Obama Inaurguration - I Have A Dream II

Image by BL1961 via FlickrMany people watching Barack Obama's inauguration missed the fact that Dr. Martin Luther King's friend Rev. Lowery launched "I Have A Dream II" in the controversial last prayer. It was not an attack on White people let, me explain.

Reverend Joseph Lowery's closing prayer confused some as a result of Cultural Illiteracy and some because of their anti-humanism. If you simply do not know the original "If you're Black Get Back" Poem I can fix that right now.

Let's listen to the honorable Rev. Lowery's I have a Dream II poetry and then lets look at the original "If you're Black Get Back" poetry used to teach African American youth the nature of ethnic relations in the America I grew up in. If you are Culturally Illiterate regarding African American culture then most of what you hear about Black people will only confuse you.

Closing Prayer Gets Some Laughs


Now look at the original "Black Get Back Poem":

"If you're White, you're all right. If you're brown, stick around, but if you're Black, get back."

Now lets look at the Lowery Revised "Black Get Back Poem" (I Have A Dream II)

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when Black will not be asked to get back, when Brown can stick around, when Yellow will be mellow, when the Red man can get ahead, man; and when White will embrace what is right. Let all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen. Say Amen. And Amen.

Source: Wikipedia I corrected the wiki "give" Back with the speech GET Back. Ethnic capitalization errors have been adjusted for Cultural Health.

As a child I and most African Americans that I know were told the "Get Back Black Poem" by their parents or street parents. Our honorable Elder was on one level correcting the Cultural Poisoning induced into the veins of millions of us Black people.

Republican social conservatives (anti-humanists) have tried to spin this into a "racist" speech. Don't believe the hype. This is what I said to them.

To Reverend Lowery's benediction I say, AMEN! This is what every Culturally Literate African American and Cultural Humanists said. Yes, there was some Cultural Poisoning in the benediction, I would not use the terms red, and yellow to describe my Native American and Asian American brothers and sisters but I understood what was meant in the very familiar peculiar American poetry.

Finally, we should note as a matter of Cultural Literacy the remarkable ethnic specificity of adding the five major ethnic groups in America by description and desired Cultural Health outcome, WoW, Powerful! Of particular note is Lowery's courage in touching the "Indian" third rail of mentioning our Native American citizens. This is why I call it the "I Have A Dream Speech II"

Cultural Literacy Minute: If you are Culturally Illiterate regarding the other ethnic groups in our multi-ethnic Nation, then most things you hear about "race" will only confuse you.

In this new ere of American REsponsibility, it is time to CHANGE, ask questions, improve your Cultural Health.

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