Kevin's Corner 11-09-08

Written by Fr. Kevin McDonough

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WHAT A WEEK!  There are questions by which we remember electric moments in our history.  For example: where were you when you heard that JFK was shot, or that the Twin Towers had come down, or that the Japanese had surrendered?  Now there is a new one: where did you watch the election returns of 2008?  Although it has only been a few days, I have yet to talk with a single person who was not deeply moved that Barack Obama will be the 44th President of the United States.  Even those who disagreed with him over one or another important question of policy recognize that something very powerful has happened in our history.  And at a time of anxiety about our future, his calm passion and best-of-America rhetoric have touched people in inspiring ways.  You are feeling those things yourself, hearing them from friends, and reading them in the papers.  Permit me to add three thoughts of my own, thoughts I have not heard as frequently from others.

 

1. FINALLY, A TRUE PUBLIC FACE OF BLACK AMERICA:  As recently as two weeks ago, I counted the pictures of African-Americans in one of our daily newspapers.  Of course, candidate Obama was on page one.  But every other Black photo in the first two sections was of a criminal or a victim.  The Sports section offered some relief: victims’ faces were replaced with those of running backs (but the criminals remained!).  Crime stories and Vikings are the daily bread of local television and newspapers, I suppose, but the faces I was seeing in the paper are not the faces I know.  In Saint Peter Claver and our Rondo neighborhood, melanin-enriched skin glows on family-oriented, well-educated, responsible human beings.  And what a difference last Tuesday makes.  The papers now are full not only of Barack, but also Michelle, Malia, and Sasha – people who remind me of my daily experience in our community.  

 

2. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BRADLEY EFFECT?  Many of us anticipated that more than a few voters, especially white males, would say one thing to pollsters and then do something entirely different in the privacy of the ballot box.  It turns out that was true – but in the opposite direction anyone predicted.  It appears that many men who entered the polls expecting to vote for Senator McCain surprised themselves by marking the Senator Obama box.  What happened?  I do not know, but it will be most interesting to find out over the months ahead.  I have a feeling that – six months from now – we will have heard that 122% of white males voted for President Obama! 

 

3. WE MUST PRAY:  He is obviously more courageous and farsighted than you or I, but I have to imagine that the president-elect has his moments of dread as the euphoria of Tuesday gives way to the reality of the next four years.  All of our public leaders are facing enormous challenges.  As we celebrate and analyze and mythologize, we cannot forget to pray.  More than a few veterans of elective office have commented that winning is its own punishment.  Let us pray for wisdom and perseverance and competent assistance for Mr. President Barack Hussein Obama and for all our leaders, national, state and local.  It has been quite a week – may it lead to better times ahead! 

 

CONGRATULATIONS TO ANOTHER “BLACK FIRST”:  Claver parishioner Paye Flomo was elected Mayor of Hampton MN this past Tuesday evening.  A native of Liberia married at Claver in the early 1990s, Flomo has been involved in local politics since the family moved to this town, 25 miles south of Saint Paul.  His involvement and leadership were recognized this week when his fellow citizens chose him to lead their growing community.  Blessings!     

 

AN INSIRING TALK:  This Wednesday you may hear one of the prophetic voices of our times.  Rwandan genocide survivor Immaculee Ilibagiza will be speaking at Guardian Angels Church in Oakdale, starting at 9 AM. Call 651-222-6556 for more information.  She has a remarkable message of reconciliation and hope in the face of horror.

 

 

HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION:  We received some extraordinarily good news this week through FOCUS, an association of Catholic urban schools.  A grant request to the Calder Foundation received a “yes” from its New York-based trustees.  The “bottom line” of the request: we will receive $40,000 next year, $60,000 the year after, and $80,000 in the third and final year of the grant.  

 

The Calder Foundation’s leaders believe that urban young people deserve a chance to receive excellent teaching that emphasizes personal ethical discipline and an intellectually rich curriculum.  Claver is one of four urban Catholic schools in the Twin Cities chosen for such a grant.  As reported in this column a few weeks ago, it appears that “the deal was sealed” when one of the trustees visited Claver School.  He was here for a meeting with educational leaders, but it was what he saw in the classrooms, hallways and lunchroom at our parish school that convinced him to recommend that the grant be approved.  He saw young people who are, in the words of our principal, “focused and on task”.  The Calder money will allow us to give teachers more time for professional development, even as our school administration continues to enrich the curriculum.  We are already doing excellent things in our school, and need only the money to keep it going.  Thank you to all for your support!