William Barber said last night what I’ve waited to hear. He said it at the Democratic National Convention. Amen!
Views from the Edge
To See More Clearly
William Barber said last night what I’ve waited to hear. He said it at the Democratic National Convention. Amen!
Views from the Edge 
What a wonderful speech!!! I have heard him speak before at a Moral Monday rally and have always like what he says. His social activism is contributing so much, and I hope it will have some effect on NC. It is certainly needed here, and he has had the courage to continue leading in a state which does not respect or care for those who deserve to be respected and loved.
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Cynthia, I knew you would be familiar with him and supportive of Moral Monday. His voice is very powerful in the tradition of great black preaching.
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It sure is! (I’m referring to his voice and his style.)
Cynthia
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This guy is from Disciples of Christ tradition. Very interesting and powerful voice. I spent a day with Otis Moss III in May. He followed Jeremiah Wright at Obama’s old church (Trinity UCC) in Chicago and author of Blue Note Preaching.
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I thought his presentation was riveting and amazing. So glad you posted this as CA missed it.
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It stood out from all the references to American exceptionalism. I was not happy last night. Neither was Bernie from the look on his face and his body posture. He looked like he’d been betrayed.
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I understand your point. I want us to be the best country we can be by looking outward and being open and kind, not thinking that we as a country are the best at knowing what is right when obviously we don’t.
I’ve been scared the last few months because so many Americans are comfortable saying they are against this view of how we should behave with each other and with the rest of the world. They say this by pledging their vote for Donald Trump.
As I watched the convention last night, I was only slightly jarred by what you refer to as references to American exceptionalism. I saw it for what it was, a hopeful strategy mixed with the message of taking care of each other and being open to change that will make us better citizens of the world. I feel pessimistic about whether a Trump follower would ever change their mind, but approaching them where they are, with language they can understand, may be the best chance of getting them to actually think about what they’re doing.
When you’re talking to lots of different people at the same time, as they were last night, the parts meant for those who don’t already think as you do can feel very jarring. I think that finding a balance was one of the reasons why William Barber was invited to speak. It’s hard to compose the perfect thing to say to sway people who blindly follow a dangerous leader. The convention as a whole made me feel a bit hopeful that they gave it a good try.
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Hi, Shadow, and thank you for taking the time to share your thoughtful reflection about last night. I almost wrote a piece criticizing the heavy use of military and police during the prime TV hour last night and the use of exceptionalism, but your comment leads me to think better of it. It was interesting, though, that the Mothers of Black Lives Matter, who had lost children to police violence, were given equal time but NOT on the final night of the convention. Also interesting was the almost complete absence of references to the one percent. Almost all the talk was about the middle class — almost nothing on the upper class or the underclass. William Barber was the voice of Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, and Jesus! He called for a resuscitation of the heart and for justice on the streets. “Justice is love made public.” It’s not a bullet to the head.
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