(Washington D.C. – May 3, 2024)
“Remember me as Grandma…”
That’s it.
That’s the article.
There’s no need to share all of the wonderful sights & sounds that emanated from our Nation’s capital that day. There’s no reason to talk about the palpable love and the pervasive feelings of mutual admiration laden in the air that day. There’s no need to talk about the 19 Americans who were honored by President Biden, with the prestigious Medal of Freedom.
Oh sure, it would be absolutely amazing to talk about how proud the entire City of Baltimore was to have Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Baltimore’s own, hailing from Little Italy, Charm City) received the honor that day.
We could dive into how wonderfully diverse that stage was — and not only that stage, but also that entire room, as throngs gathered to celebrate the likes of Asian American Michelle Yeoh, who opened doors by winning the Academy Award for Best Actress. There was distinguished elder, Brother Clarence B. Jones — a tall and stately gentleman — who drafted some of Dr. Martin Luther King’s most famous words.
Being honored was also former Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, the founder of the eponymous Bloomberg Terminal, the computerized system that provides real-time financial market data to Wall Street firms. I was especially proud of this one, because he is a graduate of my alma mater, The Johns Hopkins University. — I remember one day, in undergrad, one of my bros, Wes (aka the current Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore), kept referring to a guy named Mikey. “Mikey and I are gonna do this…” and, “Yeah, when I was talking to Mikey…” And I was like, “Wes who da heck is Mikey” — Wes, “Oh, Mike Bloomberg…yeah, he
& I…” (in my early 20s Wes’ voice). — Back then, Mike was coming to the campus a bunch to help us pave brick pathways all over campus. It made everything muddy for months! But still, it was cool to know he (Bloomberg) was popping in & out of town, and financing the whole project. So seeing him get honored today brought back all of those thoughts and (muddy) fond memories.
I could talk about Al Gore being there and getting honored, and the cool reflections within me that he was the first Vice President that I became conscientiously aware of as a teen in
the 90s. I could talk about Phil Donahue, who ruled afternoon tv for a while, while I was kid, alongside Oprah Winfrey. Back then, I was not a fan of “boring adult talk shows” at all, but looking back, I absolutely can appreciate how his platform reflected back to America its values, for a generation. On the stage, it was amazingly funny to see POTUS tease his long time buddy Phil for taking a bit of extra time to make it across stage, here in their more tender years. It was a light-hearted, loving moment shared between two friends that was also shared with us in that moment.
We could talk about the paradigm-shifting impact of Civil Rights Leader Medgar Evers. His legacy was honored in front of the world that day, posthumously. The honorable Evers fought for his country in World War II and returned home to lead the fight against segregation in Mississippi. After he was murdered at his home at age 37, his wife Myrlie continued the fight to seek justice and equality in his name. He represents so many whose lives are the very building blocks of our democracy today — and indeed, had it not been for his life, his blood, and his essence on America, I would not (eventually, through the annals of time) been able to report live from the White House, today.
And as such, I could not share with us all the profound resonance I felt, listening to Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest who spent his life creating unity within rival gang members through the delicious art of bakery. He used words like, “…instead of punishing, we should look to heal…” He made statements like, “…there is no us and them, only Us…” There was a moment wherein he waxed poetic, saying “…if we are not gathering, then we are scattering…” In fact, it was he who uttered the words that have since become part of the title of this article, “We are” he said, “a tribe of one.” And he wrapped it up his whole soliloquy with the ideology that we should all, “…walk each other home, with home being wholeness…”
— All of these individuals honored, lived a lifestyle of Emotionally
Intelligent impact. They considered themselves, assessed their own feelings of discomfort, and realized that they not only wanted to improve things for themselves, but also for everyone around them, everyone connected to them. Having the desire to do that is honorable, and is a trait that our nation is embracing on an individual level, more and more. — These leaders however did it so broadly, so impactfully, that their legacy has spanned generations, and embraced all genders, all peoples, all cultures within our American republic.
This moment represents a crest of what it means to be an Emotionally Intelligent Nation.
And thus, I could’ve ended my experience, there.
But then, I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to meet Her.
–If this moment was a crest, she would be the Pinnacle.
Her name is Ms. Opal Lee. And she exuded goodness, peace, benevolence, kindness and understanding.
She barely spoke above a whisper, a voice tender with the years of strain and the decades of working towards the betterment of all men; of all mankind. She encouraged us as a generation to embrace the wisdom of her generation, “ … we are your elders, listen to us …” Her voice, heavy with a burden that only comes with the inner-understanding that we are all one.
Ms. Opal said that we should try to reach one, with each one teaching one, and that “ … one by one, one at a time, they’ll all get there, we’ll all get there…”
She told us to embrace the faith that there is a love that goes broader than differences, and through the eyes of this love, the differences all become something that we can embrace, overlook, and enjoy.
The kindness of her spirit and the purity of her weighted-heart was magnetic; she pulled us in without being boastful; without a single demand. Her soul was the very essence of attraction. And once you find yourself enmeshed in her presence no other truths become as important, as real nor as relevant as the message of her heart.
She is Ms. Opal Lee. — The 97 year old humanitarian who helped found the Juneteenth movement and who encourages us all to be Free — free enough to live in the truth that we are all one, and that there is really nothing to fight, spite or even cause slight about.
When it was my turn to sit next to her, I lovingly (jokingly) reminded her that she told me that she was gonna beat me in a foot race — and she told me that she absolutely hadn’t forgotten and that I best be ready. (Her quick-wit was excellent and warming, as I had only thought of that pretend little joke right there on the spot. — And she responded as if it were from a script that we had both long practiced and rehearsed). With both of my grandmothers having already transitioned, her presence struck a long reminisced chord within my heart.
So as I turned to leave, and she pulled me back in for one more photo, and whispered the words,
“… Remember me, as Grandma…”
— I almost immediately broke out with the most sorrowful, wonderful tears of joy.
My name is Rodney C. Burris. I am the White House Correspondent for BMORENews, a media outlet in Baltimore where our slogan is, “the news before the news.” This column will look at the events impacting our nation and filter them through the lens of Emotional Intelligence theory. Our goal will be to inform, to make aware, to facilitate connectivity, and then to increase the overall understanding of ourselves as a collective as we take a deep dive into the topics affecting our Emotionally Intelligent Nation.
