Tag Archive for King

My Dreams are Sweet

January 20, 2020 Comments Off on My Dreams are Sweet

SWEET DREAMS

I had a dream—like Martin’s—
But in my dream
            Cats were leashed and dogs roamed free,
            The President was chosen by God,
            All days were sunny, with rain only at night,
            And the whole world loved chocolate.
In that dream
            My friend was interesting, not rich or Black,
            People talked to Gramps, not to me about him,
            Wheelchair basketball was on Monday night TV,
            And dinner was fair-trade chocolate.
Then I saw
            Doctors fighting to save all lives,
            Wardens taking none,
            Soldiers idly playing checkers,
            Now that bullets were just Hershey Kisses.
All that empty space:
            Soup kitchens, with no clients to serve,
            Sweatshops replaced by homes,
            Jails, since the Rule became Golden,
            Plus cups half-filled with cocoa.
I had a dream.  Like Martin,
When I wake
I refuse
To leave it behind.

                                        Jackie O’Donnell

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Is That Legal?

September 6, 2018 Comments Off on Is That Legal?

There’s SO much arguing back  and forth about what is legal. As today’s Thursday Thought quote points out, that isn’t the real issue.

“Something must happen so as to touch the hearts and souls of [all people] that they will come together, not because the law says it, but because it is natural and right.”  — Martin Luther King, Stride Toward Freedom, 1958

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The Enemy

April 5, 2018 Comments Off on The Enemy

Today’s Thursday Thought quote calls into question who “the enemy” really is…or  isn’t.

“We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation, for those it calls ‘enemy,’ for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers.  I think of them, too, because it is clear to me that there will be no meaningful solution until some attempt is made to know them and hear their broken cries.”  Martin Luther King, Jr.   (From his speech “When Silence Is Betrayal,” given at Riverside Church, New York, April 4, 1967.)

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Why a White Elephant?

August 15, 2017 Comments Off on Why a White Elephant?

After Christmas, it’s thought of as great fun to have a “White Elephant Party,” where you exchange gifts you received but have no earthly use for–except to take up space and gather dust.  In case you’ve wondered, here’s the origin of the term “White Elephant” – something useless that nobody wants and is a burden to  own.

Actually, in Thailand, white elephants were once thought of as sacred.  At the same time, the Siamese king would foist one onto someone who fell out of his favor in order to punish him. That is, someone who made the king mad would find himself burdened with a white elephant, which was very expensive to care for and maintain, often driving the new owner into poverty. The “gift,” then looked like generosity on the king’s part but was really a sneaky way to get even.

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I Have a Dream, Too

January 16, 2017 Comments Off on I Have a Dream, Too
 .

 

                          SWEET DREAMS

 

I had a dream—like Martin’s—
But in my dream
            Cats were leashed and dogs roamed free,
            The President was chosen by God,
            All days were sunny, with rain only at night,
            And the whole world loved chocolate.

 

In that dream
            My friend was interesting, not rich or Black,
            People talked to Gramps, not to me about him,
            Wheelchair basketball was on Monday night TV,
            And dinner was fair-trade chocolate.

 

Then I saw
            Doctors fighting to save all lives,
            Wardens taking none,
            Soldiers idly playing checkers,
            Now that bullets were just Hershey Kisses.

 

All that empty space:
            Soup kitchens, with no clients to serve,
            Sweatshops replaced by homes,
            Jails, since the Rule became Golden,
            Plus cups half-filled with cocoa.

 

I had a dream.  Like Martin,
When I wake
I refuse
To leave it behind.

                                        Jackie O’Donnell

 


					

									


				
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I Marched With Martin

			
				
	January 19, 2015
	 
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I marched with Martin Luther King, Jr., almost 50 years ago.  Not literally.  I watched the events unfold on our family’s black and white TV.  They didn’t cover it nearly as much as stations would today, but I saw enough to inspire me, to horrify me, and to make me ashamed that my country didn’t allow all of its citizens to vote.


I watched history being born.  I watched a war for citizens’ rights being waged.  I watched victories and disappointments, physical wounds and healing emotional wounds, and people waking up to the stark realization that a large group of Americans didn’t really believe that “all men are created equal.”


It was an exciting, emotional day.


As the scenes in Selma replay in my mind, I’m thankful for how far we’ve come in these last 50 years…and distressed over how much farther we have to go.


 


 

					

									


				
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Death of an Historical Reminder

			
				
	January 17, 2014
	 
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I’m watching the slow death of a San Francisco Bay Area tradition that reminds us of our ongoing struggle as a nation toward true brotherhood. Yes, it harkens back to establishing freedom for the Blacks, but it’s also a prompt to consider our attitudes and behaviors toward people of all races, creeds, and nationalities.


I’m referring to the Freedom Train—the only official one in the U.S.—sponsored by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Assn. of Santa Clara Valley.  Ridership is down after 29 years, supposedly because the NAACP withdrew its support a few years ago over acceptance of donations made by San Jose police at the same time they (allegedly) were mistreating minorities.


Whatever the cause, as of this morning, only 300 tickets have been sold, and if more people don’t pay the $15 ($10 for seniors, disabled, kids under 18) to ride and celebrate on Monday, this will be the last year for the train.


If you live in the SF Bay Area and are interested, go to http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/512027 to purchase a ticket today (must buy ticket there).  Otherwise, see if there’s an unofficial Freedom Train in your area.


 


 

					

									


				
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