstanding educator, a giant of race relations, advisor to U. S Presidents, and the first Black woman in the United States to establish a school that became a four-year accredited college. She was born to slave parents, Sam and Patsy McLeod, in Mayesville, South Carolina in 1875. Of 17 children, only she was born in this side of slavery. She was a pilar of strength with perpetual drive and force. By courage, faith and perserverence, she was able to elevate herself to a respected position.....It was not until she reached age 11 that a school opened some five miles from her home, and she walked the distance daily. After graduation she was awarded a small scholarship by a White woman in Denver, Colorado who wanted to help one Black child attain more education...

In 1904, with the ever-present desire to educate others and $1.50, she founded a school for girls in Daytona Beach, Florida. Her student body consisted of her four year old son, and five little girls who each paid 50 cents a week tuition. Her school began in an old house near the city dump. Through difficulties too numerous to mention, the school slowly grew. The student body grew from an enrollment of five little girls to a co-ed institution which became Bethune College. By 1923 , when Bethune College merged with Cookman Institute, she had a student body of six hundred, 32 faculty members and an $800,000 campus free of debt.

Primarily an educator, Mrs. Bethune became involved in government affairs. In 1930, President Herbert Hoover appointed her to the White House Conference on Child Health. Several years later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed her a director of Negro Affairs in the National Youth Administration and as his special advisor on minority affairs. She also served as a member of the "Black Cabinet". In 1945, she was a special emmissary of the State Department of the United Nations Conference. In 1952, she was the personal representative of President Harry S. Truman at LIberia's inauguration ceremonies....

Mrs. Bethune left a legacy to her people, that her philosophy of living and serving would be inspirational to those who share her vision of a world peace.

THE MOST VITAL AND CHALLENGING ISSUE

2011-01-18T15:46:00.000-08:00

excerpts from ADVENT OF DIVINE JUSTICE, by Shoghi Effendi Rabbani and my own COLORS OF MY WORLD

In the early 1980s my enthusiasm for oneness continually heightened but I began to see and feel slowness and resistance in some toward filling in the gaps, empathizing with the pains, supporting the daily struggles in the work place and social activities. There is a powerful trend toward "everything is alright - just go forward". I began to feel a restless urgency to say, "we need a foundation of historical and personal knowledge of the struggles endured and which are still pervasive - to be as supportive and loving as the most vital and chllenging issue requires."

I asked a member of the National Education Committee of the Baha'is of the UNited States for suggestions on how I could increase my growth and effectiveness in service to oneness. Her suggestion was to learn the quote in ADVENT OF DIVINE JUSTICE by the Guardian of the Faith Shoghi Effendi Rabbani to such an extent that it became a part of my inner reality. This section in the book is about 4 pages long but so meaningful.

"As to racial prejudice, the corrosion of which, for well nigh a century, has bitten into the fiber, and attacked the whole social structure of American society, it should be regarded as constituting the most vital and challenging issue confronting the Baha'i community." (not just Baha'is but all who believe in unity)

The "ceaseless efforts required" became a committment for the rest of my life. His instructions are so specific, for both the white and black, young and old, high and low, that there is no reason we cannot, if we but endeavor, eradicate this problem from our hearts, our comunities and our land. The words resonated in my soul, my thoughts and my dreams.

Love in the struggle,
Anne

CHEROKEE PARADISE

2011-01-14T11:45:00.000-08:00

excerpt from A CHEROKEE FEAST OF DAYS, DAILY MEDITATIONS, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

A woodland path is good medicine for a weary walker. Soft, rolling steps along the path do not interrupt the harmony of the woods. Even the snort of the doe before she bounds away is to tell her fawn to lie low. Many pauses give time to hear and see in detail the call of a busy titmouse and the highpitched whistle of the finch. This is Cherokee paradise - to stand quietly in aged timber and be so much a part of it. Even the tiny creek plays water-harps as it winds its way around clumps of dried leaves and slips over round stones that are a part of its past handiwork. This is a green cathedral with shafts of sunlight cutting through thick foliage to turn droplets of water into prisms of color. Nothing is out of place - not even the walker.

STILL MUCH TO LEARN

2011-01-06T08:20:00.000-08:00

excerpt from COLORS OF MY WORLD (see Aug 31, 2010)

When I left Trinidad in the fall of 1970 I realized I had much to learn. Just being comfortable with the variety of hues of the human family did not give me the insights and sensitivities to be able to be free from the old tapes and messages in my head that I had learned as a child nor did I have any knowledge of the difference cultural conditioning would have on friendships and communications. Each of us comes from a family and a community. The values, interests, manners, tastes, music, and foods play a part in how we express ourselves. The ancestral "baggage" each of us has been given which has kept us apart for all these centuries is still in the back recesses of our minds and reactions. The same word or gesture means something different to the various cultures. The apprehensions and expectations of treatment by others is predicated upon the unconscious training and conditioning our parents gave us. To truly relate as a friend on a level of trust and openness we need to learn all these diverse ways of approaching life and to fully accept that the world is okay if it doesn't look or act just like I do.

I began to acquire and read books to "fill in the gaps" - books written by dark-skinned authors, books by civil rights advocates, books by and about Africa and of Native Americans. This time I took the advice of the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, and used the materials available in our society to help us learn of our world. I started reading anthropology books, one of the most enlightening was Ashley Montague's MAN'S MOST DANGEROUS MYTH; THE FALLACY OF RACE, published in the 1940s.
( a more recent one is Stephen Gould's MISMEASUREMENT OF MAN.)

excerpts from MAN'S MOST DANGEROUS MYTH; THE FALLACY OF RACE -

"...a black skin is undoubtedly a character of adaptive value, for there is some evidence that it enables its possessor to withstand the effects of prolonged exposure to sunlight...
...white skinned peoples have a reduced distribution of pigment in their skin merely because the shift from the birthplace of their ancestors, which there is good reason to believe was Africa south of the Sahara, to the cooler regions of Europe gradually resulted in a decrease in the distribution of pigment in their skin, so that in the course of time, by means of selection of genes for low pigmentary difference, this has become considerably reduced. The pigmentary difference is not one of kind but of degree....
...In hot, humid climates those individuals would be most favored who possessed skin sufficiently dark to prevent heat loss at too rapid a rate, and thus avoid heat exhaustion...For the white skin, less abundantly supplied with sweat galnds than the black, acts as a good insulator against heat and cold...
...Clearly, there can be no question here of either inferiority or superiority. Both Negro and white man have survived because they and their ancestors were possessed of character of adaptive value which, under the respective conditions of ther differing environments, enable them to survive." pp. 95-97

"Whether responsible or not for racism, every American, as an American, must make himself responsible for the elimination of racism, for racism is inhuman, ethically wrong, and constitutionally intolerable." p 347

"Let such a one say to himself, 'I am only one, but I am one, I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do I ought to do, and, by the grace of God, I will." p. 359

MY DREAM Jan. 1, 2011

2011-01-03T09:49:00.000-08:00

I woke up two days ago with the compelling need to share my dream. This is it.

My old boss of thirty years ago who was very cranky and abrupt told me that I must go into the next room and talk to a group of girls who had been abused. I was not to take time to prepare but to go immediately.
I went through the door perplexed and wondering what I could possibly say, opened my mouth and this is what came out---

"Here's what I know. Your soul is the real you and no one can touch that part of yourself if you don't let them. So find that part of yourself and let it grow."

There was immediate smiles and then joy and then kidding around and playing. A few hearty high fives and Yes!

After I woke up I wanted to say - I am a survivor of abuse and I know many others who are. This prayer has lifted me up many times...

"O God, refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life.

O God, Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord."
Abdu'l-Baha

GIVEAWAY

2010-12-30T15:41:00.000-08:00

excerpt from THE NATIVE AMERICANS, AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY

"The allies of a chief, whether linked through economics or ritual, made regular visits to exchange gifts and reach consensus on important matters." p. 118

"In the majority of cases a person's status depended not on what he or she possessed but rather on what he or she gave to others. Riches mattered only as a road to generosity. To be rich when others were in need was to be a danger to the group. The accumulation in the hands of ...big men, or chiefs this often formed but a prelude to distribution. The carefully gathered wealth of a Northwest Coast leader disappeared in the lavish potlaches (exchange of gifts) that astonished Europeans....Iroquoia to the Northwest Coast, Indians created social systems that induced people to redistribute wealth and to reap status." p. 238

excerpt from REASON TO BELIEVE, by Kathleen Eagle, p. 376

"Summer is powwow time in Indian country. There's always plenty of food, games and contests, lots of music and dancing, and in the midst of it all there are 'giveaways'. People present gifts as a public show of appreciation, honor, respect. The giver calls a name, the recipient accepts a gift, and a simple handshake is shared."

