amen.

sign, sealed, delivered

it has been an overwhelming night here at mooklettes and the sense of wonder and hope has stayed with us this morning. the kids get it and they are inspired: joe is thinking about the peace corps and the future ahead, k. and j.t both left here with obama stickers on this morning, and c. has been running around all morning saying "President Obama"...the mr. and I are still emotional and stunned...

it is stunning to have a family of color as our new first family

it is stunning to have a politician stand up and say thank you for all you have done via text, email and speech

it is stunning to listen to a man say to those who did not support him, i still support you- i will be your president, too

it is stunning to have seen PEACEFUL crowds take to the street to proclaim one of the greatest historical moments of this great country

it is stunning to listen to a man say, and mean it, that he will make mistakes, he will not always be popular, but he will always be honest

it is stunning to hear a politician remind people that things worth having are not obtained easily and that we have a great deal of work ahead of us as a nation

it is stunning to hear our new president tell us that he believes in all of us and our power to change the world

to those people who are fearful, you need to read this...it is time someone told you that God did not make a black and white world. in his infinite wisdom, he gave humans a soul and free choice and placed us in a world filled with ambiguity. perfection comes in our next life, not this one. one of the most important things that comes with living a life of faith is knowing that even though you do not have all the answers, you do not need to fear, because you are loved by a power that surpasses all imagination. therefore, when i see messages that say things like "we need to move", "I fear for our country", etc, because you did not like the way an election turned out, I think it is imperative that you look inside and into the corner you have painted yourself into with hard line positions that don't take into account that we all live here together. the greatest comfort you will find in the coming days, i predict, is that if you give Obama a chance and participate in this amazing, stunning democracy, you will find a warm embrace and you will see that things are not as bad as you make them out to be.

we are the change we are waiting for- we have proven it, soundly. we have appealed to the better angels of our nature- God Bless America

KNOW HOPE

my hope and faith in the american people has been affirmed. this is an amazing night- there were tears of joy here at mooklettes, from everyone in this little family. we live in a country where you can start out anywhere and become President of the United States- unbelievable. goodbye cynicism. goodbye fear...

election day

today is the day. time for us all to come together andrecord our choices. it is such an amazing gift to have a voice in our government- thank you to all the men and women who came before me and helped secure my right to vote...

yesterday, with three of the four kids in the car, we pulled up to an intersection where people were campaigning for No on Prop 8. We rolled down the windows and asked if we could have one of their signs. they took one look at our car, which has No on Prop 8 painted on the windows, and started to call over their friends. then one of them looked at joe and said, "is that your mom?" joe said yes and the guy said, "you should be proud of her, she's really brave." it was a great moment for these really nice guys to realize that all kinds of people support their right to equality.

one more time...here it is...KNOW HOPE! YES.WE.CAN.

1 day

thought for the day:

"…it is our freedom to progress that makes us all want to live and to go on." May 29, 1941

"At all times, day by day, we have to continue fighting for freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom from want… from these are things that must be gained in peace as well as in war." April 15, 1943

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962),


please vote!

2 days and halloween update

did not make it to the phone bank, but we did paint up our car windows with messages: Obama/Biden 08 and No on 8...

halloween was a low-key night. we had fun and c. just beamed as she walked from door to door collecting candy there is no way i will let her eat! joe went off with friends, therefore no pics of him. k. and j.t. came along with us and helped us out with my sweet nephew, p.

it is not an easy day for teachers- the kids are excited and can't focus, we depend on parents to show up with goodies, and we are under tremendous pressure to do some fun things, all while keeping order...i think next year, i'll take a personal day :)

3 days

i missed day 4 because i have been plagued by some really awful headaches lately- sorry!

in other news...i hope to phonebank later today at our local obama campagin office. i'll let you know how it goes!
also...
this lovely new blog, that i found via andrew sullivan, will lighten your weekend! can't stop reading it- it is really a gem. you have to go there yourself and read it: http://margaretandhelen.wordpress.com/
finally...
later this weekend, if the headaches don't return, i will post some halloween pics.

5 days

here is the obama half-hour ad, in case you missed it. i am proud that i helped pay for it...

6 days

less than a week, and then no more commercials or debates. it has been a long, exhausting cycle...here is some comedy relief!

