Listen up. The daddy wants to ask you something. Besides family, who would you like to thank most on Thanksgiving? The daddy wants to thank a few few teacher's for giving him a critical mind and a committed heart 1. Thanks, Ms. Abercrombie, my elementary school teacher. You, like many other black teachers, lived in the neighborhood, near the school. You walked to school with us. We carried your books and asked lots of silly questions like, "How come girls talk so much?" "How come boys fight all the time?" or "How come God made girls write better than boys? It ain't fair!" "Do you think God hates boys?"
You actually took the time to answer our questions and ask a few questions of your own, such as "Did you eat breakfast this morning?" Of course we lied and said we had grits, eggs, and steaks, but, when we got to school, you marched us right into the faculty lounge and poured us cereal and milk and put some strawberries or bananas on it too...You literally gave us food for thought...and love. Thank you.
2. Thanks, Mr. Jenkins, my conservative, white political science teacher. You were a white dude who would not let a black kid slide by and do inferior work because he was "underprivileged," or "lacked a father in the home." He called me out in front of my class, "This paper is crap . You are too good a student to hand me a paper like this. I expect A work from you. You got two days to change this paper or you will not get an A in my class!" Of course the daddy hated this dude for months with a passion reserved for gang rapists and priests who play with boys until he realized that Mr. Jenkins was telling him and his classmates, indirectly, that he respected the daddy's mind...Okay, I still hate you a little bit, mostly I respect you as a teacher. Thank you.
3. Thank you, Malcolm X, my moral and political instructor. You taught the daddy what it was to be a man, which was to LIVE to take care of family and community, to love your people with all my heart and, if need be, die for them; and, no matter what the odds, stand up for what is right. Thank you Minister Malcolm.
Besides family, who would you like to thank most on Thanksgiving Day?
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18 comments:
Right off the top of my head Daddy:
Thanks Mr. Joseph E. Murray.
He was a teacher who lived up the hill from me. A single guy who almost always had time to indulge my dumb questions, ideas, and thoughts and took a certain pleasure in introducing me to good music, horse racing, good booze, and so much more of the good in western culture.
He treated me like I was worth something, not just the ADHD (although they didn't know that term then) kid who all the other teachers wanted to get rid of.
He took me into the city and showed me another side of life that included all of the above.
When I think WWJD I think "what would Joe do?"
The Mercury 7 astronauts. They showed me excellence in achievement and bravery beyond anything I could imagine. Although I could never perform the way they did, they inspired me to try. I doubt I would have gotten to where I did or done the things I've done without that drive.
They also open a whole new world right before my curious and wondering eyes. If there were ever living supermen, they were it.
Thanks, Al, Gus, John, Scott, Wally, Gordo and Deke.
(I once got the chance to tell Wally that (an abbreviated version) and he stopped, looked at me, smiled and said "Thank you for telling me that." One great moment of my life)
But I owe so much to so many.
Hi, nice blog!
I love Thanksgiving day very much. I found a site with a lot of things about Thanksgiving. Maybe this will interest you: All about Thanskgiving Day!!! :)
Barack Obama's supporters who never gave up when things were at their bleakest. Individually, we were nothing. Together, we were an unyielding force for change. That's what teamwork's all about.
And that's just for starters. Happy Thanksgiving!
Hello there!
I am thankful for so many people this year...I could name people I am thankful for in childhood like Mrs. Clark, my 6th grade teacher, or Mr. Krause, my high school English teacher (who was so enamored by my writing that he told me I would be a writer one day).
I am thankful for Pastor Blake, who did not allow women to preach in his church. He mentored me outside of the church and is one reason why I believed in the authenticity of the Christian witness.
I am thankful for Dr. Jeremiah Wright who did not allow the white media to silence him, and who put a very real "face" on the black church that is attacked viciously from the outside for reasons that amount to a desire to intimidate those who are black and who are heard.
I am thankful for you, Mac, because your blog has truly filled a void in the blogosphere. There are so many blogs that focus on entertainment and trivial issues and you have delivered up so much wisdom and insight week after week that there are many women online who are secretly falling for you....
{hand raised}
What can we say...there are some women who melt in the presence of a black man holding a book of poetry.
Have a wonderful holiday...and continue to shower us with your fabulousness. [hugs]
Peace, blessings and DUNAMIS!
Lisa
I am Thankful for all of my blogging friends who saw me through my difficult year, without all of you out there to support me I really don't think I would have made it.
I am forever greatful!
Sagacious: You should be writing books. That Joseph Murray-- what a story! And, yes, the Mercury 7 were great.
Foxy: Welcome. I'll check the piece about Thanksgiving Day. And I'm looking forward to you coming again.
R.J.: I hear you. I did some work for the "O" man and felt the collective love too. BTW: I'm still sticking by the Raiders.
Lisa: It sounds like you had a lot of support growing up. Fantastic. And your kind words about my blog leave me breathless and ever so grateful...
