She asked, “What Happened to the Coloreds?”
=============
Introduction
=============
It’s pretty difficult for me to express the great joy and gratitude that I feel concerning Barack Obama's win.
The gratitude that I have is for individuals like my parents, Adam Clayton Powell, Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Kwame Toure, Louis Farrakhan, Al Sharton, Jesse Jackson, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, and countless others who were visible and some who weren't. Upon the backs of these individuals Obama was able to become President of the United States of America.
I can honestly say that a vote for Obama was not a vote for democrats, nor a vote for your particular platform; it was a vote for the healing of America. Believe it or not, one of the biggest problems that we have in this country is racism. It rears its ugly head at the best of times and at the worst of times. And it began as a historical part of the foundation of our country. Internationally it is one of the sour spots about the United States. Fortunately, on the 4th of November we were able to take a step in the right direction in order to heal ourselves. I can only imagine what would have taken place if McCain would have won. I truly think that it would have set race relations back about 50 years in this country and the rioting would have been sad and terrible.
==========
A Community
Organizer
==========
I can remember at one time when Sarah Palin and the Republican Party were making fun of Barack Obama for being a community organizer. Well, I can tell you this. That is exactly what Obama did in his campaign. He organized communities on a National level.
I never got involved in any campaign and really wasn't doing anything in this one until about 2 to 3 months ago when my friend and mentor Winston Williams called me up and asked me, "What have you done for the Obama campaign?"
I replied, "Nothing."
And he said, "And you think that's okay? Bro. you graduated from Howard University and you can read and write and vote because people made a sacrifice for you and were willing to die and they didn't even know you. They died before you even existed in order to improve your existence. You owe them."
I am definitely paraphrasing our conversation. But I am here to tell you that I took about a 15 minute tongue lashing for which I had NO REPLY. I immediately got of the phone and did the thing that all good husbands do. I immediately started verbally chastising my wife and asking her, "What have YOU done for the Obama campaign?" I did this right after I gave an online donation so that I could have the 1-up on her because I figured if I was feeling bad, that I shouldn't be alone. :-)
All joking aside; though Traci and I got active immediately and we made sure to get our son Rufus involved in the process.
We attended voter registration drives, debate watching parties, rallies, we did community canvassing (knocking on doors), held up signs on the street and drove people to the polls to vote.
When Barack Obama won, I felt empowered. I felt like I had accomplished something great. I can remember what Winston said when he told me, "What are you going to say when your son asks you about what you did during this time history. Are you going to say that you didn't do anything except for vote? That is EMBARRASSING!"
And he was right. That would be embarrassing.
I was so glad to get my family involved in campaigning for Obama that I couldn't even tell you how it makes me feel. http://tinyurl.com/6yd9kz
==============
Elizabeth Straight
==============
One of the highlights of my campaigning and canvassing experiences was Elizabeth Straight.
Elizabeth Straight is 92 years old and she is originally from Long Island, New York. Her New York accent still fights its way through her southern experiences so that you know her roots.
She moves very slow and deliberate, but she's very sharp. She has a very bad case of arthritis and she has some Katherine Hepburn type of movements in her senior age (her head shakes from side to side quite a bit). She is very talkative. I think it’s because she doesn't have anyone around her all day and she really wants some help with some things around the house.
Well, here's my story.
While canvassing in a trailer park community, I knocked on the door of this one trailer. And low and behold Elizabeth comes to the door. She is somewhat apprehensive, but I guess she reasons in her mind, "Really, what in the hell can I do." And then it seems like she relaxes, especially after I show her the flyers that I have in hand.
I said, "Good afternoon ma'am, my name is Rhadi Ferguson. Have you voted today?"
She said, "No. These two colored gals were supposed to take me but they couldn't so I didn't go. I don't have a way to get to the polls."
I said, "Ma'am I can take you to the polls if you don't have a ride. Do you have your ID and voter's registration?"
Elizabeth replied, "Yes."
I said, "Okay, I'm going to get my car and drive it around. I'll be right back."
Now Elizabeth walk with the aid of a walker and it took about 2 to 3 minutes to get her from the steps of her home to the door of my car. I had to be super careful because I did not want her to fall at all.
After getting her to the car, I had to help her sit down and then physically put both of her legs in the car by taking hold of each leg and guiding it slowly into the car one at a time.
I then work my way to the driver's side after wiping my brow from building up a good quality lather of perspiration.
Then we headed to the polls.
But wait.
I asked Elizabeth, "May I see your ID and voter's registration."
She showed it to me and it read republican.
No problem. I'm doing my civic duty.
Elizabeth said, "I'm a republican but I'm voting for Obama today. I'm just tired of all this and I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be able to vote for a colored man for president."
