Not Mine but A Great Read please enjoy!


Guests began arriving early. There are no place cards and no name
tags. Everyone knows everyone else here. Now, there's a grand foursome
Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz sharing laughs with Martin and Coretta
Scott King. Looks like Hosea Williams refused the limo again, keeping it real.
And my goodness; is that Rosa Parks out there on the dance
floor with A. Phillip Randolph? Seated at a nearby table, Frederick
Douglas has a captive audience in W.E.B. DuBois and Fannie Lou Hamer,and Medgar Evers has just joined them.

Marian Anderson was asked to sing tonight, but she only agreed to do
it if accompanied by Marvin Gaye, John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix.
Look, there's Harriet Tubman. No one knows how she arrived, but there she is. And my guess is that, when the time comes, no one will see her leave.

There's Jackie Robinson swiftly making his way through the hall as
the crowd parts like the Red Sea to the unmistakable sound of
applause. "Run, Jackie, run!" Along the way he is embraced by Jesse
Owens.

Three beautiful young women arrive with their escorts - Schwerner,
Goodman and Chaney. Ms. Viola Liuzzo flew in from Michigan,
exclaiming, "I could not miss this." Richard Pryor promised to be on
his best behavior. "But I can't make any guarantees for Redd Foxx and Moms Mabley," he chuckled. Joe Louis just faked a quick jab to the chin of Jack Johnson, who smiled broadly while slipping it. We saw Billy Eckstine and Nat King Cole greet Luther Vandross. James Brown and Josh Gibson stopped at Walter Payton's table to say hello.

I spotted Congressman Adam Clayton Powell of Harlem having a lively
political discussion with Eldridge Cleaver. Pearl Harbor WWII hero
Dorey Miller shared a few thoughts with Crispus Attucks, a hero of the Revolutionary War. And there is Madame C.J. Walker talking with Marcus Garvey about exporting goods to Africa.

General Benjamin O. Davis flew into Washington safely with an escort
from the 99th Fighter Squadron - better known as The Tuskegee Airmen.
At the table on the left are three formidable women - Shirley Chisholm,Sojourner Truth, and Barbara Jordan - gathered for a little girl-talk...about world politics.

As usual, all the science nerds seem to have gathered off in a
corner, talking shop. There's Granville T. Woods and Lewis Latimer
needling each other about whose inventions are better. Someone
jokingly asked Benjamin Banneker if he had needed directions to
Washington. And George Washington Carver was overheardasking, "What,
no peanuts?"

Dueling bands? Anytime Duke Ellington and Count Basie get together,
you know the place will be jumping. Tonight is special, of course, so
we have Miles, Dizzy, and Satchmo sitting in on trumpet, with
Coltrane, Cannonball, and Bird on sax.

Everyone's attention is directed to the dance floor where Bill
"Bojangles" Robinson is tap dancing. Right beside him is Sammy
Davis Jr., doing his Bojangles routine. And behind his back, Gregory
Hines is imitating them both. Applause and laughter abound!

The Hollywood contingent has just arrived from the Coast. Led by
filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, Paul Robeson, Canada Lee, and Hattie
McDaniel, they find their way to their tables. Dorothy Dandridge,
looking exquisite in gold lamé, is seen signaling to her husband,
Harold Nicholas, who is standing on the floor with brother Fayard
watching Gregory Hines dance. "Hold me back," quips Harold, "before
I show that youngster how it's done." Much laughter!

Then a sudden hush comes over the room. The guests of honor have
arrived. The President and Mrs. Obama looked out across the enormous
ballroom at all the historic faces. Very many smiles, precious few
dry eyes. Someone shouted out, "You did it! You did it!"

And President Obama replied, "No sir, you did it; you all - each and every one of you - did it. Your guidance and encouragement; your hard
work and perseverance..."

Obama paused, perhaps holding back a tear.

"I look at your faces - your beautiful faces - and I am reminded that
The White House was built by faces that looked just like yours.

On October 3, 1792, the cornerstone of the White House was laid, and
the foundations and main residence of The White House were built
mostly by both enslaved and free African Americans and paid
Europeans. In fact, most of the other construction work was performed by immigrants, many of whom had not yet become citizens. Much of the brick and plaster work was performed by Irish and Italian immigrants.
The sandstone walls were built by Scottish immigrants.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that The White House is,
ultimately, The People's House, with each President serving as its
steward. Since 1792 The People have trimmed its hedges, mowed its
lawn, stood guard at the gate, cooked meals in the kitchen, and
scrubbed its toilet bowls. But 216 years later, The People are taking it back!

"Today, Michelle and I usher in a new era. But while we and our
family look toward the future with so much hope, we know that we must also acknowledge fully this milestone in our journey. We want to thank each and every one of you for all you have done to make this day possible. I stand here before you, humbled and in awe of your accomplishments and sacrifice, and I will dedicate my Presidency, in your honor, to the principles of peace, liberty and freedom. If it ever appears that I'm forgetting that, I know I can count on you to remind me."

ROSA SAT SO MARTIN COULD WALK
MARTIN WALKED SO OBAMA COULD RUN
OBAMA WON AND OUR CHILDREN WILL FLY!

I have read this many times and it still makes me tear up...

wonderful