Tayari's Blog: Change, Come Quick!
Posted by TayariJones on January 25, 2009 06:53 PM
Filed under
Current Events
I orginally planned this entry to draw your attention to the magnificent poem, New Day, Kwame Dawes wrote in honor of the inaugration of Barack Obama. I still want to draw your attention to it-- for it is brilliant, and I mean brilliant as in genius but also brilliant as in light-filled-- and I still want to thank Mina J for sending me the link. I have loved, loved, loved all the love and beauty and celebration this week as we celebrate this historic milestone. (I was there in my evening gown popping a cork with the best of them.)
But... and there is always a But... We are going to have to chill with some of the boogie-oogie-oogie and start thinking about the change we want in the world. Yesterday, I was in a store and an older black man said to me, "Obama has done his job just by getting elected. That's all I need. To see him in the white house with his wife, and those pretty babies. That's all I need." All around him, people nodded in a agreement.
Well, that's not all I need and it's not all America needs.
I just read the most upsetting post on the blog of Alisa Valdes Rodriguez, the author of the "chica-lit" breakout book, best-selling The Dirty Girls Social Club. Alisa is very ill. She needs heart surgery that will cost about $200,000. And despite her success as an author, she is self-employed and without health insurance. She is considering moving to Cuba in order to get treatment.
As writers, we all dream of losing the day job and doing our writing full time. But can we ever do it as long as health insurance remains tied to employment? Even if you cuold make enough from your writing to pay your bills, you probably wouldn't make enough to take care of your health.
46 million Americans are without health insurance. This must be our top priority when we think about Change. I am not sure what we can do as individuals, but I am looking into it. When I find something out, I will post here. Meanwhile, go over to Alisa's blog and leave her some love in the comments.
Get well, Alisa. You are in our thoughts and our prayers.
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Comment #1, by James ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tayarijones.com/blog/nav-commenters.gif)
As for change, we all need it. As Africans in particular,we must begin with a change of mindset. A lot of people dream of obamanization of Africa but the real power is in our own hands. Obama has rekindled the spirit of Nkrumah, Lumumba, Frederick Douglas, Mandela, Dubois, Wheatley, Garvey, Marley, Martin Luther and most importantly Rosa Parks. We have got enough inspiration to begin.
January 28, 2009 11:45 AM