And she gave the cutest smile even though some of her "pearly whites" weren't so pearly and some of them had retired from years of long service.
When we arrived to the polls, the people were helpful and they were kind of taken aback. Because I clearly didn't look like I was a medical professional who was helping her and we definitely didn't look related.
At the polls one lady asked Elizabeth, "Is this young man with you?"
She smiled and said, "Yes."
During our conversation to the polls, I found out that Elizabeth had not eaten all day because she was waiting for the "colored gals" to take her to the polls and she said that if she ate she would have to use the restroom right away and that she needs to be at home for that.
So while she was going into vote and I was parking before meeting her inside, I called my wife and let her know that I had a friend coming over for dinner :-)
So Elizabeth finished voting and I got her back into the car and we headed to my house and that is when she asked......
"What happened to all of the coloreds? They used to be so nice. Now all I see on television is shooting and killing and robbing. When I was growing up we used to walk by a colored neighborhood everyday and they were so nice. What happened?"
Now, here's one of those situations that you really didn't plan for when you woke up in the morning.
I replied, "Elizabeth, the colored, ahem, I mean African Americans are good quality people. Most of them are like me to be honest with you. It's just that the ones that you see on the news are the ones that they want to show you. My wife is a doctor and a great mother and she hasn't been on the news yet. We went to great schools, we pay our bills on time, we help out people in the community, we donate money time and services, but there are no reporters following us around about that. That's just how it goes. The media is trying to create an 'angry black man' image that they want you to feed into and also they want you to be scared of people like me."
Then the truth came out like she was given some truth serum...
She said, "To be honest with you. I was scared when you came up to my door because I just don't know what to expect from the coloreds, but you are a nice colored man and the two colored gals who help me out are nice too."
Well we finally arrived at my home and Elizabeth was happy to meet my wife and my son. My son Rufus gave her a big hug and she just smiled. I asked her if she liked fish and she put both of her hands together and said, "I just love fish. We used to go fishing all of the time when I was a little kid.......... " (Believe me when I tell you that the story was long, but I'm glad that she had someone to tell it to.)
After she finished eating, she complemented my wife on her cooking. We took a picture and talked some and then Traci, Rufus and I took her back home.
>>>> http://tinyurl.com/6j4oth <<<<< closing ="="="="="="="="="="="="="" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
Introduction
=============
It’s pretty difficult for me to express the great joy and gratitude that I feel concerning Barack Obama's win.
The gratitude that I have is for individuals like my parents, Adam Clayton Powell, Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Kwame Toure, Louis Farrakhan, Al Sharton, Jesse Jackson, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, and countless others who were visible and some who weren't. Upon the backs of these individuals Obama was able to become President of the United States of America.
I can honestly say that a vote for Obama was not a vote for democrats, nor a vote for your particular platform; it was a vote for the healing of America. Believe it or not, one of the biggest problems that we have in this country is racism. It rears its ugly head at the best of times and at the worst of times. And it began as a historical part of the foundation of our country. Internationally it is one of the sour spots about the United States. Fortunately, on the 4th of November we were able to take a step in the right direction in order to heal ourselves. I can only imagine what would have taken place if McCain would have won. I truly think that it would have set race relations back about 50 years in this country and the rioting would have been sad and terrible.
==========
A Community
Organizer
==========
I can remember at one time when Sarah Palin and the Republican Party were making fun of Barack Obama for being a community organizer. Well, I can tell you this. That is exactly what Obama did in his campaign. He organized communities on a National level.
I never got involved in any campaign and really wasn't doing anything in this one until about 2 to 3 months ago when my friend and mentor Winston Williams called me up and asked me, "What have you done for the Obama campaign?"
I replied, "Nothing."
And he said, "And you think that's okay? Bro. you graduated from Howard University and you can read and write and vote because people made a sacrifice for you and were willing to die and they didn't even know you. They died before you even existed in order to improve your existence. You owe them."
I am definitely paraphrasing our conversation. But I am here to tell you that I took about a 15 minute tongue lashing for which I had NO REPLY. I immediately got of the phone and did the thing that all good husbands do. I immediately started verbally chastising my wife and asking her, "What have YOU done for the Obama campaign?" I did this right after I gave an online donation so that I could have the 1-up on her because I figured if I was feeling bad, that I shouldn't be alone. :-)
All joking aside; though Traci and I got active immediately and we made sure to get our son Rufus involved in the process.
We attended voter registration drives, debate watching parties, rallies, we did community canvassing (knocking on doors), held up signs on the street and drove people to the polls to vote.
