Technorati Tags: honor, military, soldiers, United States, veterans, Veterans Day

I want to thank my husband, grandfathers and all other men and women who have served in the United States military. Nearly one million American men and women have died wearing the uniforms of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Photo is from: http://www.af.mil/

Technorati Tags: history, holiday, Memorial Day, military, United States

According to BlackFacts.com, the following Black Facts took place on my birth date (January 27):

1869
Will Marion Cook, noted composer and conductor, born.

1952
Ralph Ellison’s powerful novel, Invisible Man, wins the National Book Award.

1961
World renowned opera singer, Leontyne Price, makes her debut at the Metropolitan Opera House

1972
Gospel music legend Mahalia Jackson dies this day in Evergreen Park, Illinois.

1973
Joseph Lowze named auxiliary Bishop of Mississippi

I am kind of mad that nothing has happened since my actual birth on that date. Oh well.

In honor of Leontyne Price here are a couple of videos of her I found:

Leontyne Price – D’amor sull’ali rosee

Leontyne Price – Summertime

Leontyne Price – L’amero, saro costante

Her voice is beautiful.

Happy Black History Month 2007.

This February, I will do my best to share a plethora of information with you regarding Black History.

I have been a fan of the Black Heritage stamps for several years, but only recently found out that the United States Postal Service (USPS) has had the series in print since 1978. A few years back there was a nasty rumor that the USPS was discontinuing the heritage stamps. Fortunately USPS released a press statement and said:

To dispel recurring rumors that its long-standing Black Heritage stamp series will be discontinued, a senior postal official reiterated the Postal Service’s continued commitment to honoring African Americans on stamps.”Nothing could be further from the truth. These rumors continue to resurface around this time of year,” explained David Failor, Executive Director of Stamp Services, U.S. Postal Service, referring to the deluge of inquiries the Postal Service receives shortly after a Black Heritage stamp issuance.He said, “As a main component of our annual stamp program, the Black Heritage series is alive and well, and here to stay. We’re already looking forward to announcing next year’s honoree this fall.” The myth started several years ago through an anonymous email that alerted recipients to buy Black Heritage stamps before Post Offices take them off sale due to lack of demand.

On this day I honor the number one veteran in my life, JT. I also honor both of my grandfathers, Ardie and Bobby, my great uncles and several other members of my extended family.

Happy Veterans Day

We Remember

A Tribute to the Fallen

The Women Behind the Soldiers

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aihm1.html

http://www3.kumc.edu/diversity/ethnic_relig/naihm.html

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/heritage_month/index.html

Congratulations to the 2006 World Series Champions… the St. Louis Cardinals. The first championship for my hometown since 1982. The second championship in my lifetime.

http://cardinals.mlb.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis_Cardinals

September 11th is a joyous day because it is my best friend’s 29th birthday. Happy birthday dearest Tiffany.

September 11th is also a day of remembrance. I would like to share what I received at work:

National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, 2006
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

This year, we mark the fifth anniversary of the brutal and ruthless terrorist attacks carried out against our Nation on September 11, 2001. We will always remember the thousands of lives lost, and the innocent men, women, and children forever changed by those acts of evil. During these National Days of Prayer and Remembrance, we honor the heroism of the police officers, firefighters, rescue personnel, members of the military, and private citizens who responded selflessly in the face of terror. We also honor the courage and spirit of the mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, and husbands and wives who continue to grieve for their irreplaceable loss.

As we pray for the families of the victims and reflect upon that defining moment in our history, we are inspired by the knowledge that from the pain and sorrow of that September morning rose a Nation united by our love for freedom. We remember that we are a people determined to defend our way of life and to care for our neighbors in need. The scenes of distress and devastation we witnessed in the heart of New York City, at the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania were overcome by sacrifice, bravery, and compassion. We resolved to answer history’s call to bring justice to our enemies and to ensure the survival and success of liberty. Since that day, we have confronted a murderous ideology by taking the fight to our adversaries and by spreading the universal hope of freedom to millions around the world.

Received this through work in an email a couple of weeks ago. From the United States Department of Labor.

ADA CELEBRATES 16 YEARS

An Important Message from

W. Roy Grizzard, Jr., Ed.D.

Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy

U. S. Department of Labor

As we mark the 16th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it is important to reflect upon the accomplishments of this landmark legislation. The list is long, ranging from accessible buildings to accessible technology, from alternative formats to universal design, and from promising responses to thoughtful, proactive planning. Yet perhaps the most important accomplishment of the ADA is that it has enhanced the lives of all American citizens in ways that far exceed the original goals of its supporters, and President George H.W. Bush, who signed it into law in 1990.

Our children, with and without disabilities, have never known a world without automatic doors at a grocery store or curb cuts on the sidewalk. Because of the ADA, when these same young people enter the workforce, they will be able to work from anywhere and use cutting-edge technology, such as voice-activated phones and computers. Because of the ADA, employers can employ and retain thousands of talented, productive workers with disabilities who were untapped or underutilized by previous generations of employers. Because of the ADA, older workers are staying in the workforce, benefiting our economy and society as a whole.

The Star Spangled Banner

By Francis Scott Key

Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
‘Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!