I’m On Key With Alicia
The morning after the Super Bowl, and more to the point, the Usher Super Bowl halftime show, I was shocked to discover the number of perfect people who exist in the world. And those people had a field day flaunting their perfection while going all the way in on Alicia Keys’ supposed off notes during her duet with Mr. RA-YM-OND. Since I’m not perfect I don’t know the rules. But apparently, perfectionists are duty-bound to magnify any moments they deem as less-than-perfect given to the world by imperfect beings. Perfect people, I’m learning, possess a special kind of courage that emboldens them to say anything – online – to belittle, humble, and/or castigate individuals foolish enough to give their imperfect efforts to the world, i.e. a teacher’s lecture, a pastor’s sermon, a parent’s child-rearing decision, etc. You may roll with the perfect people, but given the choice, I’m hanging with other imperfect souls like myself: folk who need a little grace and mercy every now and then, folk who give their best but sometimes fall short, yet they keep on keeping on.
No Justice, Just Us
Last year, trucker driver Jadarrius Rose surrendered to police after a supposed chase. Yet, while on his knees with his hands up, a K-9 officer (Ryan Speakman) sicced his dog on Rose even while state troopers shouted for Speakman to restrain the animal. The attack recalled scenes from slavery when “Slave Patrols,” precursors to modern-day police departments, allowed dogs to literally mangle and eat Blacks seeking freedom. Circleville, Ohio settled with Rose (24) for $225K, yet those emotional scars will stay with him for life, especially when he recalls that the police encountered him for committing the “violent crime” of driving while missing a mudflap. Even worse, Speakman will get paid too ($40K), and get a “neutral” reference letter from Circleville PD so he can continue patrolling Blacks, just with a different “Slave Patrol.” “What happened to Jadarrius can never be remedied,” said Rose’s attorney Kenneth Abbarno. “This has permanently altered how he’s going to encounter law enforcement for the rest of his life.”
Simply Beautiful
The legendary singer Al Green has my timeless classics than I have space to list: “Let’s Stay Together,” “Love and Happiness,” “For the Good Times,” etc. But my all-time favorite cut by Green is “Simply Beautiful.” That song gets me every single time I hear it. I mean, even the name of the song is… simply beautiful. But what happened about a week-and-a-half ago in D.C., when a U.S. congressman from Texas, ironically named, Al Green, got up out of his hospital bed, after going through abdominal surgery, rushed over to the U.S. Capitol, and cast what was basically the deciding vote to kill GOP efforts to impeach U.S. Rep. Mayorkas for failing to detain (imprison) a sufficient number of immigrants. The Republican Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, said afterwards he called for the vote because he knew Green was in the hospital. But with the votes tied (215 – 215), and time running out, in comes Green, basically in his hospital gown, to cast the deciding vote. Even more beautiful, Green said “I didn’t come assuming that my vote was going to make a difference, I came because it was personal.” We all need to exhibit that kind of simply beautiful commitment to doing good, whether it’s voting, keeping our communities clean, teaching “our story,” or fighting the powers that be.