7 days

I have already voted, so I have mostly turned off the news, etc, as it all makes me to neurotic! Yes, i proudly voted for Barack Obama and proudly voted NO on Prop 8...
As the campaign comes to a close, Barack onceagain reminds us why he is the right person for the job: KNOW HOPE!

8 days and counting

8 days to go until the voting comes to an end- what an exciting, exasperating time to be an american! while much of the back and forth get tiring (even for a political junkie like me!)

i have been thinking about all that we, as a family, have learned over the past 18+ months of campaigning and all of them are lessons we can apply to our lives:
-to stand up for what we think and back it up with evidence
-not to be bullied by others, regardless of how they represent their beliefs
-to listen to others, even when we disagree
-to talk about why we disagree, later, in private, so as not to hurt feelings of those we need to show respect for
-that adults don't always tell the truth, and just because someone is a teacher does not make their arguments factual
-that you can disagree with some positions of a candidate, but support the bigger picture.
-words matter
-your vote counts
-dinner is more interesting when you bring some ideas to the table
-that you can persuade people, if you are brave and well reasoned
And, the most important lesson of all:
-the choices we make today, shape our world for the future.

Why I will not vote Yes on CA Prop 8

I was driving K. to the middle school to drop her off for drama and there, outside our church, was a "Yes on 8" sign. I was taken aback that our church would directly enter into the political fray by displaying campaign signs, and it has caused me to really question my membership in the church.

Prop 8 is the attempt of the mormon church, the Knights of Columbus (of which my dad and brothers have long been members) and the christianist churches to outlaw same-sex union in the state of CA.

this is purely discrimination and an attempt to drag religion, once again, into the public governance of this state.

I cannnot, in good conscience, support a propostion that says that members of our community are, somehow, less than the others. let me tell ya' a same sex couple does NOTHING to diminish my marriage or my family. in fact, committed same sex couples strengthen my community by fully participating in the institutions that we have declared important.

Jesus preached love and tolerance, and I teach my kids the same.

Furthermore, the campaign for the "Yes" vote is full of misinformation, which tells you that they are on the wrong side of this issue, morally, because they have to lie to bolster their case.
-lie #1: Churches will be forced to marry same-sex couples. This is completely FALSE. Due to seperation of church and state, churches cannot be forced to marry anyone they do not wish to. EXAMPLE: divorced catholics are not allowed to be married in the church without an annulment.
-lie #2: schools will be forced to teach "gay marriage". Again, completely FALSE. guess how many times I have taught "marriage" in nearly 20 years of teaching- exactly 3 and those times were in catholic school as part of the marriage and family life curriculum. public schools don't teach marriage! in our high school health class the curriculum is available for review by the parents and parents have the right, by STATE LAW, to opt their child out of any teaching that covers topics of health and sexuality.

in closing, I will vote no on prop. 8 and I will take my weekly contribution to my church and send it to the "no on Prop 8" movement. as a democratic society, we need to honor those who want to step up and fully participate in our institutions. we will have stronger families and communities when we do not discriminate.

crunch-time, the importance of artists and other thoughts

greetings! mooklettes reminds you that the time to register to vote is drawing to a close.i don't want to hear about how you are trying to avoid jury duty, either. it is crucial that you exercise your constitutionally protected right to vote- it does matter!



i have been reflecting on the importance of artists in our country over the past couple of weeks during my morning run. i find it funny that people think artists shouldn't have an opinion on things that deal with national policy and how support from an artistic community can lead one to being labelled a"celebrity". i don't necessarily think artists should hold more sway than others, but part of the reason that people come into a national consciousness is because they can effectively communicate their thoughts in a way that grabs people's attention. if that was an everyday talent, then we would all have crowds of thousands following us, wouldn't we?



it is with this in mind that I am going to try and connect some dots...as we stand at the edge of what i hope will be a turning point in american history, many artists have stepped up to talk about american values: equality, truth, living fearlessly, questioning the government when necessary, and standing as a beacon of freedom for all people,here and abroad. these are just some of the qualities that seperate america from other countries. the u.s. is really the only place in the world where you can go from having nothing, to expressing yourself on a national stage. that being said, please take a few moments to view the three following videos, even if you have seen them before, because as a set, they show what is important in the country and it is shown through the eyes of artists who have stood up, fearlessly, to express themselves and to give a voice to those who are not heard. it is important when artists are courageous, they mirror the society they are part of (not seperate from) and through their gifts and talents that they so generously share- they honor you and me.

