Go well, brave warrior
Oct. 25th, 2005 09:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sun_set_bravelyWhen I read last night that Rosa Parks died (I got the news from my LJ friends, as I tend to get much of my news alerts these days), I felt like a beloved great-aunt was gone. How early did we learn about her story in school? It seems like I've known about her all my life. The news this morning highlighted that, although she was instrumental in the beginning of the U.S. civil rights movement, she had a very hard time getting work in Alabama after that event, so she and her husband had to move to Detroit. A reminder that ethical leadership involves great personal sacrifice and courage. What a beautiful, quiet warrior. I pray that her soul travels safely from this world to the next.
~ ~ ~
Also, this morning, I heard a BBC radio announcer say, "Today, the world's poorest countries are meeting in Papua New Guinea for a conference on how to become less poor." That's funny enough in itself, but I thought she said, "the world's porous countries," and I thought, "Does she mean 'islands'??" CL and I thought perhaps she was talking about Spongeania, or Towelistan, or perhaps Tissueurope.
And a rainy good morning to you, too!
~ ~ ~
Also, this morning, I heard a BBC radio announcer say, "Today, the world's poorest countries are meeting in Papua New Guinea for a conference on how to become less poor." That's funny enough in itself, but I thought she said, "the world's porous countries," and I thought, "Does she mean 'islands'??" CL and I thought perhaps she was talking about Spongeania, or Towelistan, or perhaps Tissueurope.
And a rainy good morning to you, too!
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no subject
Date: 2005-10-25 01:41 pm (UTC)amen to that.
porous countries! that does lead to funny images, doesn't it?
Everybody move to the FRONT of the bus
Date: 2005-10-25 04:23 pm (UTC)Rosa Parks...I often wonder what happens to the people that are famous for one significant event or set of events, and then are not heard from again for the rest of their lives. People like Rodney King, or Dennis Tito, or even Joey Buttafuoco. They make the news, you know who I'm talking about when I mention their names years later, but we don't know what they're doing now; if they're recognized when they go to get groceries, if they can even afford groceries these days, where they work, what building they live in.
Rosa Parks's statement was many degrees of magnitude above the people I listed (with the possible exception of Joey Buttafuoco, rim shot), but the effects of that statement continued to follow her, continued to make an impact on her life, and not always in a positive way. I don't think "courage" is the right word for how she lived her life after Montgomery, although it definitely applies to how she lived her life in Montgomery. "Perseverance" may be the better word, and the tougher job. She could have changed seats on the bus; she could not have helped being Rosa Parks. And yet the action of the one feeds into the personality of the other, and Rosa Parks becomes "Rosa Parks" and it's like...how do you live up to that, exactly? I'm pleased to know that she helped live up to it by working in John Conyers's office for many years. I'm not under the delusion those were all golden years, though. Big points to her for not fading completely into obscurity over the years; heroines of her kind are sorely missed today.
On some sort of plus side, I guess that OutKast lawsuit has to be dropped now.
This message was written from the Gauze-a Strip.
Re: Everybody move to the FRONT of the bus
Date: 2005-10-25 04:45 pm (UTC)Guza-A.
Well spoke mate.
Re: Everybody move to the FRONT of the bus
Date: 2005-10-25 04:55 pm (UTC)