October 19, 2008
He, too, sang America
Colin Powell, saying what needed to be said:
...I'm also troubled by – not what Senator McCain says – but what members of the Party say, and it is permitted to be said: such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is he is not a Muslim. He's a Christian; has always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, "What if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country?" The answer's "No, that's not America." Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim American kid believing that he or she could be President? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own Party drop the suggestion he's Muslim and he might be associated with terrorists. This is not the way we should be doing it in America.I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery. And she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards – Purple Heart, Bronze Star; showed that he died in Iraq; gave his date of birth, date of death. He was twenty years old. And then at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross. It didn't have a Star of David. It had a crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Karim Rashad Sultan Kahn. And he was an American. He was born in New Jersey, he was fourteen ye ars old at the time of 9/11 and he waited until he could go serve his country and he gave his life.
Now, we have got to stop polarizing ourself in this way. And John McCain is as non-discriminatory as anyone I know. But I'm troubled about the fact that within the Party we have these kinds of expressions.
In the words of Langston Hughes:
I, too, sing America.I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.Tomorrow,
I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--I, too, am America.
| Printer-friendly version
Thank you for posting this. A friend of mine had this picture up on his blog but I had not yet read Colin Powell's comments refering to this photo. Thanks.
Posted by: Kim at October 19, 2008 05:47 PMYou can judge a person by their friends. In the same respect, you can judge a political candidate by the people in their party.
Senator McCain is directly responsible for what members of his party say even if he says nothing himself.
Tom
Green Laser Modules
Kim and Tom, thanks for your comments.
I updated this post to include a link to the original image Gen. Powell referenced in his statement. (The full context can be found here: http://www.newyorker.com/online/2008/09/29/slideshow_080929_platon?slide=16#showHeader
Also, here is the guestbook for the family of Kareem Kahn: http://obits.cleveland.com/WashingtonPost/GB/GuestBookView.aspx?PersonID=92405617 As you can see, it has gotten a spike in visitors since the endorsement.
Posted by: Yvette at October 21, 2008 10:45 AMThank you for this post. I am looking forward to the day when we (Christians) can simply love as Jesus did - a love that bridges party lines, skin color, race and religious beliefs. He died for all of us.
Posted by: Linda Van Fleet at December 1, 2008 10:27 AM