god bless all artists, particularly, on this day, bruce springsteen and tom smothers and will.i.am....
(it should be noted that an important part is left off Tom's speech- he sacrificed his opportunity for a writing emmy in 1968 because he felt his controversial views regarding the nixon adminsitration and the vietnam war would hurt the success of his team, including a little known comedian named steve martin- tom, i gotta' say you are someone i admire greatly, and you sure were smart to marry such a classy, intelligent, good-lookin' gal. in our current political climate where people are being hoodwinked by sarah palin and her "folksiness", marcy is my ideal of a role model for my girls!)

section 8...

no not the thing klinger in MASH begged for and no not the housing for poor people...

section 8 is slipped into the bailout as proposed by the Bush adminsitration- not just Paulson, whether the president is brave enough to show his face or not, he is partly to blame for this situation...

once again, we find bush trying to play king and make a grab for unchecked power...this is what section 8 says:

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are
non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed
by
any court of law or any administrative agency.

This is what the president of the united states and his cabinet think of the american people. we are only here to enrich him, personally. when we ask for accountability he behaves as though we are stupid or disrespectful. in fact, it is this man who has blatantly disregarded the very foundations of this county, and he has been allowed to by the citizens of this country, because every time we start to catch on HE MAKES US AFRAID. being governed by fear, in your personal or political life, is no freedom.

i've said it before, and i will again- these are serious times and this country needs serious thoughtful people. keep your eye on chris dodd, whom i would have gladly supported for president, he is the lone voice talking about how important it is to proceed carefully and get this financial package right.

the time has come for each of us to decide that we are done being lied to, we are done being made afraid and we are ready to listen like adults to what thoughtful, reasonable people have to say.

please, please,please call or email your senator and representatives and ask them to make sure those 32 incendiary words are removed before any agreement is reached.

remembering...

keith olbermann had an important "special comment" last night. these are serious times that call for a serious leader.

today i will spend "patriot day" remembering all those lives lost on 9/11 and those lost in the war.
peace-

a word or two about mccain-palin

seriously? am i supposed to be impressed by a woman who brings so little to the table, and what she does bring is just so very troubling? was i supposed to be wowed by the white faces of the rnc behaving like "ugly americans" and attempting to drum up fear?


i watched the whole convention; i like to hear both sides of the equation and to be well-informed. i am definitely not what you would call a "low information voter".


first, we vote for the top of the ticket. mccain's choice of palin only serves to elucidate how the man makes decisions. what he reveals is that he is rash and reckless and will do anything to win the election, even when it is not in the best interest of this country. he has chosen someone he met only one time, who is involved in numerous scandals at home, who lies freely about her record and desires to bring her fundamentalist religious beliefs into the public square.

Next, mccain's willingness to conduct himself in a dishonorable fashion sickens me. he has been fully taken over by the extreme right wing, with karl rove leading the way.

also, it is not just a campaign slogan- mccain really does want to continue with bush's policies. on every issue, he has voted with the president and in his stated policies, there really is no light between the two men.

for me, the reckless behavior, the dishonor and policies are absolutely enough to keep me from voting for mccain and to inspire me to work for obama. however, it is not limited to the above...

mccain would like to dismantle public education in this country. for obvious reasons, this is completely offensive. he states that parents and students should be in charge of the system. unfortunately, what happens when public schools are privatized, the low performing students are pushed out. what you are left with is something we see often in CA- a two tier system: one largely white and middle class and the other minority and poor. In the poorer schools, you will see more emphasis on testing, no art, music, field trips, social studies or science. I absolutely agree that the NEA is going to need to come to the table on some issues, but until there is a real way to hold parents and students accountable, the system will remain broken.


next, the ticket refers to "victory" in Iraq. what does that look like exactly? will their gov't repay the massive debts we have racked up? will we be repaid in oil subsidies? i'd love to hear their description- which is not forthcoming.


also, mccain has little interest in improving our daily lives as is represented by his approach to the economy, social security, medicare and education.



