Rainbows in the clouds
I had a chance to see a personal hero of mine last night, and she inspired me like I knew she would. Maya Angelou, the Renaissance Woman — author, playwright, poet, actress, civil rights activist — read aloud her new poem “A Pledge to Rescue Our Youth” at the 15th Annual “A King Celebration Concert” by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Chapel at Morehouse College.
The poem was meaningful, written specifically for young men and women of color, imploring them to “Come up from the gloom of national neglect, you have already been paid for./ Come out of the shadow of irrational prejudice, you owe no racial debt to history.”
To tell the truth, Dr. Angelou could read a set of Mapquest directions and I’d get chill bumps. Her voice itself is so commanding. But the woman uses it for good. And while the night belonged to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, who died a year ago, I knew she also spoke for me, a lesbian.
Dr. Angelou spoke about the “rainbow in the clouds,” a lyric from an African-American slave song. If you put something shiny and beautiful in a dark place, than hope will always be alive, she said.
Well, we all know the rainbow is our symbol, although some fundamental Christians want to “take it back.” So I decided in my mind that, yes, our rainbow symbol and we as queer people must continue to provide hope for others by shining, even during dark moments in our lives and history.
Dr. Angelou is famous for her quotes as well, and many notable ones include speaking on behalf of gays.
“I will not sit in a group of black friends and hear racial pejoratives against whites. I will not hear ‘honky.’ I will not hear ‘Jap.’ I will not hear ‘kike.’ I will not hear ‘greaser.’ I will not hear ‘dago.’ I will not hear it. As soon as I hear it, I say, ‘Excuse me, I have to leave. Sorry. Or if it’s in my home, I say, ‘You have to leave. I can’t have that. That is poison, and I know it is poison, and you’re smearing it on me. I will not have it,” she said in an interview with the .
She went on to say in the interview that people must have the courage to stand up to people who belittle others they perceive as different.
“Sooner or later, you’ll be able to say out loud, ‘Just a minute. I defend that person. I will not have gay bashing, lesbian bashing. Not in my company. I will not do it.’"
When Mrs. King died, the mainstream media hardly mentioned in news articles and obituaries her dedication to gay rights and to ending HIV/AIDS in addition to all the other human rights issues for which she worked. Her fight for human rights were a part of her own legacy as well as keeping the torch alive of her husband’s enduring legacy.
But Dr. Angelou made sure this aspect of her beloved friend’s life was noted. Speaking during Mrs. King’s funeral, standing in anti-gay Bishop Eddie Long’s megachurch where members of the infamous “God Hates Fags” Westboro Baptist Church were camped out front taunting those attending the funeral, Dr. Angelou let it be known Mrs. King cared for us, too.
“Born of flesh and destined to become iron. Born a corn flower and destined to become a steel magnolia. She loved her church fervently. She loved and adored her husband and her children. She cherished her race,” Dr. Angelou said at the funeral.
“She cherished women. She cared for the conditions of human beings, of Native Americans and Latin — Latino and Asian Americans. She cared for gay and straight people.”
As we honor Dr. and Mrs. King this weekend, let’s enjoy the parties and, for some of us, the day off. But let’s also be dedicated to being rainbows in the clouds.
(The concert will be broadcast nationwide Monday, Jan. 15, on NPR stations, including Atlanta affiliates WABE 90.1 FM and WCLK 91.9 FM.)
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Posted by 4health on 01-18-2007 at 02:01 pm
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