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Now, I Know My Life Had a Purpose

I know I wrote of this in another recent postpoignancy how farm boys and men lined up to
(and NO, I do not have a slow form ofenlist for the military in bare feet. You
dementia, thank you!) You know how some partssee, many of the farm boys and men were
of a conversation come back to you? You weremainly sharecroppers, and had NO shoes,
listening but the really important pointexcept one pair, their 'Sunday best' shoes
essentially 'snagged' itselfwhich were brogans! My Father said there were
cognitively...for digestion later. I waslines and lines of Black men, standing in the
talking to my Father on October 16th, I hadhot Georgia sun,waiting and willing to serve
not talked to him practically all summer andthis country in their bare feet and farm
really...all  my  life,  not  like  that day.clothing. It did not matter that
unconscionable atrocities of racism
I had not spoke with my Father all summer(lynchings, stark injustice, they could not
because I was 'birthing' my book. Did Ivote, and Jim Crowism) were realities that
mention my forthcoming book? It is: 'Notesthese MEN and my Father (as a young boy)
From the Mothership The Naked Invisibles' duelived with and under in 'that' America. Those
out  December  2007.men chose to defend and believe in even that
America!
I called my Father to finally check on him
after speaking with one of my brothers (IWhat my Father said of his growing up in an
would get updates on how he was doingAmerica where HE could not vote for a period
throughout the summer!) My Father had this toof time, where HE could not drink from any
say about me and the book, "Now, I know mywater fountain he pleased, or go wherever HE
life had a purpose!" I was astounded when Iwanted to go as an American is this, he wants
thought of those words in retrospect. Heto see a great Black President in his
seriously meant that! I am the oldest of ninelifetime! My Father believes in the greatness
children of Louis and Mable. My Mother diedof Obama. Without hesitation he is voting for
from breast cancer in 1989. And my Father, aObama. My Father a wise man told me that
survivor, an inventor, and a visionary,there is NO WAY any Black person in his
stated that my accomplishments have given hisgeneration  would  not  vote  for  Obama.
life  purpose.  I  am  blessed.
I mention all this because this is truly the
My Father is Louis Samuels. He was born indemographic that will support Mr.Obama to no
Albany, Georgia in 1933 on a 330 acre pecanend. These older Black folks, the survivors
farm which my great Grandparents and hisof an America that no one in their right mind
Mother and Father and a village of extendedcan ever imagine are the unheralded (?) well
family sharecropped on. As he reminisced heof support and love for the promise of
talked of the plentitude of food, andAmerica and America's future. I did not
everything that he and the families consumedrealize this fact fully until I listened to
was raised direct from the soil and thethe stories of my father, one of many
animals on the farm. There was always plentysurvivors of the recent past of Jim
of food, the comforts of familial bonding,Crow,lynchings, and stomped out human and
and  of  course  plenty  of  work.civil rights. As his memory softens many bits
deferred pain leak out. Right now I am
Presently, my Father is sinking slowly, verygrateful  that  I  am  listening.
slowly into a mild form of dementia. He
forgets or maybe there is not much he wantsI think this story is one that we as
to remember. Yet, his memory for 'those days'supporters of Obama can take inspiration
is like it happened yesterday. He talked offrom. My Father from that sharecropping farm
the time when the Japanese bombed Pearlin rural Albany, Georgia is one of Obama's
Harbor and all the Black men on the farm andstrongest and staunchest supporters. We are
the surrounding farms heeded the militarywinners!
call to action. He recalled with a stark



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