The way you feel about my blog is precisely the way I feel about yours: you've filled a void that was so needed for black women. But I hope you don't me and others brothas lurking in the shadows. Your posts are so well-thought out, so insightful, some of us just can't help ourselves. I appreciate you.
Happy Thaksgiving.
Somebody: We've all gone through difficult times and needed a little support. We've all needed a shoulder to lean on or a firm handshake that says, "I'm with you." Somebody, we're with you, brother.
I don't know why, but I would like to mention Mr. Bayard Rustin on this day. Maybe perhaps he is under-mentioned every other day in the year. I don't know. Perhaps I learned from him that if you stand up to some one, speak truth to him, raise your voice without sacrificing your message, you'll soon have a growing audience.
Vigilante: He's a great one to thank. He was invaluable to Dr. King. As you probably already know, he set up the Montgomery bus boycott, taught Dr. King about non-violent demonstrations (Dr. King didn't know this stuff. He was just a 26 year-old minister with his first church gig). And he was a great organizer in the march on Washington...What bothers me is the way he was removed from SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), Dr. King's organization. The FBI to "expose" Rustin as gay and communist; and the black ministers in Dr. King's organizations thought it best that Rustin leave. Many black ministers are still inflicted with the disease of homophobia today. Yes, I'll be remembering him too.
Daddy, I knew Bayard Rustin as a guiding light in the War Resisters' League. He was a contributor to Liberation magazine, too. But what I personally remember him for was in the morning hours before the March on Washington was assembled and ceremonies began. He was on the lower steps to the Lincoln Memorial. A network newsman was interviewing him, and Rustin was painstakingly and patiently explaining to the uninitiated one holding the microphone what nonviolence meant, what its discipline called for and how it worked as a movement in American politics. Within 10 minutes or so, a small crowd had gathers such that Rustin had to raise his voice to be heard. When Rustin apologized for breaking off the interview, his ad hoc audience applauded. I always have searched high and low for any transcript of that Q & A. I am satisfied that none exists. Later that day, Rustin gave a rousing speech before Dr. King spoke. I remember watching Rustin pounding on the lectern to punctuate the acronym, F.E.P.C. Unforgettable. Unforgettable.
And your account of the eventual smearing of Bayard Rustin is exactly the way I recall it.
(Sorry for running on.)
Thanks for your creative and welcoming site. It is the most feeling destination I have found on the Internet.
Hey Daddy,
You are more than welcome to have a guest spot at my blog anytime!
I always think that the black male perspective in the comment section and in guest posts is necessary for the issues we are examining at my think tank.
You are welcome to have the mic whenever you'd like. (smiles)
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Peace, blessings and DUNAMIS!
Lisa
Mac, As is so often the case, the comments on your posts are almost as good as your posts. . . you really know how to bring out the best.
Thanks Vigilante and TrumpetLady. I love the comment and perspective about Rev. Wright.
Oh, and I didn't mention, Joe was also a WWII and Korea combat vet. He defined "no nonsense."
I miss him here in my now.
THIS YEAR I want to thank Barack Obama for the courage with which he is standing in the middle of a profound paradigm shift, not only as the first African American President of the U.S.A, but the TRANSFORMATION of American politics as we have known it for The last eight years.....CHANGE COMING! Along with him. I want to thank MICHELLE & THEIR CHILDREN for standing by him and supporting him as only family can....
Secondly, I want to thank THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. Frankly, I had lost faith in our ability as a nation to recognize true GREATNESS in the person of Barack Obama. It felt to me that we had descended to level of shallowness and celebrity consciousness that we could not climb out of..(For instance the Sarah Palin wardrobe fixation)....I am AMAZED and AWED at this newfound greatness in the American People. Since I'm not Michelle, I can say that for the first time in a long time I see the American Dream being dreamt again.
THANK YOU PRESIDENT OBABMA; THANK YOU AMERICA!!!
Oh, I almost forgot! I want to thank YOU MacDaddy for all you have taught me over the 15 years I have known you.....I am the richer fo it!
I second everything the Nun said!
To see something great and inspiring that you thought about on so many levels but never thought you'd see is truly something to be grateful for.
And thanks Daddy for making the blogging experience better.
I want to thank you, MacDaddy, for your kindness, your passion for art, music, and literature, and your steadfast calm in some of the hardest times of my life. You are a rock. You are a wellspring of fierce passion for courageous ideas and idealism. You inspire me to be better than I am. Just having you in my life as a guide and a friend is what I want to be thankful for today.
As a category, I'd like to thank bloggers. Bloggers like you, MacDaddy, who can always shed another perspective on the day I'm having.
bloggers like Sagacious Hillbilly with their righteous anger and indignation.
Bloggers like Kit who use words and images together to delve the depths of the human soul.
Bloggers like Buzzard Billy who make me laugh and look at myself and my heritage with a different perspective.
Heck, Daddy, I'm going to have to turn this into a post. And then I'll have one more thing to thank you for.
Blessings.
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