I remember observing this giveaway custom at many powwows and also at conferences or performances. One of my Lakota friends said that almost half of his income was reserved for "giveaway", whether to friends or those who gave a service. The salary or compensation for the service was not counted as a gift. The gift was from the heart, not the pocketbook.

EXPLORING TRINIDAD

2010-12-27T08:14:00.000-08:00

excerpt from TRINIDAD REMEMBRANCES (see Aug 31, 2010)

Most days were spent in exploring the area, making friends, and riding the bus into the nearby town. Everything was so green and lush. There were exotic flowers hanging from vines and trees. Orchids grew naturally in some of the inner parts of the island. Monkeys hung from trees and chattered wildly as you went by. I had a banana tree in my back yard. When I saw Zorida (see her story ZORIDA'S DREAM) work so hard every day cooking each meal, I showed her how to make a banana sandwich and then a pimento cheese sandwich. She served them to her husband Beepat and he loved them. He wanted them all the time until he discovered that it only took her five minutes to make them. He made her quit serving them, saying that her work was in the kitchen and it was not right that she had so much free time.

Going into town was very interesting. The streets bustled with people walking here and yon. They wore bright colors and were cheerful and friendly. The stores were mostly specialty stores, one serving meats, another fruits, another vegetables. My favorite food became fried shrimp wonton. It would be served in a heaping platter that would fill up both my son and I. Sometimes we would go to a place that served "devil dogs". In America, the equivalent was corn dogs. That became my son's favorite food. When we ate at a friend's house we were served rice, vegetables and occassionally chicken mixed with the rice. The head and legs of the chicken were really a test for me. I couldn't make myself eat them but I stirred them around so as not to look like I was avoiding them. I probably didn't fool anyone but I didn't want to be impolite.

I felt as though I had been given a gift in my search for oneness. One day I walked past a mirror and was jolted to see this white face. I had become so accustomed to the beautiful faces around me that my own white face seemed strangely pale. I learned down to the core of my being that we are one race. The mothers loved their children just as much as I loved Eddie, the fathers worked and struggled to make a home for the family against odds that would have broken many of those I knew back in the states. The music was very haunting and lovely or dramatic and surging with rhythm, the children were bright and cheerful and their laughter sounds the same all over the world. The yearning for God and a meaning for life is just as powerful no matter the color of the skin.

My money ran out and I had to come back to the states. I must admit I had very mixed feeling though. It took quite some time to adjust to seeing so many white faces. I was very uncomfortable in a community which was predominately white. Where was the rest of my family?

MY FAVORITE BAHA'I QUOTE

2010-12-21T07:15:00.000-08:00

"If you desire with all your heart, friendship with every race on earth, your thought, spiritual and positive, will spread; it will become the desire of others, growing stronger and stronger, until it reaches the minds of all men"

Abdu'l-Baha, PARIS TALKS, p. 29

HE SAYS/SHE SAYS

2010-12-19T11:48:00.000-08:00

excerpt from ANNE'S WRITINGS (see Aug 31, 2010)

Where is the gentle caress,
The glow in the eye,
The tenderness of a kiss,
The commitment to try,
The protective nest in each other's arms,
The little treats and favors that charm?

All I see is bare midriffs,
Skinny tank tops, tight blue jeans,
While crooning words flow, the eye shifts,
A night with a stranger it seems,
A hollow hunger that never ends,
A heart that cannot feel as it tries to mend?

I have freedom she says,
I can come and go and be.
I have power he says,
I can take and take for me.
And when a child begins to come,
Who will really give it a home?

Anne Respess 8-27-04

LEONARD PELTIER

2010-12-12T20:01:00.000-08:00

Reflections after reading PRISON WRITING, MY LIFE IS MY SUN DANCE, by Leonard Peltier

This book is a remarkable revealing of the evolution of a beautiful soul. It is extremely moving and painful in the sharing of a life devoted to justice for a people whose only crime was being Indian. Side by side with the Holocaust of Jews, the slavery of the Africans we witness the violence and attempted extermination of the people who were and still are the stewards of "America the Beautiful" from it's very beginning.

He was convicted of the murder of two federal agents and according to the Freedom Of Information Act we learn that the trial was flawed and the "proofs" of his guilt were not there. He has been in prison since 1976 and has been denied parole numerous times though even the FBIs say they still don't know who really killed the two agents.

Inspite of severe health issues and loss of freedom he has grown spiritually into a remarkable human being. His words of the oneness of mankind are inspiring and challenging. Keep him in your hearts and prayers as I will.

CLIFTON AT OLD RICHMOND

2010-12-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

excerpt from COLORS OF MY WORLD (see Aug 31, 2010)

In the early 1980s I was involved in a Senior Citizens group in a black church community center near my home. The discussions were about oneness and the struggles to get to that . My children played outside with some of the children of the church. We opened with a prayer, had some history of a figure in black history who had made contributions to society (mostly unrecognized by the general population), some anthropological facts reinforcing our common ancestry, mentioning a psychological concept that might influence our reaction to others (thereby gaining better communication) and then had an open-minded, free-form discussion.

We shared recent examples in our daily lives in which the fruits of our study were manifested. Some of the stories shared by the elderly members of their ancestors treatment as slaves was heartbreaking. All the members participated. For awhile one of the members, Clifton (tall, distinguished, in his 70s) consistently gave challenging remarks such as "she won't acknowledge she knows you if you meet her on the street". I responded each time honestly and directly as possible but refused to argue with him. After about eight meetings Clifton sighed sadly, got up and said he guessed he better not come anymore since he disrupted the meetings. He really looked quite dejected). I felt immediately the same dejection, and told him that I had not come to drive anyone away. If I caused that then I should be the one not to come back. He quickly said, "no, you must come back". I responded that he must come, too. Even of we didn't agree we both could share our ideas and still be friends. He brightened up and became one of my dearest friends and strongest supporters when the minister or community accused me of weird things, (such as being a communist). He is the only one who did not missed a single meeting.

He had the most glorious, deep voice and sang some beautiful spirituals. He used to tease me and tell me I sang from my throat but should sing from my gut, deep down. He would come to visit but would only sit on my front steps to talk. He said my next door neighbor was a Klan member and he didn't want to give them any reason to slur my reputation. What courage he had and such courtesy for me!

EDDIE'S FRIENDS IN TRINIDAD

2010-12-07T18:55:00.000-08:00

excerpt from TRINIDAD REMEMBRANCES (see Aug 31, 2010)

Eddie seemed happier in Trinidad than he had ever been anywhere else. He seemed to have a natural affinity for the native Trinidadians and they were drawn to his open-hearted friendliness. He had many playmates who continually sought him out. Though his only toy was a bag of marbles he seemed joyful most of the time. One of the mothers of the children he was playing with stood on my balcony watching as he and several Moslem children , several African children and a Chinese child played together. She said she had never seen the children mix together peacefully before but she liked it. She loved Eddie and his complete acceptance of all the kids as his friends. The kids seemed to respond to his attitude by being more open to others themselves. They taught him how to ride a water buffalo, how to drink from a coconut, and climb the skinny trees nearby. One of the boys seemed very close to Eddie and they spent the night at each other's homes two or three times a week.

Zorida, the lady who dreamed of me before I came to Trinidad (see ZORIDA'S DREAM 9-14-10), grew very fond of Eddie and would have a special treat for him when he came in from school. It was called char, and consisted of mango rolled up in curry powder and baked. Eddie would eat a whole cereal bowl of it every afternoon. She would worry that he was eating so much of it. She said, "not even we can eat this much. It is too hot."

LOUIS GREGORY- RACE AMITY WORKER

2010-12-06T19:29:00.000-08:00

excerpt from TO MOVE THE WORLD by Gayle Morrison and also from a brochure on Race Amity Conference in October, 1983

The first Race Amity Conference (Louis Gregory was one of the organizers and speakers)sponsored by the Baha'is of the United States was held May 19-21, 1921 in Washington D.C...The Conference took place during the most turbulent period of racial strife the country had ever experienced....The following is a quote from the brochure of that historic event.

"Half a century ago in America slavery was abolished. Now there has arisen a need for another great effort in order that prejudices may be overcome. Correction of the present wrong requires no army, for the field of action is the hearts of our citizens. The instrument to be used is kindness, the ammunition - understanding. The actors in the engagement for right are all the inhabitants of the United States.

The great work we have to do and for which this convention is called is the establishment of amity between the white and colored people of our land.

When we have put our own house in order, then we may be trusted to carry the message of universal peace to all mankind."

He (Louis Gregory) talked of unity with diversity when the law of the land was "separatism." He travelled extensively thoughout America delivering the message of oneness of mankind during a time when black Americans (he was black) were considered by the Constitution, 3/5 a man. He spoke of interracial amity while his peers advocated going back to Africa.....

