January 19th 2008

I took part in the fellowship which brought leaders from the African American community - student, academic, professional and spiritual - for a morning and luncheon of inspiration and challenges ignited and inspired by the transformative leadership of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Rev. Michael Page moderated the event.

Reverend Dr. Sir Walther Mack, Jr. reminded the assembled to remember that “…145 years after the Emancipation Proclamation and 45 years after getting the right to vote an African American man is running as a contender for highest office in this land…and God still has a plan for the African American community.”

John, a successful African American attorney, who was a child of 16, born into a home with three bedrooms and one bathroom went on-like all of his brothers and sisters-to graduate from college. He did so in spite of being denied educational funding from Washington lawmakers who deemed that his family made too much money ($20,000). He graduated and went on to law school anyway. And, in 1977 his mother, the lady who raised and ultimately supported his family while his father tended to a flock of but 90 parishioners joined her children in graduating from NCCU in 1977 at the age of 55. Alive and kicking today at 85-she and her family are America at its best.

Bet we can do better…in the richest nation in the world, one in every three black men still will go to jail, a black man has a five-year lower life expectancy than a white man and more than one million black men have been denied the right to vote because of felony charges.

A black baby born in this country isn’t born with a “go to jail gene”. Things are better for many but there’s a lot of change yet to happen. And change isn’t going to happen unless we step up and grab it. Dr. King gave his life; you can give your voice, your inspiration, your energy and your votes this election.

Let’s turn a whisper into a roar in 2008.

It was a memorable and inspiring day at NCCU yesterday.