Keeping the promise alive
For many years, today's date in U.S. calendars seemed to be an odd, cynical juxtaposition of politically and socially-inflected observances: Presidents' Day, right in the middle of Black History Month. One the one hand, white powerful men were being honored at the same time as those who had fought enslavement, dispossession, and imprisonment at their hands. That is, it felt an oxymoron until the dramatic election of Barack Obama. The new issue of The New Yorker magazine brings us back to the thrilling feelings many of us felt one year ago at Obama's inauguration — when Rev. Joseph Lowery closed the momentous program with a stirring invocation — through an extraordinary photo spread honoring African Americans leaders (or their descendants) of the civil rights movement.
The photographs by Platon are absolutely stunning, and an accompanying essay provides a brief but compelling look at the depth of meaning of Obama's presidency to black America one year into his tenure. Better yet, for those who don't subscribe to the print magazine, the online version of this retrospective, titled "The Promise," offers even richer multimedia content, as it includes audio interviews with many of those profiled. Fellowship of Reconciliation members James Lawson and Rep. John Lewis among the historic individuals featured in it.
Another significant date in black history took place last week, when the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's release from prison was commemorated on February 11th. I remember well that historic moment when he walked out of Paarl Prison, in the way that those of previous American generations might recall the moment they had watched a human first walk on the moon, or learned of the death of John F. Kennedy or Dr. King, or perhaps Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It was a turning moment in our global history, one no less extraordinary than the fall of the Berlin Wall just a few months earlier.
Mandela lives and continues to stand tall, and is a testimony to the power of the spirit to create change despite all the forces that seem to stand against it. And as we consider his legacy, I am now looking forward to the impending release of a series of documentary films on the role of the international community in supporting Mandela's African National Congress and other South Africans that struggled mightily against apartheid. You can learn more about this series, titled "Have You Heard From Johannesburg?" on the Clarity Films web site: stay tuned for more news about this in the coming months.
