I never do this, but just now watching the singing of the
Star Spangled Banner, I broke into tears. There standing at the Lincoln Memorial were President's Obama, Clinton and Carter, that great civil rights advocate Rep. John Lewis, Carolyn Kennedy and for some reason all the history both personally politically for me, and corporately as a US body flashed before my eyes. I remember Vietnam protests, the assassinations of the Kennedy's, Watergate, El Salvador, Iraq, Afghanistan etc. I remember making my citizenship and running for congress and there embodied much of that history standing at the Lincoln Memorial.
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National Anthem. 
For a flute solo in an elementary school talent contest. 
There were only three of us (black kids) in my grade that year! My father was always a trouble maker! 
The struggle continues! 
He really was a trouble maker. He was the President of the School Board at the time and was upset that the music program budget didn't get passed! 
Now my grandfather - he was a champion for black prosperity. He did it his way - but even though he had to 'buy people off' to vote - he did it. He couldn't get a job on Wall Street - so he made his money the liquor way. He sent his 9 surviving kids to University/college at a time when MOST black kids dropped out of school in the late grade school/early middle school years. His sacrifice and law breaking and chutzpah and the resulting prosperity touches on three year olds in my family today. And probably for a few more generations.
I think he would get a kick out of this today.
