The One We've Been Waiting For

Dedicated to the memory of Sean Bell and Michael Donald...Respect... ...VOTE...Fight, Fight the Power, You've GOTTA Fight the Powers That Be! (Thanks, Isley Brothers and Public Enemy)

Brenda and Mo sent this to me last week. I needed a break from the blog because as beege knows, I get headaches. Although I have been filled with joy; this past year has been hard on those of us who were volunteers for Obama for America. I needed a little time to rest, because now the real work is about to begin. I've got my mojo back now, and I've also remembered how to breathe again. So, thanks to my two partners in the struggle for sending this powerful message. I'm sure they knew I would share it with the world.

Here are the words from our dear sister, Alice Walker, to our President-Elect, Barack Obama.

Nov. 5, 2008

Dear Brother Obama,

You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is
for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United
States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and
you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the
torch so many others before you carried, year after year,
decade after decade, century after century, only to be
struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law,
is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this
observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a
different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay
runners before you, North America is a different place. It
is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the
generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the
spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you
would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength.
Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your
wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary
warriors of hope, previously only sung about.

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the
disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are
not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A
primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to
cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule
that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your
gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers
that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the
White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the
building; we notice their wives and children looking
strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in
joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead.
Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking
about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse
not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model
real success, which is all that so many people in the world
really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs
and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage,
or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to
them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within
the reach of almost everyone.

I would further advise you not to take on other
people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is
out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in
all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain
religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to
have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are
ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are
commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to
protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely.
However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with
which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the
sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole
communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a
means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already
happened to people of color, poor people, women, children.
We see where this leads, where it has led.

A good model of how to "work with the enemy"
internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless
caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese
government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the
soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible
leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the
connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to
mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your
smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with
unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that
expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that,
kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile
in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.
We are the ones we have been waiting for.


In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker



Yes,We DID!! Yes, We DID!!!, Yes, We DID!!!!