finally, and this is the issue that is most aggravating to me, we do not live in a theocracy. God bless our founding fathers who assured us of that! religion does not belong in our politics, government or courts. i do not want mccain selecting the next supreme court justices. i won't stand idly by and allow our country's policies to be co-opted by a religious movement.



along the way people have tried to describe voters who support Barack Obama as easily influenced, naive, swayed by celebrity. this is all noise. the truth is that I, and many others I know, support him because he knows what we deal with everyday when it comes to the economy, our schools and families. further, he listens carefully. he is thoughtful and smart and does not make reckless decisions for himself or our country.this is one of the first times i am voting for somebody, rather than against somebody. so, no, I am not afraid and I will continue to send money to Obama/Biden and will look for other ways to volunteer to work for him.



if you are interested in a country that puts the people first, that restores peace, that represents the best of this country and celebrates it- then work for Obama, as well.

gratitude

on friday, it was time to wrap up another school year- kiss those kiddos good-bye and head out to a well deserved celebration. my entire family was brought up short by the sudden passing of tim russert. an all too visible reminder that we can be called home at any moment, no matter how much we prepare or how deeply we love- we will be going home.

my family and i have a deep sense of gratitude toward tim russert because he provided a true-life example of what it means to be a good man, a good Catholic and a good American. to fulfill each of those roles it takes shouldering responsibility and living hopefully. each demand that you question, question, question and that you have faith in God and in your fellow man.

as we celebrated father's day and our anniversary, we reflected on tim russert's passing and the example he set in the pure joy he had for his family and friends. we, too, feel blessed and in awe at having a front row seat as our children grow and mature. we are thrilled to have so many to share our everyday events with. we are thankful for our parents and the gifts they bestowed upon us.

i think that tim russert leaves an enormous legacy for his friends, his family and all of us; and that it is remarkable that one person can so impact our lives in the most powerful of ways- by his example.

(photo credit: AP, Alex Wong)

oh what a night

Yes. We. Can.

as andrew sullivan says, "know hope."
peace.

'nuf said

From Dick Cheney's Interview on the Anniversary of the Iraq War....

Q Let me go back to the Americans. Two-thirds of Americans say it's not worth fighting, and they're looking at the value gain versus the cost in American lives, certainly, and Iraqi lives.

THE VICE PRESIDENT: So?

Barack

it has been awhile since this blog got political- if you have seen me lately, though, you have probably heard enough from me about how i'll be voting on 2/5...

this is an amazing, accomplished, well spoken, yet everyday man...he is the person this country needs right now to bring us together and restore our standing in the world...

it is a long entry, but here are his remarks from the same pulpit MLK, Jr. used to reach out to the world. he speaks of faith, hope and empathy toward others- God bless him!

Please take the time to read what he has to say and pass it on! i've also linked to his website below.

Barack spoke today at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. His full
remarks as prepared for delivery follow ...