Mr. Gregory was born in Charleston, S.C. on June 6, 1874....He received a law degree from Howard University. During a time when most people in this country were not formally educated, this son of a slave had a law degree, worked for the federal government and was an attorney. If Mr. Gregory had done nothing more with his life, these accomplishments alone would have been noteworthy.

However, in 1909, Mr Gregory became a member of the Baha'i Faith. Its principles concerning the oneness of mankind, the essential oneness of religion, and the equality of men and women seemed to him the solution for the world's problems. It was also during this year he decided to become a worker for racial amity. This decision meant the end of a successful law practice and the beginning of years of travel, writing and lecturing.

He traveled thoughout the country speaking before religious, social, and academic groups. His audiences ranged in size from a small handful of people to thousands. Mr Gregory played an important role in developing and promoting the many Race Amity Conferences sponsored by the Baha'is. This vocation of Mr. Gregory comprised 42 years of his life: years of undaunted and uninterrupted service to mankind.

Mr Gregory died in July 1951. So outstanding had been his service, he was named a Hand of the Cause of God for the Baha'i Faith.

Abdu'l-Baha, son of the Prophet Founder of the Baha'i Faith said of Mr Gregory:

"He is like unto pure gold. This is why he is acceptable in any market and is current in every country."

MY OWN STORY - ANNE

2010-12-01T20:08:00.000-08:00

excerpt from RACEUNITY@ (see Aug 31, 2010)

In response to a general call to tell our individual stories of how we arrived at this point in our lives and began participating in this endeavor:

I started out in Charlotte, NC in 1937, white, southern, and in the country. My dad came from a farm family of several hundred acres near Charlotte, one of his parents was from a large country family and the other was a school teacher. Our ancestry came from Scot, English and Native American. My mother came from Georgia, a small town. One of her parents was from a small farm family and the other from an academic, socially prominent Atlanta family. Our ancestry in this side of the family was Irish, English and Jewish. Needless to say in those times, there was a lot of hostility between the in-laws on both sides.

(You have read of my first "race" memory in the Sept. 6, 2010 blog)
My dad and mother were not overtly hostile or cruel, but the patronizing, "lovingly helpful" attitude they displayed had a subtle message, which is harder to confront or resist than an overtly confrontational attitude is.

My exposure to those of color was very biased in that they were always in a subservient role. Not until I was an adult did I see and educated darker skinned person. I was in a dormant state of awareness until school classes began on the slavery and civil war subjects. I was upset with the stories of children being sold away from their parents, of the beatings and rapes. I remember being ashamed that I was from the South.

I began to try to learn for myself the history that was denied me in school, began to collect and study books written by minorities, sought out friends who were diverse but it was halting and fearful because of my natural shyness and the impediments placed there by family and society. The book that initially had the most impact on me was John Howard Griffin's BLACK LIKE ME. It touched and horrified me. It was written in the times of what I knew growing up. I had seen what he was talking about from the "other side". I had used the "white" water fountains and restrooms. I had served the blacks at the back door when I worked my way through school as a waitress. I was also the first waitress to serve a black man who sat at my counter, though the restaurant had put a divider rope around the empty stools and those occupied by blacks.

The next impacting set of books was a three volume compilation of letters and articles, from 1619 to 1966, written by slaves, farmers, authors, reporters for black newspapers, etc., edited by Milton Metlzer, called IN THEIR OWN WORDS. The personal details of the pain, indignities and rage of these people marked my soul. ( I will be quoting from these in future blogs.)

When I became a Baha'i in 1969, it was like coming home. Finally, I had clear guidance and approval from God to "walk the Walk" and learn humbly how to be one with all. Baha'u'llah's gift to me was to allow me to go to Trinidad seven months after I became a Baha'i and live among an entire country that was dark skinned. I saw three white people other than my son and myself in the mirror the entire time. My survival depended on the good graces of these people, my social life depended on these people, my son's playmates were the children of these people. As I lived day to day, in conversations, social events, over coffee or tea chats, my feelings of strangeness disappeared and an awareness of being in the same human family began to emerge. I remembered being startled when I passed a mirror and saw this white shadow go by. My first thought was "that person is so pale" then i I realized it was me. I had forgotten my own color. It was a pleasant, releasing thought.

As the years after I came back from Trinidad went by I began to involve myself in race unity work. As well as reading everything I could get my hands on, I made a conscious effort to "stay in diversity". I felt uncomfortable in an all white environment and raised my children to believe that only diversity of color and culture was normal. Everything else was abnormal.

In 1983 I co-facilitated a week long workshop at a Baha;i summer school on THE ELIMINATION OF PREJUDICE workshop with an elderly retired school teacher who called herself "colored". We laughed and cried together as we prepared this class and shared our "Southern" expeiences of growing up on opposite sides of the society.

In 1989 I went to my first Healing Racism Workshop and had the bounty of hearing Nathan Rutstein (author of many books on the issue) tell his "story". I was hooked. I went to several different series of these workshops, then went into training to be a facilitator. I did this for a while then helped others become facilitators. I was so enriched by the eople who attended and shared their stories and their hearts.

In the early eighties, I facilitated a Senior Citizens workshop at a black church for a year in which we learned together each other's stories and shared our growth process in getting to know and love each other. The stories of these elderly people revealed many of their early years of suffering and the history of thier family during slavery. I felt humbled and blessed to be accepted and loved by them.

In 1990 I attended a Race Unity Core Curriculum workshop at Louhelen Baha'i School in Michigan. This added so much to my ability to immerse myself in the subject in the Writings of the Faith. The precious souls who attended this with me will always hold a special place in my heart.

I had the blessing to be on a task force with Bonnnie Taylor, author and compiler of THE PUPIL OF THE EYE, to help set up a Most Vital and Challenging Training Institute. This resulted in a year long series of monthly four hour sessions exploring in depth the Writings of the Baha'i Faith on this isssue, the research made in the psychological, academic secular world on this issue, the historical facts that we missed in the public school systems and then the dialogue between the twenty or so individuals who had been present all the while.

Well, I think I went on too long, but there you have it.....

Love in the struggle,

Anne

OVERBOARD/DOING ENOUGH?

2010-11-30T19:32:00.000-08:00

excerpts from RACEUNITY@ (see Aug 31, 2010)

9-18-99 response

I can't count the times I have had a conversation with whites who wonder if I don't go overboard "just a little" they say nicely. I promise you, I try extremely hard to be diplomatic, loving, patient and humble but I can't hide my profound investment in making a difference on the race issue. My primary goal (1) learn the reality as much as possible for a white from my darker skinned brothers and sisters, (2) open the eyes and hearts of "melanin challenged" individuals who look like me to this reality, (3) build bridges of friendship and sharing of actively making the burden of prejudice and racism diminish.

It is not acceptable to me to just hope it will all improve with time and being nice. If we all tried that on cancer or pheumonia we would soon die. Thank God we have a physician who is willing to stand in the same room with a sick person and challenge the disease.....

When Nat Rutstein describes racism as a disease I think he has two motives. One is to acknowledge the wounded (internalized racism) and the wounder (unaware racism). Secondly, very few people attack a sick person but try to help in some way. If everyone is trying to help the wounded and the wounder there is no attack. An attack immediately calls forth a defensive counter-attack. Rutstein's goal is ally building, not inducing shame or defensiveness. So is mine.

There is the component of power, inferiority and superiority complexes and scapegoating in the issue.

I wholeheartedly agree that there are a lot of wonderful people doing a lot, humbly and lowly, and never noticed. Unity in diversity is, after all, IMHO, the only way to go. Not just in looks, but in style, personality, ways to do your thing, etc.

Unfortunately, because I have such an intense desire to see things change, it is misconstrued as if I am saying "You are not doing enough", which is not my intention. People talk about the things that interest them. I am interested in what others are interested in and hope that they will respect what I am interested in.

Love in the struggle,

Anne

SOJOURNER TRUTH

2010-11-27T19:07:00.000-08:00

excerpt from A SALUTE TO HISTORIC BLACK WOMEN, Vol. 1, Empak "Black History" Publication Series

"Sojourner Truth, born Isabella Baumfree in 1797, was a pilgrim of freedom and a fervent women's rights activist. She thundered against slavery from countless platforms. For nearly 40 years, she traveled across the country lecturing on the two major issues of the time: abolition and the rights of the "lesser sex". She was born in slavery...near Kingston, New York....Of how she came to be called Sojourner Truth she said, "I asked the Lord to give me a new name and He gave me Sojourner because I was to travel up and down the land showing the people sins and being a sign unto them. Afterwards, I told the Lord I wanted another name cause everybody else had two names; and He gave me Truth because I was to declare the truth unto the People"....the New York State Emancipation Act freed her in 1828...

