UTHRT: Happy New Year 2018!

Dear Friends,

Happy New Year 2018!

A year is gone; another year is here. The year 2017 has been a great year! I learned a great deal, traveled and grew.

What did I learn this year?  2017 taught me that life is like a Super Bowl Finale!  The opposing teams adorned in red and blue.  For centuries, they have been the only teams playing in the finale, altering wins and losses, with hardly anybody pressing to understand why.

For the last eight years, the quarterback of the blue team was a black man; despite his mother being Caucasian with English ancestry. The math genius in this country decided any equation with a black element, equal black, and we accept it without questioning.

He entered the game with a smile and an aura of hope and change, and directed his team toward the end zone with “Yes, We Can!”. The majority of American people believed him, trusted him, and handed him the key to the white house. He brought his beautiful wife and daughters. He kept the place clean of scandals, worked to fix the flooded basement from economic collapse and wanted healthcare for all Americans.

A black family in the white house triggered old fears in the neighborhood. Some people resigned to name callings. As a result, the black quarterback was called, a “liar”, “a food stamp president”, “secret Muslim”- While others questioned his academic credential, his birth certificate, and referred to the first lady as character from “the planet of the apes”. But, as Jean Jacques Rousseau understood it, “insults are the arguments employed by those who are in the wrong.”

I recalled when the first finale was played on July 4, 1776, the stadium was freed from the British, the leaders of the revolution proclaimed “All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” but, when it came to applying those principles, blacks were denied entry, seat, and ticket sale. They were only brought to the stadium after the game to clean, maintain and rebuild it without pay; because they were not viewed as “All men”. Women were regarded as a second-class citizen with no right to vote. This is the history we inherited, and we should not forget, as George Santayana said: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it”.

Today, the red team is dominating the game with a new brand, and there is a new tenant in the white house, but the ticket sell owners are still the same. They sell more tickets than seats! If innocent Americans ask for a refund, they threaten them to stop the game and shut the stadium; then we walk away saying “they are too big to fail.” They make more money, refuse to pay the same tax rate, and let ordinary people bear the cost of maintaining the stadium. They bought the sound and video systems, so they can sell what they want, elect who they want, demonize who they want, in name of freedom of expression.

There will be another Super bowl final in 2018. The same teams will play the final. The game will be sold out. At haft-time, they will show us new items to buy, so we can be happier. But, until the stadium, its facilities and tickets sale benefit all without distinction of race, religion and background--until a fair tax policy guaranties equal rights to education, housing, and healthcare, and money stays out of politics (truth be told, the game will be rigged), and it will only serve an entertainment purpose.

My travels took me to America’s small towns. Along the way, I met people, listened to their stories, and attended friends’ graduation celebrations. When the time came to part, I wished them the best, knowing despite our differences, we all love this country, and we are in it together in the journey of the pursuit of happiness. My other voyage led me to the library, books carried me around the world, I witnessed stories and learned from their authors, and each time, I finished a book, I took the time to thank its author for their story, thoughts, and concerns.

Through the year of 2017, I grew by carrying on the one hand, One Heart for Africa Organization, and on the other hand, Under the Human Rights Tree blog. The experience of sharing creates a balance, and as Nelson Mandela put it, “It always seems impossible until it is done.”, thank you for your support, I really appreciate it!

2017 is gone and 2018 is here now. I am prepared to embrace this year with hope, and wish you and your loved ones, Happy New Year 2018! Let’s “give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life.” Mark Twain.

Sincerely,

Alpha