The Scripture tells us that when
Joshua and the Israelites arrived at the gates of Jericho, they could not
enter. The walls of the city were too steep for any one person to climb;
too strong to be taken down with brute force. And so they sat for days,
unable to pass on through. But God had a plan for his people.
He told them to stand together and march together around the city, and on the
seventh day he told them that when they heard the sound of the ram's horn, they
should speak with one voice. And at the chosen hour, when the horn sounded
and a chorus of voices cried out together, the mighty walls of Jericho came
tumbling down.There are many lessons to take from this passage, just as there
are many lessons to take from this day, just as there are many memories that
fill the space of this church. As I was thinking about which ones we need
to remember at this hour, my mind went back to the very beginning of the modern
Civil Rights Era. Because before Memphis and the mountaintop; before
the bridge in Selma and the march on Washington; before Birmingham and the
beatings; the fire hoses and the loss of those four little girls; before there
was King the icon and his magnificent dream, there was King the young preacher
and a people who found themselves suffering under the yoke of oppression. And on
the eve of the bus boycotts in Montgomery, at a time when many were still
doubtful about the possibilities of change, a time when those in the black
community mistrusted themselves, and at times mistrusted each other, King
inspired with words not of anger, but of an urgency that still speaks to us
today:"Unity is the great need of the hour" is what King said. Unity is
how we shall overcome. What Dr. King understood is that if just one person chose
to walk instead of ride the bus, those walls of oppression would not be
moved. But maybe if a few more walked, the foundation might start to
shake. If a few more women were willing to do what Rosa Parks had done,
maybe the cracks would start to show. If teenagers took freedom rides from
North to South, maybe a few bricks would come loose. Maybe if white folks
marched because they had come to understand that their freedom too was at stake
in the impending battle, the wall would begin to sway. And if enough
Americans were awakened to the injustice; if they joined together, North and
South, rich and poor, Christian and Jew, then perhaps that wall would come
tumbling down, and justice would flow like water, and righteousness like a
mighty stream.Unity is the great need of the hour – the great need of this
hour. Not because it sounds pleasant or because it makes us feel good, but
because it's the only way we can overcome the essential deficit that exists in
this country. I'm not talking about a budget deficit. I'm not talking
about a trade deficit. I'm not talking about a deficit of good ideas or
new plans. I'm talking about a moral deficit. I'm talking about an empathy
deficit. I'm taking about an inability to recognize ourselves in one
another; to understand that we are our brother's keeper; we are our sister's
keeper; that, in the words of Dr. King, we are all tied together in a single
garment of destiny. We have an empathy deficit when we're still sending our
children down corridors of shame – schools in the forgotten corners of America
where the color of your skin still affects the content of your education.We have
a deficit when CEOs are making more in ten minutes than some workers make in ten
months; when families lose their homes so that lenders make a profit; when
mothers can't afford a doctor when their children get sick.We have a deficit in
this country when there is Scooter Libby justice for some and Jena justice for
others; when our children see nooses hanging from a schoolyard tree today, in
the present, in the twenty-first century. We have a deficit when homeless
veterans sleep on the streets of our cities; when innocents are slaughtered in
the deserts of Darfur; when young Americans serve tour after tour of duty in a
war that should've never been authorized and never been waged.And we have a
deficit when it takes a breach in our levees to reveal a breach in our
compassion; when it takes a terrible storm to reveal the hungry that God calls
on us to feed; the sick He calls on us to care for; the least of these He
commands that we treat as our own. So we have a deficit to close. We have
walls – barriers to justice and equality – that must come down. And to do
this, we know that unity is the great need of this hour. Unfortunately, all too
often when we talk about unity in this country, we've come to believe that it
can be purchased on the cheap. We've come to believe that racial
reconciliation can come easily – that it's just a matter of a few ignorant
people trapped in the prejudices of the past, and that if the demagogues and
those who exploit our racial divisions will simply go away, then all our
problems would be solved. All too often, we seek to ignore the profound
institutional barriers that stand in the way of ensuring opportunity for all
children, or decent jobs for all people, or health care for those who are
sick. We long for unity, but are unwilling to pay the price. But of
course, true unity cannot be so easily won. It starts with a change in
attitudes – a broadening of our minds, and a broadening of our hearts. It's not
easy to stand in somebody else's shoes. It's not easy to see past our
differences. We've all encountered this in our own lives. But what
makes it even more difficult is that we have a politics in this country that
seeks to drive us apart – that puts up walls between us. We are told that those
who differ from us on a few things are different from us on all things; that our
problems are the fault of those who don't think like us or look like us or come
from where we do. The welfare queen is taking our tax money. The
immigrant is taking our jobs. The believer condemns the non-believer as
immoral, and the non-believer chides the believer as intolerant. For most of
this country's history, we in the African-American community have been at the
receiving end of man's inhumanity to man. And all of us understand
intimately the insidious role that race still sometimes plays – on the job, in
the schools, in our health care system, and in our criminal justice system. And
yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that none of our hands are
entirely clean. If we're honest with ourselves, we'll acknowledge that our
own community has not always been true to King's vision of a beloved community.
We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them. The
scourge of anti-Semitism has, at times, revealed itself in our community.
For too long, some of us have seen immigrants as competitors for jobs instead of
companions in the fight for opportunity. Every day, our politics fuels and
exploits this kind of division across all races and regions; across gender and