"Sojourner was indeed a legend in her time. Her work was not confined to anti-slavery and women's rights alone, but embraced all human rights that were being encroached upon or denied....The highlight of her life was when she was received by President Lincoln at the White House. She was well into her seventies before she retired."

A SMALL BOY'S HAPPINESS

2010-11-23T19:15:00.000-08:00

excerpt from A CHEROKEE FEAST OF DAYS, Daily Meditations, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Dedicated to Nancy and Jesse

Take away the plastic, the film, the artificial and give a small boy a stick to dig in the dirt, to whack the water at the pond's edge - and you have given him happiness. Show him deer tracks and the handprints of a raccoon, and you give him curiousity. Boost him up to the lowest limb of a tree and he can take the next one with vision. Show a small boy something other than cartoons, sing him songs that are not commercials, teach him gentleness with small animals and other children, and you have given him a life laced with love and kindness. The best part of sharing an hour with an exhuberant little boy is that he gives back so much, shining eyes, imagination, questions without end, and laughter at nothing and everything. It is an hour well spent and will be remembered. Hopefully, in later years, he will recall that it was spent with Grandma.

I MUST OVERCOME - Part 4 - 1950s

2010-11-22T19:10:00.000-08:00

excerpt from COLORS OF MY WORLD (see Aug 31, 2010)

Church - The church I grew up in was built in 1755 by my great,great,great Grandfather and his neighbors. It had a balcony in the back that was for the slaves. As I grew up that balcony was always empty and closed up. It has been said that Sunday mornings were the most segregated hours of the week in America. Can't believe Christ would be happy with that.

My faith was vital to my inner self and reflected in my poetry as well:

IN THE GARDEN

On the rock He knelt
His robes in folds of grace,
His hands, the cold rock felt
With despair, unwillingness.

A mask of thought, His face,
Which showed a problem great,
But trust and faith erased
The painful, awful weight.

Uplifted and exalted now
The weight no longer there,
Shining eyes and serene brow
Place peace on His face so fair.

On His feet and straight ahead
To the kiss that would betray,
He marched with lifted head
To bring the light our way. (A. Hunter 1955)

I volunteered to help teach a children's Bible class in the home of a black family on a back road several miles from our church. The home was small and crowded with the pot-bellied stove in the center of the living room. The children were quiet and curious. It jolted me when the children colored thier handouts of Chris with a black face.. I knew there was only one Chris and had assumed he was white.

I MUST OVERCOME -Part 3 - 1950s

2010-11-21T19:18:00.000-08:00

excerpt from COLORS OF MY WORLD (see Aug 31, 2010)

College - Nestled on the top of a North Carolina mountain, in buildings of natural stone and huge log beams, my freshman year at college was spent in an all-white, Protestant church sponsored, private junior college.
Football games, a crush on the star of the basketball team, cramming for exams, I felt as though I was getting acquainted with myself for the very first time. Who was I when not around my family? Could I be brave and friendly and popular instead of awkward, shy and studious? The future seemed challenging in a shiny, glow of hopes and dreams. Fantasies of loves and losses filled my thoughts as I tried to find expression in writing poetry:

FORGOTTEN?

I had forgotten your close-cropped russet hair,
Until a wren, brown, nested in our maple tree.
Forgotten was the ocean depth in your blue eyes
'Til a friend sent a shell from the sea.

Gone was the memory of your gentle touch
Until the wind blew a leaf against my cheek.
Lost was the vision of your straight, tall form
'Til I saw a slender pine last week.

Gone, I hoped, was the pain of losing you,
And knowing you would love someone but not I,
Until I limp and cold, was kissed by another
And, looking up, saw the pain of loss in his eye. (A.Hunter 1955)

June (a college dorm buddy) and I spent hours in my dorm room talking and wondering. We were souls on a quest. Segregation and integration? Colored and white? Separate but equal? Civil rights? What did it all mean? No one else at the "campus in the clouds" seemed to know or care. I did not know much but I cared a lot! In 1955 it was the lull before the storm. What would it be like to sit in a classroom with a dark-skinned person? Would they be vocal or quiet? Would we eat together? Would we be in the same dorms? I did not even ask myself the question "What if one of them asked me for a date?"

I wondered in my poetry:

HOLD MY HAND

His round, dark eyes
Were raised to mine.
His ebony forehead creased.
His childish hands
Were clasped in pain
As his life slowly ceased.

His burr black hair
Was a maroon now
From the gash in his head,
Again his eyes
Were raised to mine
In horrified dread.

He spoke to me,
In his soft child's voice

"Suh, hold my hand,
Is I go'n die?
My head hurts so,
Suh, hold my hand.

"Suh, I'se afraid,
It's gettin' dark
An I don' wanna die."
His wide, brown eyes
Were glazed with pain
And he began to cry.

"Suh, hold my hand.
I'm gettin' cold...
My hand," he said to me.
His hand then dropped.
His brown eyes closed
Never again to see.

I saw him there
Lying so still
His childish mouth now quiet.
Me, hold his hand?
Comfort his need?
Never, I am white. (A. Hunter 1955)

Do we only wonder and question when we are young? Can we become active in our later years or are we too scared of disturbing the status quo? Are we too aware and intimidated by the very real possibility of losing friends or family members if we take a stand or express a viewpoint that is uncomfortable? When do we put on our "cloak of maturity" and pretend we know how life works and should be and it is not by "disturbing the peace". That peace that comes from not having to dare or struggle or think in depth about the possibility that we may not know everything or that we may not really be the noble, courageous stuff of heroes or heroines.

I MUST OVERCOME - Part 2 - 1950s

2010-11-19T04:52:00.000-08:00

excerpt from COLORS OF MY WORLD, (see Aug 31, 2010)

Home - Daddy was a policeman. He came home many times complaining about the drinking and rowdy behavior of the "niggers" he had to deal with daily, I always connected the misbehavior or roughness with alcohol, not skin color. Yet when he had a chore to do around the house and a dark-skinned person helped him he gave him a bottle of liquor instead of money as payment. Adults do not make any sense!

Africa! It looked so beautiful in the National Geographic - such rich colors, such vibrant hues! I wanted to go there. The only way I had ever heard of anyone being allowed to go there was as a missionary. I wanted to be a missionary. It seemed useless in America to be effective in helping relieve what seemed to be pain, hunger, and mistreatment. My father shouted - then cried. No! He seemed afraid for me. I ran from the room crying. He came to me and knelt beside my bed saying I could do anything I wanted to, just don't cry. I wondered if there was a Tarzan really in Africa? Was he the only one who spoke English? Was there a leader with dark skin? Did any of the dark skinned people wear anything but that wrap around their hips? Maybe I could help there. How shallow was my understanding of my own ignorance.

Yet I was silent.

I MUST OVERCOME - Part 1 - 1950s

2010-11-17T19:15:00.000-08:00

excerpt from COLORS OF MY WORLD (see Aug 31, 2010)

High school - Oh how my heart ached as I read of the child weeping as he was snatched from his mother and put on the auction block! What madness is this? I could feel his terror and grief. Who would soothe his bruised face, kiss his tears away and sing him to sleep? History classes taught me the brutality of man. My history teacher liked my notebook of poetry and the drawings of the sad, little dark boy with the tear on his cheeek. She did not have many answers to my questions though.

The rest of the class seemed to focus on the slogan "the South shall rise again" and talked of getting even with the Yankees who had messed up their way of life. The confederate flag was held up with pride in some meetings. I was relieved to study that "we" had lost the civil war. I began to hate my "southernness".

One day when we drove from our modern brick school with the fancy gym and industrial arts building, past the white frame one room school house of the Negro community I stared in disbelief at the smallness of the building, yet I knew it held all the grades. I wondered if the school was crowded, did they have fun? Did we use the same books? Did they ride a bus to school? Or did they all live close enough to walk from the little houses crowded behind the school on the unpaved road?

AWARENESS OF MY MORTALITY

2010-11-16T19:09:00.000-08:00

excerpt from CHEROKEE DIARY(see Aug 31, 2010)

After a serious health crisis in 2003 with a prognosis of potentially a short life span I was totally jolted into an awareness of my mortality and that the rest of my life needed to be taken very seriously. There were things I wanted to do and learn and explore. Time to see what and who I was all about. I sat in my livingroom.... I have always drawn and pulled a pad in front of me and drew what I could see of myself, my lap, my knees, my cup of coffee and then asked myself "what do you really want to see in front of you?" I immediately drew a mountain scene with a river flowing in front of it and birds, butterflies and squirrels jumping around. HMMMM?

I planned a vacation to the mountains of North Carolina to visit the Cherokee Reservation. There was a vague pull to it in the back of my mind, not a full blown plan for the future.

