President Obama at the National Urban League's Centennial Conference
I had an amazing opportunity last week to see President Obama address the National Urban League at their Centennial Celebration. He was delivering a major education reform speech, and, as a mama with three kids to get out into the world, of course I want to know what he’s got in the works.
The Fabulous Stacey Ferguson, one of the three Mamalaw founders of the upcoming Blogalicious conference (October 8-11! Sunny Miami! If I wasn’t going to Austin City Limits, I would so be there!) was the bearer of great news when she shot me a DM on Twitter-
“Interested in covering Obama’s speech live tmw at 8am at the DC convention center in the blogger pool? if so, LMK ASAP!”
Blogalicious Crew, img. Courtesy Of Aesthetic Elevation
Ummmmm, that would be a BIG FAT JUICY YES. So I met some other awesome DC Metro Bloggers at 6:45 am, and we blearily but excitedly waited to see a sitting President speak- an opportunity I’ve had only one other time.
When I was twelve, my Dad took me to see Ronald Reagan speak at Ellis Island through his work with the ANPA- (American Newspaper and Publisher’s Association)
I was so impressed then that I followed up with a letter, inviting Mr. Reagan and his lovely wife Nancy to supper- I promised crabcakes for their Secret Service Detail and all the jellybeans he could eat. But alas, he replied that his work schedule did not allow him as many of such opportunities as he would like. I still have his framed response. It was NOT an autopen, I know it.
This fascination with the Presidency was not new- growing up in the shadow of the beltway, I wanted to be Amy Carter and tried unsuccessfully for YEARS to get my Daddy to run for President. He said it was more expensive than I realized, and I contented myself with an ill-fated crush on Tucker Quayle.
As President Obama addressed us the other morning, I was so proud of how far my country has come since I last saw a President. But he reminded me of how much work there is still to be done.
He spoke of his days as a community organizer, and how he would meet children, 6 or 8 years old, their eyes bright wth hope and dreams of all the things they could become. Then he would turn to the principal, and they would explain how that would all change in the next few years. The child would limit their vision in scope based on the experience of those around them, whether it be parents, friends, or even their own teachers.
“No longer will we allow children to fall victim to the culture of low expectations. Change is hard, and we may not see the benefits immediately- it may take five, even ten years. But that’s no reason not to make them- it’s a reason to make them NOW.”
I loved that. And, as a former little girl, President letter writer, he COMPLETELY amazed me when he closed his speech with a quote from a letter he received from a ten year old girl in Kentucky.
Imagine you’re that little girl- and the President just called you and your ideas out by name, and held your concept up as a light to your country. IMAGINE what that does of your perception of possibility. The world is suddenly, irrevocably, your oyster. Anything can happen. Anything just did. And that matters.
Because, as Andrea said in her letter- “We are your future.”
The National Urban League has a pledge called “We Are Empowered” that I loved and pledged to work towards. Too often, it’s easy to do nothing because there’s too much to do. I really like how the “We are Empowered” campaign breaks things down into actionable items that affect real change. Because, as we all know, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. But sometimes, without structure, the elephant looks too big. Check it out and see what you think.
And- Go write someone a letter.:)
We Are Empowered Pledge, National Urban League
We Are Empowered Pledge, National Urban League
|
Twitter links powered by Tweet This v1.8.3, a WordPress plugin for Twitter.
Comments (2)