Remembering Malcolm X on his 87th Birthday

Malcolm X (he became El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz in 1964) was a major theoretician and advocate for Black pride and liberation. One of most influential and important people of the 20th century. “He spoke more truth, with less pretense, than any other Black Leader…”

Bill Russell.

Malcolm X born Malcolm Little; May 19 1925, was an African American Muslim minister, public speaker, and human rights activist. To his admirers, he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans.

Born in Omaha, Nebraska, his childhood included his father's lessons concerning black pride and self-reliance and his own life experiences concerning race, which played a significant role in Malcolm X's adult life.

As an adult Malcolm X became a member of the Nation of Islam. On January 14, 1958, Malcolm X married Betty X (Sanders) in Lansing, Michigan. The couple had six daughters. Attallah (1958), Qubilah, (1960), Ilyasah, (1962) Gamilah, (1964), and twins, Malaak and Malikah, born in 1965 after their father's assassination and named for him.

On March 8, 1964, Malcolm X publicly announced his break from the Nation of Islam. He also expressed his desire to work with other civil rights leaders . On March 26, 1964, he met Martin Luther King, Jr. in Washington, D.C., after a press conference which followed both men attending the Senate to hear the debate on the Civil Rights bill. This was the only time the two men ever met; their meeting lasted only one minute, just long enough for photographers to take a picture.

Malcolm X became a Sunni Muslim and made a pilgrimage to Mecca. He traveled extensively throughout Africa and the Middle East. On April 19, 1964, he completed the Hajj. He later said the trip allowed him to see Muslims of different races interacting as equals. He came to believe that Islam could be the means by which racial problems could be overcome.

Less than a year after he left the Nation of Islam, on February 21, 1965, in Manhattan, New York, at the Audubon Ballroom, Malcolm X was assassinated while giving a speech. He was 39 years old.

Many schools have been named after him and several cities have renamed streets in his honor. In New York City, Lenox Avenue was renamed Malcolm X Boulevard in the late 1980s.
In 2005, Columbia University announced the opening of the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center. The memorial is located in the Audubon Ballroom, where Malcolm X was assassinated.

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In early 1963, Malcolm X started collaborating with Alex Haley on The Autobiography of Malcolm X. The book was not finished when he was assassinated in 1965. Haley completed it and published it later that year.

Though often controversial in his lifetime he was admired by many and has left an important legacy. I would encourage you to read this book to gain further knowledge on the life of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz .

*****

Some of his Quotes :

"Truth is on the side of the oppressed."

"You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom."

"You don't have to be a man to fight for freedom. All you have to do is to be an intelligent human being."

"We have to keep in mind at all times that we are not fighting for integration, nor are we fighting for separation. We are fighting for recognition...for the right to live as free humans in this society."

"For the freedom of my 22 million black brothers and sisters here in America, I do believe that I have fought the best that I know how, and the best that I could, with the shortcomings that I have had...I know that societies often have killed people who have helped to change those societies. And if I can die having brought any light, having exposed any meaningful truth that will help destroy the racist cancer that is malignant in the body of America then, all of the credit is due to Allah. Only the mistakes have been mine."

"The future belongs to those who prepare for it today"

peacesojourner

Women's History Month - Eleanor Roosevelt

Women's History Month

Eleanor Roosevelt

ANNA ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
- 1884 - 1963

A shy, awkward child, starved for recognition and love, Eleanor Roosevelt grew into a woman with great sensitivity to the underprivileged of all creeds, races, and nations. Her constant work to improve their lot made her one of the most loved women of her generation.

She was born in New York City on October 11, 1884, daughter of lovely Anna Hall and Elliott Roosevelt, younger brother of Theodore. Eleanor was eight when her mother died in 1892, the children went to live with Grandmother Hall; her adored father died only two years later. Attending a distinguished school in England gave her, at 15, her first chance to develop self-confidence among other girls.