When I arrived on the reservation in the summer of 2003 I stopped at the Bureau of Indian Affairs and asked about living on the reservation. She asked me if I was Cherokee, I said "not enough to enroll but very much a part of me". She said I could rent not own and sent me to another lady who sent me to a man who could possibly help....He very graciously invited me to sit in his office and tell him what I wanted. He asked pertinent questions of my income etc and then said "yes, would you like to see an open apartment?" This was within the first half hour of coming on to the reservation! He took me to an apartment, showed me the balcony. I saw what was in my drawing! A mountain scene with a river with birds, butterflies and squirrels right outside the window....A feeling of coming home settled inside....The next spring I retired and moved to Cherokee.

FIRST INKLINGS OF INDIAN

2010-11-14T19:08:00.000-08:00

excerpt from CHEROKEE DIARY (see Aug 31, 2010)

In 1966 I dated a Lumbee Indian and when he saw a picture of my daddy he said he looked just like his uncle. He believed Daddy was part Indian.

At a powwow in 1993 as my daughters and I were walking around the different small craft booths, I saw two objects that startled me because I had seen something similar in my Daddy's tools and at my grandmother's house. The first was a set of handmade knives exactly like some that he used all the time. The second was a handmade chair like the chairs I saw at my grandmother's house on the front porch. I remarked to the girls about being surprised and intrigued by this.

I tried to attend as many powwows as I could and began reading as much as I could about Indians. I was drawn to the culture in a very internal way. Everything I read resonated with my memories of my daddy. Though he was a very tall man (6'5") and had black hair and black eyes his strength seemed to come from a centeredness within. He was quiet yet portrayed a commanding sureness of who he was. I felt very nurtured and protected by him in an unassuming way. He also had a goofy sense of humor. He had a strong sense of responsibility toward his family. He had a profound love of nature and animals.

One Sunday morning I was watching CBC Good Morning, a magazine type television program. On this program they had a segment on DNA testing, one of the types was for racial makeup. I sent for the test packet, sent if off and the results came back that I did indeed have Indian ancestry. I was so moved I cried.

BIRTH OF BAHA'U'LLAH

2010-11-12T06:46:00.000-08:00

excerpt from CALL TO REMEMBRANCE, p. 5

"There was born child in ancient and noble family of Nur, ...That Child was Baha'u'llah. At the hour of dawn,...the world unaware of its significance, withnessed the birth of Him who was destined to confer upon it such incalculable blessings."

excerpt from Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 320

"Hear Me, ye mortal birds! In the Rose Garden of changeless splendor a Flower hath begun to bloom, compared to which every other flower is but a thorn, and before the brightness of Whose glory the very essence of beauty must pale and wither. Arise, therefore, and, with the whole enthusiasm of your hearts, with all the eagerness of your souls, the full fervor of your will, and the concentrated efforts of your entire being, strive to attain the paradise of His presence, and endeavor to inhale the fragrance of the incorruptible Flower, to breathe the sweet savors of holiness, and to obtain a portion of this perfume of celestial glory. Whoso followeth this counsel will break his chains asunder, will taste the abandonment of enraptured love, will attain unto his heart's desire, and will surrender his soul into the hands of his Beloved. Bursting through his cage, he will, even as the bird of the spirit, wing his flight to his holy and everlasting nest....
Happy is he that turneth thereunto; well is it with him that hath attained, and gazed on the light of so wondrous a countenance."
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 320)

WHO AM I?

2010-11-10T19:02:00.000-08:00

written by dear friend, Johnny Henderson, June 8, 1982

It has been said that my history began in Africa,
Where I lived as a savage,
Wild, fierce, uncultivated,
Who am I?

Some said that I came to America by ships, in chains,
Because the people of America needed slaves.
I was chosen to be one, to work in their fields and to perform the operations of a slave,
Who am I?

Years later, God spoke to someone's heart and inspired them to do away with slavery,
They wanted to prove that everyone was equal,
Have they proven it?
Tell me! Who am I?

This involved my forefathers yet I still feel the effects of it in my life, I remember times when I couldn't sit beside you and eat, and if I rode the bus, I had to sit in the back, If I walked down the street and wanted to speak to you, you turned the other way.
Am I still a savage?
If not, then, Who am I?

I was born in America,
At present, I know nothing of slavery except what I've read,
I'm cultivated, educated, have a good job.
I live the same as all other Americans yet I don't feel that I'm
treated equal in every way.
When I pass you on the street, you still turn your head.
I can now sit anywhere I want on the bus but you don't seem to want
to sit beside me.
Would you please tell me, Who am I?

Things have changed, things are better,
Though they are, you still don't accept me as your equal.
Why? I don't understand!
God is the father of all.
He's your father and mine, so why are we not equal?
Inward we're the same, outward my hair is different, the color of my eyes, the color of my skin, and the shape of my nose, otherwise even outwardly we're the same.
Can you please, please, please tell me, who am I?

Maybe you can't!

Then, let me tell you who I am.
I'm God's child just like you, a human being, I'm your brother!

HEALING DRUMS

2010-11-10T02:11:00.000-08:00

excerpt from CHEROKEE DIARY (see Aug 31, 2010)

I started drumming classes once a week in February, 2007, under the direction of Beverly Griffin who had been trained in therapeutic drumming. The following principles were taught:

Advantages of recreational group drumming for one hour-

-Increased natural immunity by boosting activity of killer t cells.
-helps regulate neurotransmitters-stress hormones.
-using small muscles in arms and burns calories.
-decreases frequency and severity of asthma attacks.
-studies done with nursing students and health care staff prove it reduces staff burnout, enhances mood, decreases tension and anxiety, depression and hostility.
-most feel an increased sense of connection to the drumming circle.
-it forms community.

One of the songs we chanted while drumming was very meaningful:

I am woman.
I am spirit.
I am infinite in my soul.
I have no beginning.
I have no end.
All this I know.

We started out with simple beats and practiced. Some who were more experienced really entertained us with extemporaneous beating. I felt a rhythm surging through the wooden floor as we really got into it. It gave me a sense of inner connection to some feeling of vitality and energy.

Plus it was just plain fun!
-

UNENDING QUEST-WAYS TO ONENESS

2010-11-08T01:59:00.000-08:00

excerpt from @RACE UNITY. COM (see Aug 31, 2010)

In response to the question "what can I do?" 11-24-97

We can -

1. have an unending quest for filling in the gaps of our educational system and learn the heroes and heroines, the martyrs and saints, the ordinary hard-working people, the inventors, discoverers, leaders, artists of the non-caucasian, non-Europes (it is not in our history books).

2. learn the history of slavery, the indoctrination of a whole country into the erroneouse belief that there is justification treating a fellow human being with contempt, like a farm animal, like an object without feelings, without the basic needs of a family - safety, a right to practice one's religious beliefs, to learn, to educate oneself or have the opportunity to get educated.

3. learn the history of the media and it's distortion of faces, body shapes, motives and capabilities of those who did not happen to be white..

4. learn that the look that is different comes from adaptation to climate for survival centuries ago and has nothing whatsoever to do with values or capabilities of being human.

5. play with, learn with, live with, love with, mate with, bear children with, pray with, cry with, laugh with consciously, deliberately, and ceaselessly those who look different from you.

6. pray to have the "poison in the cookies" (subtle contamination as a child) fed to us as children removed from our hearts.

7. never let a joke that demeans another go by, without a challenge.

8. always make the play group that you put your children in diverse so that that is normal and a one color group is abnormal.

9. listen to the music and stories of as many diverse ethnic groups as you possibly can with thoughtfulness and appreciation.

10. make your housing choice illustrate and practice that all are one, that good neighbors come in all colors.

11. be genuine in your friendships and humble in your attitudes.

12. basically to look into each other's eyes and see the heart.

Love in the struggle,

Anne

RUHIYYIH KHANUM

2010-11-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

excerpt from TRINIDAD REMEMBRANCES (see Aug 31, 2010)

Ruhiyyih Khanum, wife of the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith, came to Trinidad for a touring and teaching trip throughout the country. I was blessed with the opportunity to be present on this trip. She was a fascinating, enriching, entertaining lady, very loving but firm as she made choices about her agenda.

We were in a small village and she was speaking to a group of people in a concrete building with open windows. A cow stuck it's head through the window and mooed while Khanum was talking. Khanum stopped, turned to the window and said to the cow," I don't remember inviting you." Then went on with her talk. In this talk she used some visual aides. She had a simple lamp and some lovely scarves. She turned on the lamp to show the light and explained that it represented the light of a new revelation from God. Then she said that someone decided that it needed to have a little more color and fancy decorations (manmade additions to the religion) so she laid one of the scarves on the lamp. She made more efforts to "improve" or "market" and put a scarf on the lamp each time. Before long the light was no longer able to shine through the scarves. The light was basically gone. She grabbed the scarves off and the light was visible again. She said this is what happened each time a new religion came from God. The light was bright again.

