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Truly blessed to have so many historical memories to share with family and friends (1149 hits)

I feel so truly blessed to have lived through many historical moments during my lifetime and I just wanted to share my feelings with you. Unfortunately most of these moments have been tragic with the untimely deaths of JFK, Bobby, MLK, and Brother Malcolm, plus many conflicts of war, the riots in Newark, NJ and Los Angeles. Many of my friends did not return from Viet Nam, but on the other hand my blessings have abounded I saw the multitudes march on Washington, I saw the first man on the moon,, I heard Martin's speech forty years ago as a teenager...I rooted for sister Shirley Chisolm, Brothers Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton as they drew their line in the sand during their respective attempts at the presidency...and now I have seen the first Black President Elect in the history of this country.

You have no idea the feelings swelling within me right now! You know when Michelle Obama said she had never been more proud to be an American? That's what I feel and even more (maybe 100 fold.) Words can not even come close to paint that picture.

I now know more emphatically why my mother and father shed tears that I could not comprehend at the time (in the late 50's and 60's and even early 70's.) You see, my paternal grandmother was conceived after slavery in 1885 (God bless her soul she lived to be 94,) and her father was...the former slave master himself. Her mother was a former concubine on the plantation. So just put every positive thought and feeling you can imagine when you fast forward to 11/04/08 ...and that's where I am, because I know my family history. My brother traced our "roots" to Myrtle Beach, SC. What about you?

Will YOU remember where you were at the particular time when the it was officially announced...that Barack Obama would be the next President of these United States? My husband and I were invited to various watch parties, but we wanted to share this historic event with our 15 and 13 year old children. We wanted to talk and share with them how we felt and get them to open up about their feelings too. We wanted them to understand what this event meant and to be able to discuss our personal feelings so they would want to share theirs with us. I hope each and everyone who reads this, had an exceptionally wonderful day on 11/04/2008 and the historic implications will be etched in your hearts and souls forever. So let me tell you something my brothers and sisters, you will never forget where you were and what you were doing or who you were with on that historic day. I remember something about every single one of those major events that I mentioned that happened in my life and so will you. And tell your children, and your grandchildren. Never let this story be forgotten. Remember Alex Haley. If his ancestors' story hadn't been preserved through the art of story telling, we would have not been inspired by his family's story in the epic mini-series and book "Roots".

Love, peace and unity your sista, Darlene
"BE Black, BUY Black, BUILD Black, and all else will take care of itself." - Marcus Garvey

Posted By: Darlene Robinson
Saturday, November 8th 2008 at 1:15AM
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I have all of those memories of the good and the bad, the happiness and the sadness that came with ever step. But with the knowledge that goes along with in life how the end of one chapter is also the beginning of another.

As, I told my 17 year old granddaughter when she called me,from the east coast, to interview me for a class paper she was writing on 'death'; I told her how I had lived a good life which would cause me to have a good death. How, she ,her sister, her cousin and her mother and aunt would carry on for me after I leave this life. She promised to tell her grand children the same thing that I had told he during the interview.

After this interview with my grand daughter, her mother(my oldest child)called me that she was now able to get life insurance without the panic her children went into when she had brought up this subject in the past.

This is all a balance. there is only so much people the earth can sustain.so we are born, love, become old and we die.I am glad that I got to know MalcomX, Dr. King and Alex Haley came to our class one day. He autographed his Roots and his Malcom X for me and a few members of my family and friends.His advice was to go to the oldest members of your family and your extended and if you are lucky you have a family bible with the history you seek right inside of it.

I was at the polls but got to see a rerun of his acceptance speech.They gave us a beautiful pin with the seal, the date and year and presidental election and California on it.

What a good life I have lived. I have seen from the White Only, Black Only signs come down and not the White Only signs come down of the White house.What a great life.I do not think this has all sunk in for me yet!!!! I want to see his hand on that Bible and Michelle holding it maybe then it will come to me.

does anyone know if we are to call her Michelle as we did call Jackie, Jackie(smile)This is going to be a first lady to gloat over as she looks good in any thing so does Mrs. Biden...what do we call her also. Oh, well all in time.
Thursday, April 10th 2014 at 6:47PM
ROBINSON IRMA