THE FABRIC OF AMERICA

Many years ago I was fortunate to know a very smart and elegant elderly lady, Barbara Egypt. She came to Kansas City to work for a cultural project in the African American community. At the time her job was to manage the periodic art exhibits, and other cultural events. She was in her early seventies completing a PhD. and writing a book on the great black families of America,entitled THE GREAT BLACK FAMILIES OF AMERICA. Additionally, she was also an amateur genealogist. She charted my ancestry using genealogical records from various archives, and noted there were branches of my family tree with direct lines connecting to these prominent black families. I previously knew the family connection to three presidents. One president was thought to secretly have a "mulatto" wife, President Buchanan. There was also a question of his race as he had ancestors that were privateers (pirates) on the islands off the coast of New England. Many of these pirates were freed slaves after the Civil War who harbored contraband for sale during reconstruction of the Union. Having very old American ancestry I knew that this was the case,and in my teens I was schooled in stories of the history of my family. This, even today, is a custom among old families. Especially in the south as the connection is more obvious and understood between the races. The original purpose of this entry is simply to place in the blog record a note about our diverse and complex history as a nation.
Today the dominant bulk of our population is still located on both coasts and the great lakes region. This has always been the case, and culturally reflects the true face of the United States. This population has been shuffled through the course of our short history, but generally these regions reflect to the world our values and character. This is not to minimalize the contribution of the rest of the population in the sparsely populated areas, but, as a nation, we must understand the history of our culture and not ficitonalize the story. The seat of our government is in the District of Columbia. Not a state, but rather a region set aside as neutral territory for running the government. Originally, the capital, so to speak, was New York, then Philadelphia and finally, Washington D.C. When we want to look at America (the United States)we need to look to these places to see the future of our nation, and the possibilities. Greatness is still shown in these densely populated regions. The future face of that greatness will be different, and yet complement our collective history. We will be more technologically involved, more diverse in our racial profile "Browner", have a greater reach throughout the world in a different way, we will not be the "big guy on the block", we will lead the world in feminine power, etc. Our female population will lead the world in equality as it already does. This one factor at this time in history is probably the most significant contribution we make on the world stage. We will always lead the planet in some way simply because we got out of the starting gate first. However, if we become complacent or loose our vision we can ultimately loose the race, and fall into the crevasse of history with other great civilizations long lost.
We are not great because we were created by white populations on the backs of black populations. We are not great because of some religious superiority. We are not great because of our wealth. We are not great due to so many other obvious powerful things. We are great because of the original "spiritually organic" vision of the founders who, though privileged, saw the dangers of the past and set in motion a machine that had adaptive qualities based on the knowledge of nature, history, philosophy, and the struggle of humanity through history. The system they put into motion was based on a method of "Advise and Consent" that required, regardless of the issue, disturbing debate and modified resolution . THAT IS THE SYSTEM. American government is not based on belief, sloganeering, prejudice, or even popularity, but upon an organic process put into place by the founding fathers. This is not to say that leaders will not get into power through the methods above, but they will be under the same controls as all who came before. The Democratic Process of Advice and Consent and an impartial system of law. That's all folks. Welcome the future with open arms and Love........