GENTLENESS

2010-11-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

excerpt from A CHEROKEE FEAST OF DAYS, DAILY MEDITATIONS, by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Gentleness has amazing strength. Where some would dominate, others are sweet and compassionate and this gives us hope. A gentle person is cool, clear water on a hot day - a refreshing change from hostile attitudes. How many times we have met someone we wanted to admire but couldn't . They would not trust us to see beyond their protective walls. Caring and friendship was sorely needed but bitterly ignored. To understand these things makes us gentle. It gives us the touch we need with every age. Young and old yearn to hear a voice that tells them they are so important, so loved, that nothing could make us turn from them. A gentle word is warm sunshine to every heart, a touch that is never forgotten.

UN-SANITIZING AMERICAN HISTORY

2010-11-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

excerpt from POST TRAUMATIC SLAVE SYNDROME, by Dr Joy DeGruy Leary

"Studying history in American schools we learn about the excesses of the Roman empire, the viciousness of Stalin's Soviet Union ..., the brutality of the Nazis...the barbarity of the Mongols....and the Huns...the Japanese during WWII... the Viet Cong..., Milosevic's Serbia, Hussein's Iraq, the Taliban, and Osama Bin Laden, to name but a few.

...But missing from this list is one society that is responsible for some of the most gruesome crimes against humanity in history- The United States of America.....With respect to the genocide of Native Americans, and the enslavement and later oppression of those of African descent, the history we in this land learn has been greatly sanitized....How do I make real the pain and suffering of our ancestors?

...Have you ever had a really severe migraine headache?...flu...cancer...car acident... where the pain was so intense and persistent, that all you wanted was medication to knock yourself out?...It's all you think about...

Now imagine being in a constant state of hunger, pain, thirst. When you get past your physical state you are greeted by feelings of fear, anger, grief and hopelessness.

Imagine giving up your dignity, your identity, your will, your soul to relieve your seemingly endless suffering. What effects must such compromises have on a human being? It is no wonder the transatlantic slave trade, slavery, and the times that followed are usually given such short shift in the recounting of our history. This is hard stuff. Far too many people say, "Of course the middle passage was bad. Of course slavery was bad. Of course Jim Crow and lynching was bad. Now let's move on." Rarely are people willing to look at what "bad" really was.

It is important...that you try to feel what they might have gone through. We need to do this in order to learn and appreciate our history...to get a stronger sense about the forces that have shaped our community...so we can understand the strength our people had in order to survive and at times even thrive in some of the harshest conditions...strength that has been passed down to us."

TREE OF HOPE

2010-10-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

excerpt from CHEROKEE DIARY (see Aug 31, 2010)

January 1, 2005 - Cherokee second annual Wellness project Called "Tree of Hope". This was held at what is called Unity Field near the tree that was said children from the boarding schools could come (infrequently) to get a hug from their parents. This tree was called the "Crying Tree" until it was renamed the "Tree of Hope". Last year they had celebrated obstacles they had overcome, this year celebrating the vision for the New Year. Paper ornaments were available for attendees to place their hope for the coming year and attach it to the tree branches. There were prayers, drumming and singing followed by a celebration meal at the Fairgrounds mulit-purpose building. I was continually amazed and inspired by the striving for genuine wellness in the community, not just survival, but reaching for the best in each other and supporting each other.

PEACE - IT'S TIME!

2010-10-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

excerpt from ANNE'S WRITINGS (see Aug 31, 2010) In response to youth being arrested in a demonstration in California

Before my time ...

Clans fighting with clubs and spears over meat and woman.

Vikings fighting over sea rights and land.

Colonizing of foreign lands by violence and fierce possession, by theft and bloodshed.

Pushing back of frontiers by lies, promises, rape, attempted annihilation of brown skinned warriors, bloodshed for land and natural resources.

Since my time...

Maniacs brainwashing and promising a super race, millions perishing in gas ovens, weapons of destruction of cities, villages, soldiers to the rescue bringing death, destruction, temporary freedom.

Islands and peninsulas split in two, brother against brother, Korea and Vietnam fought over like a bone by angry dogs, leaving destruction and pain behind, taking pain and human destruction home from the wars.

Middle east with black gold tempting and luring, excuses for aggression, destruction, posturing in the name of honor while raping the minds and hearts of young men who need to be home, building nests, nurturing children, modeling a better man.

No one is listening, no one is hearing the cries of babies, the mothers, the youth who want to dream.

It is time for us, the women, the young, the valiant, to prepare ourselves, strengthen ourselves, teach peace, live peace, learn strategy and negotiation, be ready.

Stay free and work diligently.

Keep your courage and intelligence available and active to form a peaceful society, to teach your children peace.

Wage peace by avalances of letters, calls, emails, visits, lobbying, elections, education, modeling conflict resolution by negotiation, heart listening, empathy, sympathy.

Demand it be so!

IRISH COME TO CHEROKEE

2010-10-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

excerpt from CHEROKEE DIARY (see Aug 31, 2010) See Sep 12, 2010 for visit of Cherokee to Ireland in post called SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF HEALING

January 24, 2005 - Historical visit to the American Indians (Cherokee) by Lord Alderdice and a delegation of 14 Irish men and women on a tour of goodwill and bridge-building between the people of Ireland and the American Indian of the southeast.

Having been visited last year by a contingent of Native American Indian people led by Lynda Prince and Peregini International's Daphne Swilling, Lord Aldedice and many other political, social and spiritual leaders were deeply impacted by the exchange of goodwill and cultural sharing from the delegation of Indian people, which included drumming, dance, regalia and gifting. Lord Alderdice has studied the history of the American Indian peoples for some time and is a distant relation to Andrew Jackson. When asked if he would be open to coming to America on a goodwill tour for bridge-building relationships with the Indian peoples, he enthusiastically accepted the invitation.... He offered his heart to Indian people as one who desires new bridges of mutual respect, honor and action for healing and renewal. His message was received with great enthusiasm and encouragement from all assemblies, after which Irish and Indian cultural sharing was exchanged with dance, music and drumming from both cultures.

NOBILITY

2010-10-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

excerpt from ANNE'S WRITINGS (see Aug 31, 2010)

Shades of brown, and black, and tan,
Gentleness and strength in this man.

Endurance and control, no loss of soul,
Seeing the sunrise instead of the gold.

Hearing the music with the soul,
God grant us this - to never part.

8-10-96

EDITORIAL RESPONSE

2010-10-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

My response in the local newspaper in Gainesville, Fl. after a racially charged event in 1995.....

Letter to Voice of the People

This past week's events have made this country begin to wake up to the effects of a lackadaisical attitude toward race relations. I am in a workshop on the healing of racism. We are only at the beginning of understanding the complexities of healing. I feel so inadequate for the job. We will truly have to rely on God to guide us. My own thoughts and feelings are shifting their focus. I can feel my inner self evolving and it is confusing and exhilarating at the same time. I think I see only parts of the picture, I know and feel the history of slavery, oppression, discrimination - both overt and subtle. I've read a lot, cried a lot, despaired a lot, tried a lot but I'm still in infancy in being articulate and effective. I feel extremes. I want to shake people and get in their face, also want to hold and comfort. There is such emotion in me every time I get involved that it is a struggle to be sensible. Sometimes I get discouraged and lonely and want to say "what the heck, nobody else cares." That's not true but feel it sometimes.

I want to say to a white - learn the story, feel the pain, unlearn the stereotypes, unlearn the negative responses, commit to learning positive responses, see the soul, see the individual and the struggle to make it each day, see the family we share, help not to warp another generation, correct the education you gave your children, see and accept the heroes and heroines with darker skin, see diversity and cherish it, be enriched by it.

To the black, I want to say - I am sorry for the conscious and unconscious pain I and those with lighter skin like mine have caused you. Forgive me if you can but know I am trying to evolve into a loving sister who is sensitive and appreciative and humble. Help me by being honest, hopefully in a loving way, but honest nevertheless. Tell me when I err or hurt or am ignorant. Reach inside for that nobility that God gave you and wear it proudly. Excel in spite of adversity. Share with me the gifts of your spiritual nature, your endurance and stamina, your wisdom and graciousness during tests, your nurturing of the qualities of the heart and soul. Your nobility can teach me nobility. Your pain can teach me humility. Your persistent caring can teach me to grow up and become fully human and a member of the same human family.

INDIAN HUMOR

2010-10-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

excerpts from CHEROKEE DIARY (see Aug 31, 2010)

Workshop on laughter as a healing medicine.

Navaho custom - Baby's first laugh is about 4 or 5 months. They have a celebration to honor the first laugh.

