How to use this Page

Martin Luther, that is!

January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968

“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.”

As a kid, not a year went by in school where we didn’t learn about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  We had MLK workbooks that we got every January in 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grades where each year we learned more about this drum major for justice, peace, and righteousness.

“Negroes have straightened their backs in Albany and once a man straightens his back you can’t ride him anymore.”

When I think of Dr. King, I always think of my dad.  My dad, born January 22, 1952, who used to perform the “I Have a Dream” speech every year at church, libraries, and other programs around Cleveland.  Last night as I finished up some revisions, I landed on CNN and watched a program hosted by Soledad O’Brien called MLK:  Words That Changed a Nation that showed many of Dr. King’s speeches and sermons in his handwriting.  It took me beyond the most popular speech that everyone knows Dr. King for and explored segments of his lesser known speeches.

“Strangely enough, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be.”

Thanks to the civil rights movement, Dr. King, and so many others who marched for equality, integration, and justice for everyone, I was able to live a better life than my parents and grandparents.  I was able to learn more about their fight thanks to PBS with their Eyes on the Prize series as a 5^th and 6^th grader. 

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

I was able to grow up reading books about Black people’s contributions, ride in the front of the bus, and have friendships with people of other ethnicities without being punished.  I was able to attend the college of my choosing and teach Black, White, Asian, and African students.  Because of so many strides made before I was even born, I am able to be all that I want to be in life without fear.

“We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always right to do right.”

Every year, PBS has great Black History Month programming and this year is no different.  They return Eyes on the Prize to the line up.  There are quite a few shows that I want to check out including Prince Among Slaves (February 4) and Banished (February 19).

Random blog title for a random blog entry.  It’s the way of the world.   Happy 2008 to ya!

Chapter 1:  The Gym 

Today I went to the gym ready to complete a 5K on the treadmill.  I walked in armed with my MP3 player, 2 bottles of water, and my book to read.  I greeted the front desk clerk, told her my gym number and kept walking towards the locker room.  She halted me on my journey and told me that I could not wear my scarf while on the floor.  Say what?  I wore the exact same scarf yesterday to the gym.  Normally I wear my hair in a ponytail to the gym, but the past two days I just kept it tied up while I worked out.  I looked at this woman thinking, “Surely you jest.”  Nope, no jest.  So I went back home, combed down my wrap, and put it in a ponytail and headed back to the gym.

I get back inside the gym and head to the locker room.  On my way I see two other women with scarves on.  **needle on the record scratching** I put my jacket up and walked back to the desk where I told the same lady who sent me home about the other two.  Tattletale?  Maybe, but it’s the principle of the situation.  You can wear a hat in the gym but not a scarf?  I don’t go home and wash my hair everyday and I don’t like wearing my hair down when I work out as it gets in the way.  So whether I decide to come to the gym with a scarf on my head or in a ponytail should be up to me.  As long as I don’t come to the gym improperly attired or making fun of people, I should be able to keep my scarf.  They don’t say anything to the clowns who wear denim to the gym.  Zippers are much more destructive than my satin hair scarf.

But since I only pay $10/month, there will not be a new gym in my future.  I’ll just suck it up, but I better not see any other scarves in that place.

Chapter 2:  The Movies

Yesterday I watched Mrs. Doubtfire on ABC Family.  I really like the movie and think it is quite hilarious that Sally Field’s character Miranda could not see that Mrs. Doubtfire was really her soon to be ex-husband that she was married to for 14 years.  But I guess we see what we want to see.  Not to mention, it would have ruined the movie’s premise. Now I know that a sequel is not necessary for this movie, but I’ve always wanted to know did Miranda and Daniel get back together.  There was an undertone that Miranda started seeing Daniel in a different light once he got the TV show and we know he’s more responsible now.  With all of his changes, could she have considered a reconciliation?  In my mind, I think she did.

What can I say?  I’m a sucker for a happy ending.

Today I finally got to go see The Great Debaters starring Denzel Washington, Jurnee Smollett, Nate Parker, Denzel Whitaker and Forest Whitaker.  I’ve used amazing, awesome, and inspiring to describe this movie that is based on real events and real people at Wiley College in 1935.  The Great Debaters is a must see and needs to be in your movie library when it comes to DVD.

I heard trickles of information starting in November about this movie coming out and I knew it had to be special to have Oprah attached to it.  And Denzel too?  Yeah.  Then when I read about Professor Mel Tolson, my quest for more information deepened.

I sat down in my last row seat this morning and prepped my snacks around me.  A Black couple came and sat a few rows in front of me, but they spoke first.  That’s never happened to me before.  We had a brief conversation but it stuck with me.   It was just smiles and hellos that were spoken along with a comment about the emptiness of the theater, but there was so much more than that.

When the movie started, I was captivated by the opening scenes that showed us the five major characters preparing for the unknown.  If you know Black History, the name James Farmer played by Denzel Whitaker, was familiar to you.  Founder of CORE, we were able to see his beginnings as a college student under the tutelage of his father, a rigid preacher with high expectations for his son.

But who were Samantha Booke with an e and Henry Lowe with an e?  I don’t know about you but Jurnee Smollett transformed for me on the screen.  I’ve seen her as Denise on Full House, in Eve’s Bayou and Roll Bounce, on a TV show with her siblings, but this time I really believe that she immersed herself into her roll as Samantha Booke.  When she gave her debate against Oklahoma City University and ended with these powerful words — No, the time for justice, the time for freedom, and the time for equality is always, is always right now!” — tears flowed.

