My paternal grandmother passed away last fall. Her birthday would have been today. Here she is with my daughter whose birthday is on Sunday. I thought about her when I heard about Rene Marie.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTpQpRHYKpw[/youtube]
And thinking about Marie brought me back here:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRvVzaQ6i8A[/youtube]
My grandmother and grandfather were able to raise close to a dozen of my grandfather’s brothers and sisters after their parents unexpectedly passed. Throughout their trials and tribulations they remained steadfast, and dedicated to their family. They represented at their best a model of excellence that we should all hope to attain.
By taking the lyrics of the Negro National Anthem and combining them with the instrumental of the Star-Spangled Banner what she did was bring out the best of both. But you had to be awake to hear it.
Gaye did pretty much the same thing, bringing a level of soul and depth to his rendition that was so powerful I’m tearing up as I listen.
At first I thought that what Martin did was hip-hop. But I got it backwards. What hip-hop does at its best is tap into a reservoir of improvisation that begins much earlier. Feel me? We’ve been attempting to imbue our values into the warp and woof of the American fabric since 1619. Hip-hop is just the latest attempt, and maybe not even the greatest.
My grandmother was, an Omni-American. And I honor her memory:
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us,
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun
Let us march on till victory is won.
Hey Lester.
Your grandmother sounds like a remarkable woman. I’m glad you introduced me to her.
Happy 4th, and Happy Birthday to your little girl.
Thanks Doc ,you touch my heart;God Bless
Well the crowd clapped, but I’m guessing that did not necessarily signal their approval of the lyrics.
It was a clever protest, although as a purist I object to the singing of our anthem to the tune of a song a hypocritical as the Star-Spangled Banner.
Nevertheless as Du Bois said, “one ever feels his two-ness…two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.”
In my opinion, Sister Renee Marie was just reflecting our “double consciousness:”
I pulled a switcharoo on them” is what she told the Denver Post. And she explained that she was a child of the segregated South, and singing the song this way was her own artistic expression of the pain she feels at times from being a Black American.
Ever the opportunist Barack Obama (now wearing his American flag) chimed in just show white folks that he really is a true patriot:
Sen. Barack Obama said today that a jazz performer’s decision to sing the “Black National Anthem” at Denver’s State of the City speech this week was wrong.
“Well, ‘Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing’ is a beautiful song that has been sung in African-American churches and other events for a very long time,” the presumed Democratic presidential nominee told the Rocky in a telephone interview on his way to North Dakota. “We only have one National Anthem. And so, if she was asked to sing the National Anthem, she should have sung that.”
Obama’s response prompted the Field Negro to say:
I swear if they had an under the bus toss in the Olympics, the U.S.A. would have to send the “O” man, because he would get a #*%@# gold medal.
I think the real issue is that Obama has a problem with any form of Black assertiveness that challenges his profoundly distorted vision of America.
Perhaps Obama has not “come over a way that with tears have been watered.”
Perhaps he has not “come, treading his path through the blood of the slaughtered.”
Perhaps Obama has not come “out from the gloomy past,” thus he has no reason to “till now we stand at last…True to our God, True to our native land.”
Thus, Barack Obama has no basis for understanding what Renee Marie did.
Bro. Spence have you seen this?
Black Soldier Raped, Brutalized N Murdered Covered Up
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=59eO-JNtzhk
I appreciate your visit. I believe the only place we disagree is in our assessment of Obama. He does understand what Renee did. He understands what it means to be an Omni-American, like my grandmother. He just chose not to communicate that understanding to Colorado voters. And he consistently chooses not to make that understanding a fundamental part of his campaign. He wants the rain without the thunder and lightning. I don’t think he’ll get it.