What do you call one Cherokee who is shorter than the other? Not even

Stop at intersection - Where does this road go? Road stops, you go.

Girlfriend    Navaho - sugar
                     Hopi - Sweet and Low
                      Apache - Equal

New garlic diet - You don't lose weight but you look thinner from a distance.

I'm shy! Okay? Get over it, okay?

Golda Meir - Don't look so humble, you are not that great.
                     God led us in the desert for 40 years and stopped us in the only   place without oil.

APARTMENT CHALLENGES

2010-10-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

excerpts from TRINIDAD, WEST INDIES (see Aug 31,2010)

My apartment in Bamboo Village, Trinidad, was on the second floor. There were two bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen. The shower was on the back porch. The first day I moved in I had to remove a hornet's nest from the ceiling of the shower. I also had to wash down the walls and floors because black soot had drifted in from the burning of sugar cane in the fields nearby. Bats swooped down from a hole in the ceiling of the bedrooms and traumatized me on a regular basis. The legs of the wooden cabinets, which held the food, were placed in cans of gasoline to keep ants from getting in the food. Lizards ran up the walls of the kitchen on a regular basis. Every morning we could hear a chant of "shrimp for 50 cents" outside and since I loved shrimp we ate it often. I had a banana tree and a mango tree in the back yard so fresh fruit was always available There were no screens on the windows so insects visited at their leisure. One night I recieved 50 mosquito bites from my wrist to my elbow. I learned that there was a coil you could burn to keep mosqitoes down to some degree. BUT THE PEOPLE WERE LOVELY!

ELLEN

2010-10-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

excerpt from COLORS OF MY WORLD (see Aug 31, 2010)

One of my most cherished memories of those first days (1970) of learning the true oneness of humanity was of a college girl named Ellen. Her attractive Afro and cafe au lait skin was made all the more beautiful by a smile that was full of light and love. I went to a meeting, which is called a fireside. This meeting is an informal, comfortable talk followed by a period of questions for those who want to know about the Baha'i Faith. She had paid her own plane fare from her college town to speak to this small group of interested people. During the meeting one of the visitors asked a question in a rather rude tone of voice, "If you put all colors together in such close harmony, won't they try to get married and have children who will be neither black nor white?" Ellen's answer was very sweet, patient and matter of fact. "Yes, and this will add another hue to God's flower garden." She went on with her talk without a ripple.

I stayed after most everyone else left and kept her up late asking her questions. She noticed that I had been looking at her hair intensely, and smiled and said, "You can touch it if you like." Her sensitivity and willingness to help me grow touched my heart. her hair was soft as a cotton ball. Though we lived in different states and see each other rarely I feel like I have walked in to the sunlight when we get together. Her smile is just as radiant s it was over thirty years ago.

HINDU WEDDING

2010-10-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

excerpt from TRINIDAD, WEST INDIES (see Aug 31, 2010)

The village, Los Lomas, we lived in for a short while in the northern part of the island was basically populated by descendents from India and were Hindu. One weekend we were startled by a loud speaker so loud it was almost painful, blasting music from India. This music was continuous throughout most of the weekend. It turned out to be a band playing around the clock for a Hindu wedding. There was continuous food available and many guests across the way from the little house I was staying in with another Baha’i and her two children. The clothes worn by the guests were the lovely saris worn by the women and the white tunic and pants of the gentlemen. It was very reminiscent of the movies we had seen at the movie house in Port of Spain. This movie house was a frame building with wooden benches and a huge screen. These movies were of love stories, beautiful music and traditional dancing of India. One of the ongoing themes in the movies was the sacrificial love of the mothers for their children. The combination of sensual dance and innocent love before marriage was so very different from the cynicism and promiscuity of American movies. I wasn’t foolish enough to believe that all of India was represented in these movies because poverty and the bartering of daughters in marriage was not only present in India but in Trinidad as well. But still, the beautiful stories were hopeful and touching.

(Slum Dog Millionaire, the movie, has music and dancing very similar to the above.)

MOTHER EARTH

2010-10-14T19:42:00.000-07:00

excerpt from A CHEROKEE FEAST OF DAYS, DAILY MEDITATIONS,
by Joyce Sequichie Hifler

Touching the earth is resting on the breast of our mother. It is once again finding our beginnings - a knowing that this place where we stand or walk or plow or plant, is something created for us.. We know it because the pulse of the earth slows our own and tranquilizes our confusion. Seeing the sky in all its limitless depths stirs our imaginations and stretches our awareness of the simple beauty provided for us. We can see that it is wrong to be bitter and know that it lasts only as long as we let it. When we reach toward the ceiling of our minds, we are as unlimited as the sky. As currents of air stir the fragrances of the flowers, we may not be able to see where it comes from but we sense its influence. Life is ours to enjoy as individuals and it comes from the Great Holy Spirit.

We sang songs that carried in their melodies all the sounds of nature...
American Indian

FROM MY WINDOW

2010-10-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

excerpt from TRINIDAD, WEST INDIES (see Aug 31, 2010)

From my window, I could see the square of the village and some of the yards, the unpainted, wooden shack, which passed for the post office, and a general store owned by a family of Moslems. They were very friendly to me in the beginning. They seemed to realize that I was not going to try to maintain a superior or aloof attitude and responded with acceptance and openness. I was invited to their home, which was an apartment over their store. On one visit to their home the grandmother of the house who was dressed in a long white gown moved to the corner of the living room and pulled the first layer of her gown over her head, then began repeating her noonday prayers. It seemed to me like an ingenious way of getting the privacy she wanted in the crowded apartment. The husband of the house was a private school principal.

SEQUOYA

2010-10-12T04:08:00.000-07:00

excerpts from MYTHS AND SACRED FORMULAS OF THE CHEROKEES by James Mooney

'About this time (1821) occurred an event which at once placed the Cherokee in the front rank among native tribes and was destined to have profound influence on the whole future history, viz., the invention of the alphabet.

The inventor... was a mixed-blood known among his own people as Sikwa'y (Sequoya) and among the whites as George Gist.... On his mother's side he was of good family in the tribe, his uncle being a chief in Echota.... Sequoya was probably born about the year 1760.... he never attended school and in all his life never learned to speak, read or write the English language.... Of an essentially contemplative disposition, he was led by chance converstion in 1809 to reflect upon the ability of the white men to communicate thought by means of writing, with the result that he set about devising a similar system for his own people....

After years of patient and unremitting labor in the face of ridicule, discouragement, and repeated failure, he finally evolved the Cherokee syllabary and in 1821 submitted it to a public test by the leading men of the Nation.... The syllabary was soon recognized as an invaluable invention for the elevation of the tribe, and within a few months thousands of hitherto illiterate Cherokee were able to read and write their own language, teaching each other in the cabins and along the roadside.... The invention of the alphabet had an immediate and wonderful effect on Cherokee development. On account of the remarkable adaptation of the syllabary to the language, it was only necessary to learn the characters to be able to read at once. No schoolhouses were built and no teachers hired, but the whole Nation became an academy for the study of the system.... An active correspondence began to be carried on between the eastern and western divisions, and plans were made for a national press, with a national library and museum to be established at the capitol, New Echota."

When you drive through Cherokee, NC, all the streets and most of the businesses have both Cherokee and English posted. The preschool children have what they call "immersion" class and the children only speak Cherokee. All graduates of Cherokee High School must have at least one course of Cherokee. There are ongoing adult Cherokee language classes also. It has been said that the language of a people insures the culture. Cherokee is alive and thriving.

GOINGBACK AND MARY

2010-10-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

excerpts from THE ARTIST AND THE STORYTELLER, (Goingback and Mary Chiltolskey) by Mary Regina Ulmer Galloway
...a story of possibilities and determination....

Goingback's carvings represent in places all through the United States and Europe the best of Native American sculpture, and Cherokee legends have lived for many thousands in the words of Mary....

She was born in a log cabin in Alabama....He was the tenth child of a Cherokee family...in the Smoky Mountains...

Goingback (G.B.)....master carver and model-maker for the United States Corps of Engineers...Several of his carvings, including his famous Woman Carrying a Bundle and St. Francis of Assissi, were displayed at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington...

Mary...teacher in Cherokee Boarding School...was told...to gather together the Cherokee artifacts, stories... and put it ouside... to be burned. She...and Nan Tyner...decided to hide the materials under the boardinghouse beds!

Mary is the author of CHEROKEE COOKLORE; TO MAKE MY BREAD (1951), CHEROKEE WORDS WITH PICTURES (1972), CHEROKEE PLANTS:THEIR USES, A 400 YEAR HISTORY, written with Paul B Hamel (1975, and CHEROKEE FAIR & FESTIVAL: A HISTORY THROUGH 1978 (1979)

In 1989 members of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee invited Mary ...to become an honorary Cherokee.