When Barack Obama won, I felt empowered. I felt like I had accomplished something great. I can remember what Winston said when he told me, "What are you going to say when your son asks you about what you did during this time history. Are you going to say that you didn't do anything except for vote? That is EMBARRASSING!"
And he was right. That would be embarrassing.
I was so glad to get my family involved in campaigning for Obama that I couldn't even tell you how it makes me feel. http://tinyurl.com/6yd9kz
==============
Elizabeth Straight
==============
One of the highlights of my campaigning and canvassing experiences was Elizabeth Straight.
Elizabeth Straight is 92 years old and she is originally from Long Island, New York. Her New York accent still fights its way through her southern experiences so that you know her roots.
She moves very slow and deliberate, but she's very sharp. She has a very bad case of arthritis and she has some Katherine Hepburn type of movements in her senior age (her head shakes from side to side quite a bit). She is very talkative. I think it’s because she doesn't have anyone around her all day and she really wants some help with some things around the house.
Well, here's my story.
While canvassing in a trailer park community, I knocked on the door of this one trailer. And low and behold Elizabeth comes to the door. She is somewhat apprehensive, but I guess she reasons in her mind, "Really, what in the hell can I do." And then it seems like she relaxes, especially after I show her the flyers that I have in hand.
I said, "Good afternoon ma'am, my name is Rhadi Ferguson. Have you voted today?"
She said, "No. These two colored gals were supposed to take me but they couldn't so I didn't go. I don't have a way to get to the polls."
I said, "Ma'am I can take you to the polls if you don't have a ride. Do you have your ID and voter's registration?"
Elizabeth replied, "Yes."
I said, "Okay, I'm going to get my car and drive it around. I'll be right back."
Now Elizabeth walk with the aid of a walker and it took about 2 to 3 minutes to get her from the steps of her home to the door of my car. I had to be super careful because I did not want her to fall at all.
After getting her to the car, I had to help her sit down and then physically put both of her legs in the car by taking hold of each leg and guiding it slowly into the car one at a time.
I then work my way to the driver's side after wiping my brow from building up a good quality lather of perspiration.
Then we headed to the polls.
But wait.
I asked Elizabeth, "May I see your ID and voter's registration."
She showed it to me and it read republican.
No problem. I'm doing my civic duty.
Elizabeth said, "I'm a republican but I'm voting for Obama today. I'm just tired of all this and I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be able to vote for a colored man for president."
And she gave the cutest smile even though some of her "pearly whites" weren't so pearly and some of them had retired from years of long service.
When we arrived to the polls, the people were helpful and they were kind of taken aback. Because I clearly didn't look like I was a medical professional who was helping her and we definitely didn't look related.
At the polls one lady asked Elizabeth, "Is this young man with you?"
She smiled and said, "Yes."
During our conversation to the polls, I found out that Elizabeth had not eaten all day because she was waiting for the "colored gals" to take her to the polls and she said that if she ate she would have to use the restroom right away and that she needs to be at home for that.
So while she was going into vote and I was parking before meeting her inside, I called my wife and let her know that I had a friend coming over for dinner :-)
So Elizabeth finished voting and I got her back into the car and we headed to my house and that is when she asked......
"What happened to all of the coloreds? They used to be so nice. Now all I see on television is shooting and killing and robbing. When I was growing up we used to walk by a colored neighborhood everyday and they were so nice. What happened?"
Now, here's one of those situations that you really didn't plan for when you woke up in the morning.
I replied, "Elizabeth, the colored, ahem, I mean African Americans are good quality people. Most of them are like me to be honest with you. It's just that the ones that you see on the news are the ones that they want to show you. My wife is a doctor and a great mother and she hasn't been on the news yet. We went to great schools, we pay our bills on time, we help out people in the community, we donate money time and services, but there are no reporters following us around about that. That's just how it goes. The media is trying to create an 'angry black man' image that they want you to feed into and also they want you to be scared of people like me."
Then the truth came out like she was given some truth serum...
She said, "To be honest with you. I was scared when you came up to my door because I just don't know what to expect from the coloreds, but you are a nice colored man and the two colored gals who help me out are nice too."
Well we finally arrived at my home and Elizabeth was happy to meet my wife and my son. My son Rufus gave her a big hug and she just smiled. I asked her if she liked fish and she put both of her hands together and said, "I just love fish. We used to go fishing all of the time when I was a little kid.......... " (Believe me when I tell you that the story was long, but I'm glad that she had someone to tell it to.)
After she finished eating, she complemented my wife on her cooking. We took a picture and talked some and then Traci, Rufus and I took her back home.
>>>> http://tinyurl.com/6j4oth <<<<< closing ="="="="="="="="="="="="="" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">
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