Seeds
"The hardest thing about any political campaign is how to win without proving that you are unworthy of winning." ~ Adlai E. Stevenson
I took this photo a while ago, for a woman I've never met. My little Christina of Soul Aperture, who tells it like it is. The world as seen through her soft brown eyes and large, wonderful heart.
Christina is a professional chef.
She's a photographer and artist and writer.
She's a mother of two beautiful children who ask the right questions.
She's the wife of a self-made man who is working to make the world a better place.
Christina and her family live in Milwaukee, in a neighborhood that knows poverty and the ills that come from lack: lack of education, lack of opportunity, lack of hope.
***
Christina wrote a post after the last debate, and on the eve of this one, I wanted to share an excerpt with you. No matter what your opinions are about the candidates, whether you feel smug or bitter or tired or hopeful, know that what is happening in the drama-inducing headlines is obscuring what is happening on the front lines.
Christina has taken it upon herself to go door to door, talking with neighbors and people in her neighborhood, to make sure that they understand their rights as citizens. That they can and should vote.
From Christina's post, No Title:
I respect that you may not share my views or opinion so I give you the option to stop reading now. Please save the hate mail, the N. word and whatever else. Been there, been called that.
Hearing from Christina first hand what she sees around her was shocking. I don't expect much from the media, the spin doctors and the pundits. Part of my solace comes from the people that make fun of it all.
But when you really are confronted with the truth that corruption exists at every imaginable level, it's almost mind-blowing. I want my America back.
***
When I took that photo above, I immediately thought of Christina, since it's a photo of sesame seeds and as a chef, I know she likes our foodie conversations as much as I do.
But then I saw the photo differently. It made me think that we are all those little sesame seeds: white, brown, black. All little seeds, just in different colors.
All little seeds.
Seeds of hope? I hope.
***
"I offer my opponents a bargain: if they will stop telling lies about us, I will stop telling the truth about them." ~ Adlai Stevenson, campaign speech, 1952
Christina is a professional chef.
She's a photographer and artist and writer.
She's a mother of two beautiful children who ask the right questions.
She's the wife of a self-made man who is working to make the world a better place.
Christina and her family live in Milwaukee, in a neighborhood that knows poverty and the ills that come from lack: lack of education, lack of opportunity, lack of hope.
***
Christina wrote a post after the last debate, and on the eve of this one, I wanted to share an excerpt with you. No matter what your opinions are about the candidates, whether you feel smug or bitter or tired or hopeful, know that what is happening in the drama-inducing headlines is obscuring what is happening on the front lines.
Christina has taken it upon herself to go door to door, talking with neighbors and people in her neighborhood, to make sure that they understand their rights as citizens. That they can and should vote.
From Christina's post, No Title:
I respect that you may not share my views or opinion so I give you the option to stop reading now. Please save the hate mail, the N. word and whatever else. Been there, been called that.
I want to pass on some information to you.
1. If you wear an Obama shirt to go vote in Nov., it is considered campaigning and your voting rights will be taken away.
2. If you have warrants out for your arrest do not go vote! If you go to vote in Nov. there are undercover officers waiting to apprehend you!
3. If you have unpaid parking tickets you will be arrested in Nov. if you go to the polls to vote.
Everything I just typed is bullshit!!!!!
These are just some of the messages printed on flyers and being distributed through urban, inner city neighborhoods.
It's called Voting Fraud and that is illegal!!!!!
Please, please let anyone you know that these flyers are only being passed out to low income neighborhoods and they are a ploy to keep people from voting.
Sad but true!
***
***
Hearing from Christina first hand what she sees around her was shocking. I don't expect much from the media, the spin doctors and the pundits. Part of my solace comes from the people that make fun of it all.
But when you really are confronted with the truth that corruption exists at every imaginable level, it's almost mind-blowing. I want my America back.
***
When I took that photo above, I immediately thought of Christina, since it's a photo of sesame seeds and as a chef, I know she likes our foodie conversations as much as I do.
But then I saw the photo differently. It made me think that we are all those little sesame seeds: white, brown, black. All little seeds, just in different colors.
All little seeds.
Seeds of hope? I hope.
***
"I offer my opponents a bargain: if they will stop telling lies about us, I will stop telling the truth about them." ~ Adlai Stevenson, campaign speech, 1952
5 comments:
Do you know that after a year of blogging I still sit wondering if I should hit post?
The things I see or feel can be depressing to some and a sob story to others.
To me, it's my life, to me it's expressing the anger and realities of- I am trying but, we can't do anymore than what we are doing to protect our kids.
Wait hubby is a lawyer, I am a chef at a 5 star restaurant aren't we supposed to be rich? LOL
I admit that there are times I get frustrated at what is going on in this country right now.
I see these video's of McCain/Palin ralley's and it reminds me of the hate ralley's my grandparents told me about. How my grandparents would have to pick and choose when to go out, in fear my of Grandfather being arrested (again) for being with his wife, a caucasian woman.
I often want to write and ask McCain and Palin if they realize kids are watching these videos. Kids see these people at these ralley's with supporters that have monkey's dressed up as Sen Obama!
How is a kid that is trying to make it out of the ghetto who has zero self esteem already, supposed to feel when a man and woman who could potentially run this country, tolerate racial slurs being yelled about their opponent, monkeys dressed as Obama and terrorist remarks.
I just don't remember it getting this crazy during the Kerry/Bush times. Hmm.. what can be the difference, I wonder. : )
I appreciate the seeds picture. It is just another reminder of how different we all are, but how at this time, more than ever, we must come together to end ignorance.
Again, dem or rep. I think we can all agree this country has a hell of a lot of healing to do.
Thank you, sweetie pie! I'm rambling through my tears!
One love!
Love this post, Christina's heart - and yours! xoxox
They were just talking about Adlai Stevenson on NPR. I actually saw his funeral procession go by in Bloomington, IL, when I was a girl.
Hi christina,
After a year of blogging, I'm grateful you keep hitting post. You share a lot of a world that is quite invisible or unknown to Americans.
Please keep writing your truth. It's important. And it helps.
Hi paris parfait,
Even though you are half a world away, it still feels like you are right here with us.
Hi willow,
Stevenson seemed like a very interesting and very intelligent politician. Like a generation of people that doesn't really exist anymore?
oh I want my America back, too. It is one of the reasons that I moved away because I couldn't find it:-(
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