party. It is played out on television. It is sensationalized by the
media. And last week, it even crept into the campaign for President, with
charges and counter-charges that served to obscure the issues instead of
illuminating the critical choices we face as a nation. So let us say that on
this day of all days, each of us carries with us the task of changing our hearts
and minds. The division, the stereotypes, the scape-goating, the ease with
which we blame our plight on others – all of this distracts us from the common
challenges we face – war and poverty; injustice and inequality. We can no
longer afford to build ourselves up by tearing someone else down. We can
no longer afford to traffic in lies or fear or hate. It is the poison that
we must purge from our politics; the wall that we must tear down before the hour
grows too late. Because if Dr. King could love his jailor; if he
could call on the faithful who once sat where you do to forgive those who set
dogs and fire hoses upon them, then surely we can look past what divides us in
our time, and bind up our wounds, and erase the empathy deficit that exists in
our hearts. But if changing our hearts and minds is the first critical step, we
cannot stop there. It is not enough to bemoan the plight of poor children
in this country and remain unwilling to push our elected officials to provide
the resources to fix our schools. It is not enough to decry the
disparities of health care and yet allow the insurance companies and the drug
companies to block much-needed reforms. It is not enough for us to abhor
the costs of a misguided war, and yet allow ourselves to be driven by a politics
of fear that sees the threat of attack as way to scare up votes instead of a
call to come together around a common effort.The Scripture tells us that we are
judged not just by word, but by deed. And if we are to truly bring about
the unity that is so crucial in this time, we must find it within ourselves to
act on what we know; to understand that living up to this country's ideals and
its possibilities will require great effort and resources; sacrifice and
stamina.And that is what is at stake in the great political debate we are having
today. The changes that are needed are not just a matter of tinkering at the
edges, and they will not come if politicians simply tell us what we want to
hear. All of us will be called upon to make some sacrifice. None of
us will be exempt from responsibility. We will have to fight to fix our
schools, but we will also have to challenge ourselves to be better
parents. We will have to confront the biases in our criminal justice
system, but we will also have to acknowledge the deep-seated violence that still
resides in our own communities and marshal the will to break its grip. That is
how we will bring about the change we seek. That is how Dr. King led this
country through the wilderness. He did it with words – words that he spoke not
just to the children of slaves, but the children of slave owners. Words that
inspired not just black but also white; not just the Christian but the Jew; not
just the Southerner but also the Northerner. He led with words, but he also led
with deeds. He also led by example. He led by marching and going to
jail and suffering threats and being away from his family. He led by taking a
stand against a war, knowing full well that it would diminish his
popularity. He led by challenging our economic structures, understanding
that it would cause discomfort. Dr. King understood that unity cannot be
won on the cheap; that we would have to earn it through great effort and
determination.That is the unity – the hard-earned unity – that we need right
now. It is that effort, and that determination, that can transform blind
optimism into hope – the hope to imagine, and work for, and fight for what
seemed impossible before.The stories that give me such hope don't happen in the
spotlight. They don't happen on the presidential stage. They happen in the
quiet corners of our lives. They happen in the moments we least
expect. Let me give you an example of one of those stories.There is a
young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organizes for our
campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She's been working to organize a
mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and the
other day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling
their story and why they were there. And Ashley said that when she was nine
years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of
work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for
bankruptcy, and that's when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help
her mom.She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley
convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more
than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the
cheapest way to eat.She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she
told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so
that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and
need to help their parents too.So Ashley finishes her story and then goes around
the room and asks everyone else why they're supporting the campaign. They
all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific
issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who's been sitting
there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he's there.
And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or
the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not
say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone
in the room, "I am here because of Ashley." By itself, that single moment of
recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not
enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the
jobless, or education to our children.But it is where we begin. It is why
the walls in that room began to crack and shake. And if they can
shake in that room, they can shake in Atlanta. And if they can shake in Atlanta,
they can shake in Georgia. And if they can shake in Georgia, they can shake all
across America. And if enough of our voices join together; we can bring
those walls tumbling down. The walls of Jericho can finally come tumbling
down. That is our hope – but only if we pray together, and work together,
and march together. Brothers and sisters, we cannot walk alone. In the struggle
for peace and justice, we cannot walk alone. In the struggle for opportunity and
equality, we cannot walk alone In the struggle to heal this nation and repair
this world, we cannot walk alone. So I ask you to walk with me, and march with
me, and join your voice with mine, and together we will sing the song that tears
down the walls that divide us, and lift up an America that is truly indivisible,
with liberty, and justice, for all. May God bless the memory of the great
pastor of this church, and may God bless the United States of America.