On This Day in 1968: A Few Wrong Reactions

I was a junior in high school on this day April 4, 1968. Dr. Martin Luther King was in Memphis, Tennessee to support the striking garbage workers and was assassinated. After the assassination of Dr. King made the news, a white man on a Philly trolley joked about Dr. King dying with the garbage. On that same trolley, a young black man had trouble ignoring what he heard. I think it was best for the response to be no more than a verbal one, but he responded to the put down of Dr. King by punching the man in the mouth. That might have made the young man feel good at the time, but I wonder how he felt later dealing with the police and the charges brought up against him in court.

After school that day, I along with other students headed home on the #26 bus. Philly high school students rode back and forth to school with the general public and not on yellow school buses. We always packed the bus. A few white men and male high school students from a nearby parochial school sitting in the back and getting off the bus at back door suffered punches from black male students except for one. Pete, a white high school student lived in the neighborhood and was like family to those who lived on his block. The neighborhood guys barricaded him from the punches.

Dr. King suffered much as a civil rights leader, especially due to his belief in non-violence. Regardless of what he verbally and physically endured, you never heard about him talking nasty and insulting to anyone. You never heard about getting physical with anyone. These reactions on a Philly trolley and bus to Dr. King’s death were wrong. They were an affront to his non-violent legacy.

African Teen Wowing MIT

Ah, I love hearing of inspiring determination stories. This one is bout 15-Year-Old Kelvin Doe of Sierra Leone. Watch the video:

I blogged about another inspiring determination story  back in 2008. Go here to a link from my former blog on William Kamkwamba who as a young teen in Malawi had not attended school for 5 years, learned how to harness the wind with only the aid of a few library books and some bicycle parts.

Lost 200 Pounds to Serve

This a great inspiring ‘you can do it’ story. Look at J. Roundtree before and after photo. He lost 200 pounds, because he wanted to serve his country in the military. He comes from a military family. Find out more from the video.

As If We Did not Know! Drugs Did It to Whitney Houston

I loved the voice of Whitney Houston until she lost it due to her personal illegal drug loving behavior. I remember my late father who was a scoffer of  90% of the singers of popular music, thought Whitney was special and a true exception among the untalented popular million selling record artists. I loved her music through the soundtrack of the movie, the Preacher’s Wife. After that, her music went hip hop (because some said her music was too white sounding) which did not make the best of her vocal abilities. I also think the drugs had already made their disastrous effects on her vocal chords. Singing songs in the hip hop style did not require her once beautiful vocal range.

With the Coroner’s Office releasing the official autopsy report, one can see that this woman destroyed herself with drugs. I started to do this post when the reports came out on the web that she died from the legal prescription, Xanax and liquor. That would have made it easier to take, well at least for her family. What stopped me, was hearing Whoppi Goldberg expressing the Xanax/liquor thing was not official and that we really do not know what killed her, so I waited for the official report thinking it could be worse. But really, Ms. Goldberg was saying that to deflect from the suspected illegal drug taking and those she considers to be self-righteous who were already saying “See, I told you so.” Well, now we know and we were told so!

Whitney Houston died from an accidental drowning. Cocaine, marijuana, anti-anxiety Xanax,  muscle relaxant Flexeril and Benadryl were found in her system. The report also said that Whitney Houston had drug related heart disease and that cocaine contributed to her death. Cocaine was not found anywhere in her hotel suite; thus, someone was enabling her while she was reportedly off illegal drugs. Whitney Houston claimed salvation through Jesus Christ, but allowed her death bound fleshly passions to take the major stage and as the final result, she is   dead at 48 years of age.

Additional: Go here to read more about the official autopsy report.

A Blessed and Remarkable Life

What a powerful conviction I get whenever I listen to or read about the latest in the life of Joni Eareckson Tada. Really, with all my problems, I have nothing to complain about.  Joni became a quadriplegic due to a diving accident at age 17 and in recent years, battled breast cancer. Joni Eareckson Tada continues to live a blessed and remarkable life. This video is from last month around the time she received NRB (National Religious Broadcasters) award. It is part 1. There does not appear to be a part 2 yet.

Joni Eareckson Tada will also receive the Wilberforce Award. Read about her thoughts on winning this award and on the growing mentality of ‘being better off dead than disabled’ here.