Six feet tall, slender, graceful of figure but apprehensive at the thought of being a wallflower, she returned for a debut that she dreaded. In her circle of friends was a distant cousin, handsome young Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She was 19 when they became engaged in 1903 and they were married in 1905. Within eleven years Eleanor bore six children; one son died in infancy.

Franklin served in the NY state Senate from 1910 to 1913 and Eleanor started her long career as political helpmate. When he was stricken with poliomyelitis in 1921, she tended him devotedly. From his successful campaign for governor in 1928 to the day of his death, she dedicated her life to his purposes. She became eyes and ears for him, a trusted and tireless reporter.

FDR and Mrs. Roosevelt came to the White House in 1933, and she understood social conditions better than any of her predecessors. She transformed the role of First Lady accordingly. She broke precedent to hold press conferences, travel to all parts of the country, give lectures and radio broadcasts, and express her opinions candidly in a daily syndicated newspaper column, "My Day."

In 1939, the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) refused permission for African American contralto, Marian Anderson to sing to an integrated audience in Constitution Hall. With the aid of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Ms. Anderson performed a critically acclaimed open-air concert on Easter Sunday, 1939 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. ER as usual stood up for civil rights and in protest wrote a letter of resignation. (see above)

Another example of her willingness to make change was during WWII, when due to racial discrimination, African American servicemen were not allowed to learn to fly until 1941, when African American college graduates were selected for what the Army called "an experiment" they were assigned to an airfield adjacent to Alabama's Tuskegee Institute. The experiment involved training black pilots and ground support members. The squadron, quickly dubbed the Tuskegee Airmen, was activated on March 22, 1941.
However, no-one would fly with an African American pilot. When Eleanor Roosevelt visited Tuskegee Army Air Field in 1941, she insisted on taking a ride in an airplane with a black pilot at the controls. ER's pilot was Charles Anderson. She then insisted that her flight with Anderson be photographed. Eleanor used this photograph as part of her campaign to convince FDR to activate the participation of the Tuskegee Airmen in North Africa and in the European Theater.
In June 1943, the Tuskegee Airmen entered into combat over North Africa. When the war ended, the Tuskegee Airmen returned home with one hundred and fifty Distinguished Flying Crosses, its success would contribute to the eventual integration of the United States military.

Eleanor was First Lady for 12 years. An outspoken advocate of social justice, she became a moral force during the Roosevelt administration, using her position as First Lady to promote social causes. As a nationally syndicated columnist, popular lecturer, author, party leader, and social activist, ER assured her friends that "my voice will not be silent. ER dedicated her unstinting energy to "winning the peace."

FDR died in 1945 and within a year she began her service as American spokesperson in the United Nations. She became the champion of human rights — dignity, security, respect for all people; and diplomatic justice between nations. Eleanor Roosevelt’s life was dedicated to the eradication of poverty, racism, war and despair.

*****

I have always admired Eleanor Roosevelt, especially her willingness to stand up for others. I am also encouraged to know that a letter written in protest could still be talked about 73 years later. It takes courage to make change in the world and Eleanor Roosevelt is an excellent example of that.

peacesojourner

Hiroshima, Aug 6, 1945 and Aug 9, 1945, Nagasaki

Hiroshima, August 6, 1945 and August 9, 1945, Nagasaki-

Totals: 105,000 killed and 94,000 injured

As many know, the atomic bomb has been used only twice in warfare. The first was at Hiroshima, Japan. A uranium bomb nicknamed "Little Boy" (despite weighing in at over four and a half tons) was dropped on Hiroshima August 6, 1945. The Aioi Bridge, one of 81 bridges connecting the seven-branched delta of the Ota River, was the target; ground zero was set at 1,980 feet. At 8:15 a.m. , the bomb was dropped from the Enola Gay. It missed by only 800 feet. At 8:16 a.m. , in an instant, 66,000 people were killed and 69,000 injured by a 10-kiloton atomic explosion.

