History in the Making . . .

~~ by tkbrown ~~

20 January 2021 — Today, as the world looked on, we here in the United States of America were writing history books. The recent past has been filled with opinions, opines, differences, similarities, divisions, bridges, peacemakers, rioters, love, hate, sickness, health, and all that is in-between. Each new day brought its own headline: Covid-19, politics, the politics of the virus, mutations, commutations, charges, pardons, verdicts, blame, and forgiveness. Some have learned and gained from the lessons of the past year while others have lost–both literally and figuratively. In the end, it all came down to today. The world saw a whole new view in America: a woman — Kamala Harris — was sworn in as Vice-President.

The concept of seeing a woman positioned as a leader in the upper echelons is new to America. There have been inroads toward this moment for at least a century and a half. While other countries around the world reached this milestone long ago, America — the comparatively new kid on the block — took her time. Many women have attempted to attain the goal of President or Vice-President, but all have fallen short of the achievement–until today. Kamala Harris set her eyes upon this goal some time ago. Today, as an African American, South Asian American, female American — the daughter of immigrants who chose to make America their home — was sworn in as Vice-President of the United States of America. Vice-President Harris achieved her goal.

There are those who say America is made up of bigoted racists. I believe today proved them wrong. As my old mother used to say, “The proof is in the pudding.” Today, the pudding in America’s melting pot rang true, and no victory could be finer. Once again, America has stood to the task and proved her ideals are still “alive and kicking.” When put to the test, Americans are winners, if they choose to be.

As a child, I was taught to never act in a racist manner toward any other person regardless of that person’s color or country of origin. As a teenager, I wrote my first poem about race relations. When my children were young, I began advocating for the underprivileged including children, people with disabilities, and people of color. As my children grew to adulthood, I tried to instill a respect toward all people and I continued my advocacy in the professional realm.

As we turned the page to a new chapter in America’s history, today the world witnessed the true potential for all who choose to make America their home. May God Bless America and all who live within her borders, and may we show the world the true colors of love and acceptance.

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Picture Above: by Gerd Altman @pixabay.com.

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Today in History: 24 May

1944: First Telegraphic Message Sent

Samuel B Morse, on 24 May 1944, sent the first telegram from the U.S. Capitol to his fellow researcher–Alfred Vail–at a railroad station in Baltimore, Maryland. The historic event, witnessed by members of Congress, messaged — ‘What hath God wrought.’ The words were taken from the Bible.

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Source:

Eds. Today in History. (24 May 2020). “Today in History: May 24.” Microsoft News @msn.com. (24 May 2020). https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/today-in-history-may-24/ss-BB1430Te?ocid=msedgdhp#image=2.

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Image above: from “Today in History.” Copyright: Authenticated News/Getty Images.

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Today in History: 15 May

1930 – First Female Flight Attendant Takes to the Skies

Today in History shares several important events that occurred on various years throughout the 20th century on 15 May. “In 1930, Ellen E Church and seven other women became the first female flight attendants in aviation history.” Ellen had convinced men in charge of aviation to employ women as flight attendants. She said, “Don’t you think it would be good psychology to have women up in the air? How is a man going to say he is afraid to fly when a woman is working on the plane?”

Copyright for photo above: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

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Copyright: Bettmann/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
15 May 1942: Start of Gasoline Rationing

On this day in 1942, Gasoline rationing was implemented in the United States to free a portion of the supply to provide for the needs of World War II. As the year progressed, all 50 states mandated gasoline rationing (Eds. Today in History, 15 May 2020).

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Copyright: Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images
15 May 1942: Women’s Army Auxiliary Corp Becomes Law

Also on 15 May 1942, “President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill for the creation of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps.” This was done in order to utilize knowledge, skill, and special training of women in projects embarked upon by the nation’s armed forces (Eds. Today in History, 15 May 2020).

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Source: Eds. Today in History. (15 May 2020). “Today in History: May 15.” Microsoft News. @msn.com. (15 May 2020). https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/today-in-history-may-15/ss-BB13jUPh?ocid=msedgdhp#interstitial=3.

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27 September 1912 — On this Day . . .

William Christopher ‘W. C.’ Handy — Father of the Blues — published “Memphis Blues”, considered to be the first blues song.

On 27 September 1912, W. C. Handy, musician and ‘Father of the Blues’, published “Memphis Blues”, which is considered the first blues song.

William Christopher Handy — born 16 November 1873 in Florence, Alabama, USA — is considered one of the most influential American songwriters. While he did not create the blues genre, he took it from a regional music style (Delta blues) with a limited audiencce to one of the dominant national forces in American music. As such, he is known as the ‘Father of the Blues’.

https://www.onthisday.com/people/w-c-handy

 

 

26 September 1888 — On this Day . . .

T. S. Eliot — poet, author and Nobel Laureate was born in St Louis, Missouri.

In 1948, Thomas Stearns Eliot was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for his outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day poetry. His most famous poetic works include “The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock” (1915), “The Waste Land” (1922) and “The Hollow Men” (1925).

https://www.onthisday.com/people/t-s-eliot