February 19, 2020
Page 9
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O PINION
Join Us For the
COBID OUTREACH EVENT
Contractors and consultants are invited to speak
with our primes and project managers about
current and future business opportunities with
PCC, including upcoming capital projects and
Facilities Management Services trade services
needs.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH
6 PM - 7:30 PM
Sylvania Campus
College Center Building (CC), Upper Mall
12000 SW 49th Ave.
Portland, OR 97219
Be Ever Vigilant: No Turning Back
Cheer black
progress but still
speak out
m arian W right
e delman
A new Black
History Month ad
by Google featuring
some of the search
engine’s “most searched” terms has
gained a lot of attention. It begins
with a simple statement: “There are
moments in American history that
captivate us all.” Viewers then see
images from the top Google search-
es for 20 of those historic moments.
As the ad ends with the “most
searched speech” and a clip of Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. sharing his
dream for America at the March
on Washington, we see that all of
these celebrated moments and ac-
complishments feature black Amer-
icans.
At too many points in our na-
tional experience, black history and
American history have seemed to
tell different stories. But we need
to continue to search out and cele-
brate every moment where we see
the threads of our separate stories
woven together.
Native American history, black
history, Latino history, Asian
American history, women’s histo-
ry, immigrant history, and LGBTQ
history—are all American history.
President Barack Obama’s election
was a nation defining moment. On
the day of his first inauguration, the
sea of nearly two million multicol-
ored faces cheering together on the
National Mall confirmed its historic
impact, not just for black Ameri-
by
cans, but for all Americans.
In today’s tumultuous times it
often feels as if our nation is veer-
ing off course and our divisions are
being exploited and threat-
ening to unravel our national
fabric. In this current election
year, I hope we can reaffirm
the promise and hope of that
moment.
Everywhere one looked on
that historic day there were
reminders of how black history and
American history converge. Jour-
nalists pointed out that our Capitol
was built with slave labor and our
National Mall sits on land that once
held slave markets.
At the opening ceremony at
the Lincoln Memorial the Sunday
before his swearing in, President
Obama, surrounded by monuments
to our most revered leaders, remind-
ed our nation of that “most searched
speech” that took place on that sa-
cred ground: “Directly in front of us
is a pool that still reflects the dream
of a King, and the glory of a people
who marched and bled so that their
children might be judged by their
character’s content.” Civil rights
giants Dr. Dorothy Height and John
Lewis, members of the World War
II Tuskegee Airmen, and many oth-
er trailblazers for liberty bore quiet
witness by their presence.
During the inauguration cere-
mony the late Aretha Franklin, the
Queen of Soul, sang “My Coun-
try ’Tis of Thee” and reminded all
Americans of our nation’s origi-
nal promise to “let freedom ring.”
During his benediction, Rev. Joseph
Lowery quoted a stanza of the song
we call our Negro National Anthem,
James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Ev-
ery Voice and Sing”:
For all of us who immediately
recognized those beloved words
the symbolism was overwhelming.
For over a hundred years, every
time that hymn has been played in
church sanctuaries, school auditori-
ums, or community meetings it al-
lowed black Americans to sing our
own song about our faith in Ameri-
ca’s promise of liberty and hope for
the future.
Rev. Lowery didn’t recite every
line, like those that speak of the
bitter obstacles overcome and the
bloodshed along the way. He didn’t
need to. As part of the blessing of
our nation and its new President, the
Negro National Anthem became—
at long last—part of the larger
American hymn. And as President
Barack Obama’s name was added to
a list that began with George Wash-
ington and First Lady Michelle
Obama graciously stepped into her
role, we watched with pride the next
chapters in Black and American
history coming together before our
eyes.
The book is still being written. As
we celebrate Black History Month
this year, this is a time to celebrate
and cheer past progress but it is no
time to drop our vigilance.
All Americans must remain vigi-
lant and help our nation move ahead
to fully include all its peoples. All of
the people beginning with its chil-
dren. We must continue to speak
out, organize, vote and challenge
any effort to undermine the progress
made to date. We’ve come this far
along the way and must continue to
work for a nation where no child is
left behind.
Marian Wright Edelman is
founder and president emerita of the
Children’s Defense Fund.
Appetizers and
refreshments provided
RSVP and Questions:
John MacLean,
john.maclean1@pcc.edu,
971-722-8435