The area of total vaporization from the atomic bomb blast measured one half mile in diameter; total destruction one mile in diameter; severe blast damage as much as two miles in diameter. Within a diameter of two and a half miles, everything flammable burned. The remaining area of the blast zone was riddled with serious blazes that stretched out to the final edge at a little over three miles in diameter.

Meanwhile in the United States a cartoonist sends a grim message -

I wonder if this was considered amusing at the time.

The New York Times reports to the nation

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Nagasaki

On August 9, 1945, Nagasaki fell to the same treatment. This time a Plutonium bomb nicknamed "Fat Man" was dropped on the city. Though "Fat Man" missed its target by over a mile and a half, it still leveled nearly half the city. In a split second, Nagasaki's population dropped from 422,000 to 383,000. More than 39,000 dead - over 25,000 people were injured.

Japan offered to surrender on August 10, 1945.

Statue in the Hiroshima Peace Park

The Monument to the Mobilized Students remembers nearly 7,000
Hiroshima school students who died in the atomic bomb blast.
They were 'mobilized' to demolish wooden buildings for firebreaks,
to produce food and to work in factories for the war effort.
The statue represents the Goddess of Peace with eight doves.
Thousands of paper cranes are left here by visitors seeking a world
in which children can live without fear of nuclear weapons.
The sign reading 'Peace' is made of folded paper cranes
glued onto a board.

*****

NOTE: Physicists who have studied these two atomic explosions estimate that the bombs utilized only 1/10th of 1 percent of their respective explosive capabilities.

*****

To remember the past is

to commit oneself to the future.

To remember Hiroshima is

to abhor nuclear war.

To remember Hiroshima is

to commit oneself to peace.

- Pope John Paul II 1981

Sunday Reflection - For everything there is a season

Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses:

For everything there is a season,

And a time for every matter under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to seek, and a time to lose;

A time to keep, and a time to throw away;

A time to tear, and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate,

A time for war, and a time for peace.

-- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

From the Holy Bible: the book of Ecclesiastes contains the thoughts of 'the Philosopher,' a man who reflected deeply on how short

and contradictory human life is.

photo taken by peacesojourner

Sunday Reflection - For Everything There Is A Season

Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses:

For everything there is a season,

And a time for every matter under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to seek, and a time to lose;

A time to keep, and a time to throw away;

A time to tear, and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate,

A time for war, and a time for peace.

-- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

From the Holy Bible: the book of Ecclesiastes contains the thoughts of 'the Philosopher,' a man who reflected deeply on how short

and contradictory human life is.

peacesojourner

Compassion by Frederick Buechner

“Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity

for feeling what it is like to live inside

somebody else's skin. It is the knowledge that

there can never really be any peace and joy for

me until there is peace and joy finally for you, too.”

-- Frederick Buechner

photo of Gabriel and Igor from the pen of the wayfarer

In Memory of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s

6 Facts About Non-Violent Resistance

Adapted from Peace to All Beings, by Judy Carman (Lantern Books, 2003).

From his deep studies of Gandhi and his own experience, Martin Luther King Jr. developed a list of six facts to help people understand non-violent resistance and join with him in his vision.

King’s words are as insightful and thought provoking today as they were when he wrote them:

1. Non-violent resistance is not for cowards. It is not a quiet, passive acceptance of evil. One is passive and non-violent physically, but very active spiritually, always seeking ways to persuade the opponent of advantages to the way of love, cooperation, and peace.

2. The goal is not to defeat or humiliate the opponent but rather to win him or her over to understanding new ways to create cooperation and community.

3. The non-violent resister attacks the forces of evil, not the people who are engaged in injustice. As King said in Montgomery, “We are out to defeat injustice and not white persons who may be unjust.”

4. The non-violent resister accepts suffering without retaliating; accepts violence, but never commits it. Gandhi said, “Rivers of blood may have to flow before we gain our freedom, but it must be our blood.” Gandhi and King both understood that suffering by activists had the mysterious power of converting opponents who would otherwise refuse to listen.

