- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 16, 2023
We understand the physics of energy.
“A body in motion will stay in motion, a body at rest will stay at rest.”
We know, what it takes to change direction, right?
"Energy, aka a force of nature"
So, what gave Dr. King the courage to harness enough energy to move a nation at rest? And to create enough energy to move the nation into a new era? Here are 3 practices that I believe Dr. King did more consistently and skillfully than most of us.
1. Dr. King believed that the best way to challenge a pervasive reality is to own the narrative on an even bigger, better, more livable one.
2 - Dr. King challenged an imagined reality with a better dream. The dream that we could live together with our differences and still live fulfilled lives.
3 - Dr. King trusted that on the fringes of a very constrained reality, we could dream outside the lines to believe another life was possible.
I HAVE A DREAM....
Today's Reflection
I plan to celebrate by spending time today to reflect on: 1- What dreaming is meant to do and 2 - What courage looks like in the face of a reality that is so stubborn about taking a new form.
No matter how still change feels at times, I believe Dr. King would be pleased that so many of us are able to live in a dream that he thought was possible.
Still work to do but we are headed towards the Promised Land.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speaking. (Photo by Julian Wasser//Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)
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Updated: Mar 30
I was sight singing with our son before he did his piano playing. First, we rhythm read, sing the notes, then play.
When I asked, "Did you see a pattern in the notes?" He pointed and said "It's an incomplete arpeggio."
So, I sang " I can sing high and sing low." The lyrics match In the sound of an arpeggio. The exercise is a well known vocal warm-up. And, an easy way for you to vocally manoever an arpeggio in any key.
Well, it is a hot and cold, tug of war with practice with our daughter. But today, she finished her practice and said "May I share a song with you to help Jason with arpeggios?"
The wonderful song is below.
Then, I asked her why she gives me such a rough time for her to practice. Especially, if she loves this song and its lyrics.
She giggled and ran away.
I guess you just never know how practicing with them is going to show up in how they live life with you. I was glad to learn something new about our daughter; and,of course, her brother was delighted by such a classic.
original post (1.8.2015)
- 2 min read
Ms. Juanita Moore's Academy nominated performance in Imitation of Life defined a point of view for my mother. She had spoken to me, my sisters, my Dad and herself about this film since my earliest recollection.
Long before I ever saw the movie, I knew the plot, cold.
The movie was also made in one of my favorite periods in the coverage of sociopolitical topics of blackness in film and theater. There was an opening for the discussion of real topics in films like Imitation of Life or Guess who's Coming to Dinner, and plays like Raisin in the Sun. The field of topics narrowed for more than a decade until the emergence of She's Gotta Have It.
I also love movies made in this period because they are free from limitations of the category: Black film/movie/theater as it exists does today. People saw Imitation of Life because the acting was good and the premise was powerful.
I've always longed for more films that dealt with the challenging issues and an emerging desegregated mindset, in the context of an evolving society.
Why did those great movies stop? Maybe because of the powerful community impact and the real life pressure of civil rights resolution.
As I reflect on the post originally written in 2014 at the announcement of Ms. Moore's death, I am in awe of Meghan Markle. Meghan embodies the complexity of race portrayed in Imitation of Life. And, yet, unlike the movie plot, she stands proudly in her identity and her love for her mother. I wish both Juanita and my Hyacinth had lived to witness.
The times have changed.
Written for Hyacinth Grenville.
Photo: Juanita Moore, left, and Susan Kohner in “Imitation of Life.”Universal Pictures
See more about the film here:https://www.nytimes.com/watching/titles/imitation-of-life