Last night my husband and I went to hear Bobby Seale speak in Corvallis. We had gotten an invitation in the mail from the Corvallis branch of the NAACP to attend their dinner and listen to their guest speaker Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panthers.
I was born in 1964, I lived in a "white" section of town and really did not hear about racial concerns. Or, perhaps I chose to be ingnorant and live blissfully. I tend to believe the latter, as anyone could ask me about matters in the news from the mid-70s to the late-80s and I would know very little. Perhaps this is because I was a kid and had no time for television, or maybe it was my way of protecting myself. Again, I think it's more than likely, the latter.
The speech was fascinating to me (because now, I pay attention and think "wow, that really happened?" or, "no way!") I would say the majority of the audience enjoyed listening to what Mr. Seale had to say. There were some that looked somewhat skeptical and it was obvious that they did not stand at the end when the evening had concluded.
Whatever their reasons, I like that they did not stand... here's why: to follow a crowd is easy; to follow yourself takes more personal strength.
I've always had something inside me that doesn't want to listen when someone tells me what to do. If you ask, I'm fine and will help you all the way. This came to me in a rush of realization when the first speaker of the evening said "good evening," we said "good evening" in return, but it wasn't good enough. We had to say it over and over until the speaker (not Bobby Seale) was satisfied. Another example of this is we are asked to stand, sing, hold hands, etc. I'm not into it. Please don't expect me to go along, just because it's what everyone else is doing. I appreciate those people who did not stand at the end of Mr. Seale's speach, as it seemed like it was the thing to do...well, I guess I had something I needed to say.
I enjoyed last evening very much and hope to be able to attend more talks, speeches, what-have-you and learn about the history that I have lived through with my eyes shut.
I'm doing something very different this evening than last... I wonder what I'll learn?
Power to the People,
~ch
4 comments:
My! That was was a terrific story you told. I only know what was going on in the 60's and 70's because I watch documentaries on PBS. I knew there were riots, but I didn't know why.
Yes, I understand your rebellion against being manipulated.
His name is spelled "Seale".
Whoops, sorry for my bad spelling!
What new adventure have you been on?
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