5. In non-violent resistance, one learns to avoid physical violence toward others and also learns to love the opponents with “agape” or unconditional love–which is love given not for what one will receive in return, but for the sake of love alone. It is God flowing through the human heart. Agape is ahimsa. “Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate,” said King.

6. Non-violent resistance is based on the belief that the universe is just. There is God or a creative force that is moving us toward universal love and wholeness continually. Therefore, all our work for justice will bear fruit - the fruit of love, peace, and justice for all beings everywhere.”

*****

Today has been designated a day of volunteering in memory of Dr. King.

Find something to do in your community the rewards will be all yours.

peacesojourner

Vincent Van Gogh died July 29, 1890

Vincent Van Gogh

Born: 30 March 1853

Birthplace: Groot Zundert, Holland

Died: 29 July 1890 at the age of 37.

A 19th-century painter, Van Gogh is famous for his vivid paintings. His career as an artist lasted only 10 years and coincided with frequent bouts of depression and anguish; in a famous 1888 incident he slashed off his left earlobe with a razor. He is closely associated with the town of Arles in the south of France, where he created many of his greatest paintings.  He died in Auvers, France two days after shooting himself in the chest with a pistol.

His story is tragic but more than a hundred years later we are still in awe and admire his amazing art.

The Potato Eaters (1885)

He said "I wanted to convey the idea that the people eating potatoes by the light of an oil

lamp used the same hands with which they take food from the plate to work the land, that they have toiled with their hands—that they have earned their food by honest means." Van Gogh thought this piece was a failure.

Starry Night (1889)

Sunflowers

Irises (1889)

The best way to know God is to love many things. 

–Vincent Van Gogh 

The Unhappy Sixth Anniversary of the War in Iraq-4260 killed in action

4,260 military  from the United States have been

 killed in action during the War in Iraq

Also some allies from U.K., Spain, Poland, Australia and Denmark

*****

"Allow the president to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he (Bush) may choose to say he deems it necessary for such a purpose—and you allow him to make war at pleasure."

~Abraham Lincoln

*****

U.S. Military Casualties in Iraq 

U.S.  Deaths 

Since war began (3/19/03): 4260 

Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03)  4120 

Since Capture of Saddam (12/13/03): 3798 

Since Handover (6/29/04): 3401 

Since Obama Inauguration (1/20/09): 30 

American Wounded Official 

Total Wounded:

31,131 

Latest Fatality Mar. 17, 2009

U.S. Wounded

Daily DoD Casualty Release

320,000 Vets Have Brain Injuries

War Veterans’ Concussions Are Often Overlooked

How Many Servicemembers Were Wounded- official count 31,131

18 Vet Suicides Per Day.

Iraqi Casualties - 99,500 dead

*****

The following is written by Gary Jacobson (2002) A Retired VietNam Veteran and can be found on his website. He says it all, better than I could, with the following words:

"Regardless of your feelings about the war, it is important that each and every one of us support our troops in these most perilous times...our nation's sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters. To those who have seen duty clear, and who while far and away from home have put themselves into harm's way...
this prayer is dedicated to you. Bless You...and come home soon!!!"

by Gary Jacobson © 2002 FROM VIETNAM PICTURE TOUR

Bless our vigilant warriors

Give strength to overcome to valiant saviors

Our sons and daughters, wherever they may be

On land, sky, or sailing the briny sea...

Safeguard those so lonely, so far from home

In times blackened dark, yet adventuresome

Watch over them, our brothers, sisters, where they go

Guide them wisely in times they do not know.

Glorify our warriors' calling

Whom we sent forth, righteous principles guarding

Calling them far from home to distant sod

To serve ever faithful, our country, our God

Whether crouched in wind-swept desert foxholes sandy

Or poised on high mountain’s steep cranny

Steel them, brave men and women, our nation’s pride select

The world depends on them, riding war’s bestial ogre to protect!

