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The FBI’s annual Hate Crime Statistics aren’t as complete as they ought to be, and their report for 2004 was no exception. In fact, their most recent report has quite a few glaring holes. Holes big enough for Daniel Fetty to fall through.Rev. Joseph Lowery’s Benediction
Jim Burroway
January 20th, 2009
(NBC’s feed, via Good As You)
“And now, O Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance. And as we leave this mountaintop, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family.”
Rev. Joseph Lowery’s Benediction at the Inaugural Ceremony
Unofficial transcription from the video
January 20, 2009
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
God who has brought us thus far along the way,
Thou, who has by thy might led us into the light,
keep us forever on the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee;
lest our heart, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee.
Shadow beneath thy hand,
may we forever stand true
to thee, O God, and true to our native land.
We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we’ve shared on this day. We pray now, O Lord, for your blessing upon thy servant, Barack Obama, the forty-fourth President of these United States, his family and his administration. He has come to this high office at a low moment in the national, and indeed the global, fiscal climate.
But because we know you’ve got the whole world in your hands, we pray for not only our nation, but for the community of nations. Our faith does not shrink, though pressed by the flood of moral ills. For we know that, Lord, you are able and you are willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor, of the least of these, and from favoratism toward the rich, the elite of these.
We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th President to inspire our nation to believe that “yes we can” work together to achieve a more perfect union.
While we have sown the seeds, the wind of greed and corruption and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in the spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.
And now, O Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance. And as we leave this mountaintop, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family.
Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques, wherever we seek your will.
Bless President Barack, First Lady Michelle, look over our little angelic Sasha and Melia,
We go now to walk together, children, pledging that we won’t get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know you will not leave us alone, with your hands of power and your heart of love.
Help us then, now Lord, to work for that day when nations shall not lift up swords against nations, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid. When justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day:
when Black will not be asked to get back,
when Brown can stick around,
when Yellow will be mellow,
when the Red Man can get ahead, man,
and when White will embrace what is right.
Let all those who do justice and love mercy say “Amen.”
Say, “Amen.”
And “Amen.”
[Hat tip: Good As You]
For related information, see Aside, Government, Policy & Politics, Religion
LINK
UMJeremy
January 20th, 2009 | LINK
Stole the show, I think!
Jude
January 20th, 2009 | LINK
Thanks so much for the transcription! What a great benediction.
carol
January 20th, 2009 | LINK
I thought this was beautiful, and after I heard it, especially when he ended it with, “…those you do justice and love mercy, say amen…and amen…and amen,” I immediately was searching to find a transcript. Thank you SO much for putting this up for us.
(oh, and I see you got it from Good as you) THANKS!
Wanda
January 21st, 2009 | LINK
It was a beautiful benediction, and such a wonderful way to end a most momentous occasion, the inauguration of our first African-American president of the United States.
I wonder though, how many of the listening audience were aware that the five lines before “Let all those who do justice and love mercy say “Amen.” ”
(when Black will not be asked to get back,
when Brown can stick around,
when Yellow will be mellow,
when the Red Man can get ahead, man,
and when White will embrace what is right. )
were paraphrased from Comedian Rudy Ray Moore’s Dolemite….
Anthony B
January 21st, 2009 | LINK
Wow! This racist gets loved by millions and everyone hates on warren. Way to live with the blinders on people.
Jaft
January 21st, 2009 | LINK
The supposed racist hasn’t worked tirelessly to remove the rights of other Americans. And I hardly consider pointing out a rather valid trend in America being racist.
JJQR
January 21st, 2009 | LINK
“when white will embrace what is right” ? What an old racist. Between him and that homophobe Warren…ugh. Other than those dumb choices, I’m pleased and, semi-hopeful, with Obama.
JJQR
January 21st, 2009 | LINK
Valid trend, Jaft? Who has murdered more Black folk in the U.S., Whites or other Blacks? (It’s time for Blacks to embrace what is right).
Inaugural day alpenglow at Lesbian Dad
January 21st, 2009 | LINK
[...] Box Turtle Bulletin has both the text of the benediction and NBC’s feed of it. [...]
Thom
January 21st, 2009 | LINK
I thought that his prayer was beautiful. Thanks for posting, Turtle guys.
Jaft
January 24th, 2009 | LINK
JJQR – If you really want to pull that, who put those blacks in the housing situations that lead to such violence? You cannot deny that whites, typically, have had a larger roll in racial oppression.
I would never be one to say that racism only comes from, or is started by, whites; that’s absurd. But I hardly consider the Rev.’s line to be racist.
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