Chief Robert Youngdeer...asked her to go to Reno, Nevada, to represent the Eastern Band at a meeting about books...a free book program approved by the IRS..In 1990 the Cherokee Center, easily the most active in the country, documented the distribution of the one millionth book...

...In the years after retirement from teaching and government work, G.B. and Mary agreed to thousands of requests from groups all over the South to come and talk about Cherokee crafts, legends, and all parts of the Cherokee story.

REMEMBER AND BE PROUD

2010-10-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

excerpts from POST TRAUMATIC SLAVE SYNDROME, by Dr. Joy Degruy Leary

So who and what are we?.....

African Americans are a strong, a seemingly infinitely resilient people. We have a long, long history of enduring and persevering through the severest of trials. Our ancesters endured slavery and perservered through Jim Crow.....our struggle for civil rights....continuing pursuit of a level playing field...

We are an industrious people......During the Great Depression when the entire country was under enormous duress, we managed to care for one another with fewer resources than even the poorest whites...

We are a creative people.....established a distinctive culture replete with new language, names, customs and behaviors....our own games, foods, music, art and fashions.....

We are a just and forgiving people.....no large scale, organized, retaliatory 'terriorism' fueled by hatred and ..revenge....courageously fight for justice.

We are spiritual, loving and hopeful people.....we still have faith in God....love for humanity. It is a testament to our fortitude that we still can hope and dream.....

...it is vital that we collectively regain this knowledge so we can take our rightful place in the world community....understand ourselves....a deep understanding will make healing from our wounds that much more complete.

SCAPEGOAT PHENOMENA

2010-10-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

excerpt from RACE UNITY @ (see Aug 31, 2010)

As to the question of scapegoating ( person upon whom blame is made for the mistake of others):

I believe that the scapegoat concept is to make someone with a low self-esteem problem to climb on the backs of those perceived as lower on the totem pole, to boost their own feeling of self-worth.

I would like to add to that that in this country, during the initial start of slavery in this country and continuing throughout it's history, a conscious, deliberate and time consuming effort was made to relay the false and hideous concept of those from Africa being less than human, not a full person with any rights. The churches, the government, the slave traders, and the newspapers of that day wrote, published and distributed pamphlets on how to strip an African of their religion, family, and culture. The preachers spoke this obscenity in the pulpits and the politicians spouted it from their soapboxes. These pamphlets were handed to potential slave buyers so they would know how to "tame and control" those they purchased. Slave owners taught their wives and children how to "treat" these "sub-humans". I have read these pamphlets and it is so dreadfully awful that it still nauseates me to think of it. This kind of poison has filtered into our collective and individual psyches and tainted everything we do and say. This has filtered through our school systems, our media, our churches, and is in all levels of society. (Now we have made inroads to a more accepting society but the underlying damage still persists.) It takes a monumental amount of work with all our minds, our hearts and souls to cleanse ourselves of this poison and get to some stage of seeing each soul as a gift from God in all her/his glory. I think this is why Shoghi Effendi said it took ceaseless effort! Until this country invests that kind of energy into the effort, we will not see a significant difference. Merely agreeing in principle will not do it. Each person must work ceaselessly to rid their own inner selves and become an ally of all those who are also struggling before we can see oneness truly reflected.

Love in the struggle,

Anne

THE HIVES

2010-10-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

excerpt from CHEROKEE DIARY (see Aug, 31, 2010)

Cherokee artist and co-owner of the Tribal Ground Coffee House in Cherokee, NC presented an artist presentation of exploring the transformation of mind, body and spirit in a mixed media and video installation referencing her Cherokee heritage and universal issues facing humanity and the Cherokee culture.

I went into a small exhibition room, which contained a video mural of trees and mountains on the back wall. The light level in the video woods begins at dawn, passes through midday and ends in early evening. Several huge hives of paper mache with the subtle outline of the female figure in the hive design were suspended on bare branches and the hives were approximately five feet in length and three feet in diameter. As I sat down an audio sound came from the surrounding air. At first it sounded like a hornet then grew into the sound of a swarm of hornets but in the sound also was the haunting sounds of whispers. The sound intensified to an almost unbearable degree. I felt as if I was hearing the whispers of women grow in earnestness through the ages, to be heard, felt, to be credited. I came out stunned and empowered at the same time.

Natalie's comments: "Hornets' nests are started by queens that leave one colony to start another. The queen builds the new hive large enough to house 305 daughters. When the daughters are old enough to help build the hive, the queen gives birth to additional females that also go to work. The busiest time is when all the female become well orchestrated.... Early Cherokee communities were matriarchal societies. Women were venerated. Historically, Cherokee women were strong, independent nurturers who raised the crops and made the important political decisions. Children belonged to the mothers, not the fathers. Cherokee men had their own independent lives. "

According to Natalie, Cherokee social structure changed as the white settlers' governing system strengthened.

Natalie is part ot the generation who will take over responsibility for the continued reawakening of Cherokee culture on the Qualla Boundary (Cherokee Reservation) in North Carolina.

"Making HIVESwas about waking up and restarting what has long been dormant...It is about organizing and taking a natural role...At the same time, it is about respecting our ancestors and all those women who did things to protect our culture."

ONE PLANET, ONE PEOPLE

2010-10-06T16:55:00.000-07:00

excerpt from RACE UNITY@ (see Aug 31, 2010)

When we looked at the picture of the planet taken from the space flight many years ago and saw our earth with swirls of clouds and green land spots, we had a paradigm shift on a global scale of our perceptions of ourselves. Our finite self in a multitude of billions of other finite selves on this beautiful blue ball. We could not see the man-made boundaries between countries, the names we were familiar with on the globe at school which showed the barriers between peoples. We became aware on some gut level that we were one. Since that time we have seen the man-made barriers shift or disappear altogether. The Berlin wall came down. The USSR disappeared and many smaller countries became sovereign or struggled for sovereignty. Pakistan split into Pakistan and Bangladesh - and on and on and on. Communication has now reached such that we can communicate in seconds with someone on the other side of this planet. Through satellite TV we can see someone on the other side of the planet instantly.

When we envision ourselves as humans, rather than what has been our inclination to split ourselves into groups based on color, nationality, ethnicity, language or culture we can have the same paradigm shift on a gut level and we are humans. We started out in the same place and migrated. We developed different looks through adaptation to climate and survival needs. Now we are able to manipulate our climate and manage our survival no matter where we live. We are coming back together in a global family reunion. We don't know all our cousins. Some seem strange, some are familiar but we are all cousins at the very least in the same family of humankind. A family reunion is sometimes awkward at first but the more we are together the more we enjoy and cherish the little and big idiosyncrasies that distinguish us as individuals but we are still family.

When we meet a cousin who seems shy, or harsh, or loud, or unruly, or weird, or sounds strange, or seem anything different from what is familiar to us we try (because we are family) to be patient, learn their story, learn their pain, learn their interests so that they become understandable and accepted. We love them no matter what and we want to be loved no matter what.

WE ARE ONE!

Much love in our common struggle,

Anne

Dec. 2000

CHILD'S PLAY

2010-10-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

excerpt from TRINIDAD,WEST INDIES (see Aug 31, 2010)

I found out there had been a civil uprising when I got off the plane with my 9 year old son as we were met by a line of Trinidadian soldiers with machine guns. The country was under curfew for awhile after we arrived. What a scary adventure I had gotten us into. Since I had been a Baha'i only six months I was learning quickly that reliance on God was my best protection.

One of the friends I made was the maid of one of the Baha'i families. This woman had a son who was close to Eddie's age so one day we decided to visit her on her day off. She lived in a small community on the side of an undeveloped hill near one of the towns. The homes were lean-tos next to caves or just standing alone in a circle around a community cooking pit.

As my son and I walked up the hill we noticed that the people stopped and glared at us. I found out later that this had been the hill where most of the guerilla fighters who had taken over the government from the British lived. If I had known how hostile the feelings were I might not have had the courage to venture into this area but I was very naive. I went to my friend's home but Eddie said he din't want to sit and listen to us talk. Could he play with some nearby kids? I gave him permission but told him to stay close enough to see my friend's home. Later I hear the story of what happened in his quest for playmates. This platinum-haired, blue-eyed son of mine went up to a group of about ten very dark, brown-eyed kids and asked them if he could play with them. They immediately rejected his overture of friendship and told him he was too white. They couldn't play with a white boy. Eddie went to the cooking pit, rubbed charcoal all over his face and came back saying "now I am as black as you are, can I play?" He looked so funny with his platinum hair and blue eyes and this black face that they laughed and accepted him. They became very good friends. We received many requests from them to come back and play when we moved to another part of the island.