Bless our nation’s children, carried courageous into duty

Bearing above all things, compassion for humanity

Keep the light of hope glowing ever bright

Bless might of swords flashing shining right

Honoring always, father, mother, sister, brother

Watching always the backs of one another...

Their lives for a country they love more than life offering

Bastions of our grand liberty protecting

World peace ever seeking!

May hearts of men be truly won

When battle’s finally done.

Buoy up these soldiers, our children, sad and so alone

Feeling need in guilt for things seen and done to atone

Give thine balm of Gilead to ease their pain

Shield their sanity in combat that drives men insane

Bless them that they may look back with pride, and smile

Though multitudes of strifes and hatreds rile.

Fortify in our warriors' hearts, humanity's essence

Be gentle when war takes away their innocence

May intrinsic life values still be their choice elect

Defend them from traumatic stress defect

So as they return home, reaching, searching, to touch the sky

Give them answer to the question, "why?"

So a grateful nation may say to valiant sons and daughters

by noble duty sent

"Well done, my good and faithful servant!"

*****

 

I have been trying to write this piece all week long and I am filled with so many emotions that I am having difficulty in putting words in place. I cannot believe that six years have actually passed without a resolution to the war in Iraq. There has been a strong corps of people who are against the war who have been protesting by sending letters, making phone calls, picketing, marching, displaying Anti-War picket signs on their lawns, cars, windows, clothing, e-mails, blogs, books, magazines, etc..

 The figures quoted above come from official sources. Most of us feel that the numbers of dead and wounded are much higher. The number of Iraqi's killed is in the many thousands with more than 4.2 million Iraqi refugees displaced.

I have done everything that I can think of to protest this war and today I feel the size of an ant who is watching a bulldozers come right over where I stand and I do not have the resources to stop it.  I know that I have the stamina to stay in this for the long haul, but just for today, I lack

the physical, spiritual and emotional strength to do much more than let you know the number of persons who have been  reported dead during this involvement on the Iraqi soil.

The poem above was written by a War Veteran who is sharing his personal experience of taking part in a war. Does anyone else see the pain there? Does anyone else see the numbers killed in action? Does anyone else give a damn about this?

Tonight I'm taking the evening off  - tomorrow I will be demonstrating again. 

Won't you join me? Even if you have never taken part in any type of social action in your life - wont you join me and others in standing up for justice?

It takes courage to take a stand and I believe that if enough in this nation stood up then the 'powers that be'  just might listen.

As in the words of Margaret Meade " Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."

If you have any comments let me know  at: peacesojourner@yahoo.com 

peacesojourner presente!

Hatred ... - part IV - The Courage to Change

Some words of wisdom from those we respect and admire. 

BERNADETTE DEVLIN:

Yesterday I dared to struggle. Today I dare to win.

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT:

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.

HARRIET BEECHER STOWE:

All serious daring starts from within.

HELEN KELLER:

I long to accomplish a great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.

ARISTOTLE:

Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts.

JAMES FREEMAN CLARKE:

Conscience is the root of all true courage; if a man would be brave let him obey his conscience.

KESHAVAN NAIR:

With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity.

MARGARET CHASE SMITH:

Moral cowardice that keeps us from speaking our minds is as dangerous to this country as irresponsible talk. The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.:

If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.

MAYA ANGELOU :

One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.

RALPH W. SOCKMAN:

The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.

RALPH WALDO EMERSON:

When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers.

ROBERT FROST:

The best way out is always through.

THEODORE H. WHITE:

To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can perform.

WINSTON CHURCHILL:

Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.

*****

It took courage for many who voted in the recent presidential election. For many it was an act of bravery to stand up for what they believe. If every person who voted could have the courage to  speak up against discrimination and hatred what a beautiful world it would be. 

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE - LET'S GET STARTED!

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