Hello World,
Remember when I noted on my About page “I typically blog on Sundays and Wednesdays (to coincide with Sunday Morning Church Service and Wednesday Night Bible Study), but sometimes I may post more or less depending on what is going on in my life… If God can be patient with me, I hope you can too?” Well, there you go… I did so much writing last month and the beginning of this month (various freelance projects), I was empty…all the water in my creative well had dried up and I was empty, chile…I felt drier than my dry dreadlocks but now, I’m feeling fuller again (plus my hair is did and moisturized as of yesterday LOL), and I feel like I can flow once again…(I tried to get started when I had a few drops of water down in me, but that proved to be too soon, but I’m back…I promise 🙂 )
So on Wednesday, when I heard the news that Harriet Tubman, a modern-day Moses for American black people as she led many slaves out of slavery, is going to be on the front of the $20 bill, my inner child did a Holy Ghost dance…
When I was a nine-year-old student at Pathway Christian School, my class dressed up as our favorite historical characters for “Character Day.” At that time in my life, I was obsessed with reading books about slaves. I think the fact that I was one of about 20 or so black kids in a school of about 200 or so white kids, I was starving for knowledge about black people.To my school’s credit, the library had a series of children’s books about slavery and important people during that time. One of the books I read was about Harriet Tubman. I was fascinated that this woman persevered after getting knocked in the head with a weight by a slave master and was willing to sacrifice so much to usher fellow slaves to freedom.
So when it came time to choose a character to be on “Character Day,” she was my choice. My parents helped me fashion my costume including a head wrap as Harriet’s head was covered in the pictures I had seen of her and a drab brown dress as I imagined that slaves did not have access to the best and most colorful of dresses. I was so excited when a local newspaper photographer took a picture of me and another student and told us we would be in the newspaper. But when I saw the photograph, I was equally disappointed. The other girl’s character in the photo was correctly identified as Betsy Ross, but I was simply and incorrectly listed as an African woman. I’ve kept that newspaper clipping since then. I’m not even sure why…But I wish I could tell that photographer that Harriet Tubman deserved to be recognized then… And now for generations to come, all Americans will recognize her whether they want to or not…
Not only was Harriet Tubman a hero for black people, she was a hero of the Christian faith which is why my spirit is grieved that Dr. Ben Carson, who is a devout Christian, attempted to downplay Harriet Tubman by suggesting that she should be honored on a $2 bill, which hardly one ever sees anymore?
How can a black Christian man fix his mouth to say such foolishness? But then again, after all of the foolishness that he let fly out of his mouth during and after his failed candidacy for president, I should be nan surprised…But you know what, Dr. Ben Carson, I hope when these new 20s come out, someone makes them rain on you….
I’m so glad that bumbling brain surgeon (how, Lord?) Ben Carson will not be our second black president, and I’m so grateful that our current first black president Barack Obama blessed us to make this new money happen…(Y’all know he had to have something to do with this…)
We may or may not see another black president during our lifetimes, but we at least we can pull some Harriets out of our wallets any time we please…
Thank you President Obama…I feel like going on…
Any thoughts?