I am not a child of this era, but my grandmother was 6 years old when this debate team was born and I’ve heard stories from her and my other family members.  I will never know first hand what life was like for my grandmother, her siblings, Tolson, the students at Wiley College or anyone else who lived in this time period.  Oh sure I can read books like Mildred Taylor’s Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, Gordon Parks The Learning Tree, and Dorothy Height’s Open Wide the Freedom Gates, but there are still degrees of separation that I face.

I loved seeing the homecoming dance scene where Farmer signed Samantha’s dance card.  I had always heard about that but never seen it in action in a movie.  And I loved the Wiley sweaters that some of the students wore in the movie.

This evening, I came home and began to Google Samantha Booke.  I wanted to know more about her, her legal career and life after Wiley College.  Imagine my surprise to learn that Samantha Booke is really Henrietta Bell Wells who is a native of Houston, Texas and the lone survivor of the 1935 debate team.  95 year old Wells remains a Houston resident who met both Denzel and Jurnee Smollett.   If you were impressed by what we saw of Samantha in the movie, you haven’t  seen nothing yet.  Mrs. Wells attended classes in the day, debate practice at night, and worked three jobs!

If I was still teaching, I would be eager to tell my students about Mrs. Wells and her perseverance and determination.  I would want them to understand the meaning of that pig scene as well as the scene in the car on the way to the debate with Howard University.  I would want to impress upon them the meaning of teamwork and the strength of the Black community as we saw in the scenes with Wilson at Harvard University.  Most of all, I would want them to recognize the richness that is The Great Debaters and the power of words and ideas.  As Professor Tolson said to his debate team, “Debate is combat, but your weapons are words.”

Monday evening I had to go back to a store to return something for a different size.  I won’t mention the store where this took place, but suffice it to say I grew up going to this store.  So I walk in, grab the correct size and go to the customer service desk.  I stand waiting for the young man to help me as he talked to his co-worker.

He finally heads to his register and just looks at me.  Doesn’t say one word.  I approach the counter and let him know what I need and hand him the items and receipt.  He handles the exchange and hands me the item and receipt back.  I left the register like I always do, “Thank you and have a good evening.”

And he never said a mumbling word.

Not “Hi.”

Not “Thank you.”

Not “Bye.”

And it blew my mind.  I mean I know it is the holiday season and he handles a lot of crazy returns and exchanges, but come on I used to work in retail too.  If a person comes correct with you, do unto them the way they did you too.  Thank you doesn’t cost a thing to anybody.

And people wonder why I like to shop online, lol.  Amazon always says thank you.

There is a new antagonist in my life.  Most people call it an elliptical machine.  No offense to the inventor of the elliptical machine as it really is a lovely device, but the thing is a beast.  Every time I go to the gym, I say I am going to do at least 20 minutes on the elliptical instead of 30 or 40 minutes on the treadmill because the elliptical really does give better results.

I enter the gym armed with my walkman and a book to read plus a bottle of water and I stare my enemy in the face as I mount her and place my feet in the feet things.  I enter my weight (G-15 classified information) and the time of the workout.  I always feel optimistic that that day will be the day I do every single one of those twenty minutes.  I really do.  I even tell people, “I’m going to do 20 minutes on the elliptical today.”  And I get on it and I begin to move my arms and feet and nod my head to the beat of the music or sing along.  In my head.  And I watch TV ready to see those twenty minutes just whizz by and the calories too.  And by the third minute, I pause to drink a few sips of water.  Renewed by the liquid refreshment, I begin again and by the fifth minute, I could care less about the house that is being HGTVed, I want off!  Between the 5th and 7th minutes, I am no longer even caring about the song on my walkman.  I stare longingly at the treadmills in front of me with their nice display unit that fits any book I bring to the gym with me.And then I sell out on my elliptical machine pipe dream as I walk to the treadmill after wiping down the machine of torture.

I do my time on the treadmill with ease.  Oh sure, I am bored with it but the book, music, and TV help with that.

The elliptical offers the better workout.  20 minutes on the elliptical raises my heart rate and I burn at least 200 calories.   Typically each minute on the elliptical is 10 calories.  So the 80 calorie muffin I ate this morning is gone from my thighs after 8 minutes.  Wonderful, right?  To burn off the muffin on the treadmill varies depending on how fast I walk or if I bother to kick it up to the 4.5 range to do a run for about 45 seconds. 

I am helpless.

I’ve tried everything to make the time on the elliptical go by faster. 

I picture The Biggest Loser’s Jillian in my face telling me I can do it like she did Isabeau the other night.

That doesn’t last.

I’ve thrown a towel over the display so I don’t see how slowly the seconds tick by. 
I end up moving the towel.

I curse myself out and remind myself that I want to look slimmer for the next book cover and an island vacation in the latter part of 2008. 

I tell myself that I need to lose weight and just be healthy.

In a tribute to the witty Judy Blume, I chant to myself, “We must we must we must decrease our guts.”

And yet I still allow the antagonistic diabolical elliptical machine win.

I’ve devised another possible strategy to last on the elliptical machine.  It’s a challenge to read a book on the elliptical because the pages move so I found a series of articles on my hometown’s newspaper’s website that I want to read.  I printed it off, stapled it, and am taking it with me to the gym tonight where I plan not to leave the elliptical until I finish the packet of articles and burn some serious calories.

Victory shall be mine.