dsmith2904
ONE love, blood, life
by Debbie Kreuser
2004.01
I had the great honor to be in Atlanta during the King Holiday weekend(Jan. 16-19) to participate in, and be witness to, many of the various activities sponsored by the King Center to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.?s birth, including the Salute to Greatness dinner honoring Bono.
Since I was a child growing up in the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. has been one of the most important influences in my life. I have always admired his courage, his gentleness and his willingness to see the best in every person and situation. When he left our world in 1968, I experienced a great loss in my life, so the opportunity to attend any King Holiday event sponsored by the King Center would have been a great privilege for me, but the combined "soul power" of Coretta Scott King and Bono would be an incredible blending of positive energiesI had to go.
I borrowed the money for the trip to Atlanta from a family member, booked a flight and prepared myself spiritually for a soul-stirring weekend. I was never disappointed.
On Jan. 17, after spending the day at the King Center talking with AIDS and other community activists, Bono showed up for a short press conference at the Hyatt Regency with Coretta Scott King and Laysha Ford, representing the Target Corporation, the other Salute to Greatness honoree. During the press conference Bono talked about many of the topics closest to his heartthe AIDS pandemic, DATA, Africa's future and Martin Luther King Jr.
More than the words spoken, the very amicable interaction between Bono and Mrs. King that was most striking. They laughed, exchanged affectionate glances and genuinely got along beautifully together. It was as if they had both found what they were looking for, a soul connection. Whether from mother to son or son to mother (King had "adopted" Bono earlier in the day), they were connecting with each other on a very real level and everyone present was witnessing their transformation.
For Bono, this connection seemed to be especially important, his joy was palpable as he told us, "Coretta told me today, she said 'You're my boy now,' she adopted me. I haven't had a mama for 30 years so I'm excited about it." It felt like a sort of Homecoming for Bono.
The Salute to Greatness dinner was held that night in the Hyatt Regency's ballroom, filled to capacity with at least 1,900 people. Emcee for the night was Yolanda King, the eldest King daughter, who did an exceptional job setting the tone for the evening. Martin Luther King Jr.?s sister, Christine King Farris, gave a rousing "call to action" speech that invoked the legacy of her late brother. The Honorable Barbara Masekela, South Africa Ambassador to the United States, extended wishes of goodwill and support for the efforts of the King Center from the people and government of South Africa.
A personal highlight of the night was the "Birthday Cake Ceremony", led by Coretta Scott King and her daughter, Yolanda, replete with an audience rendition of ?Happy Birthday? written by Stevie Wonder in the 1980s to help spearhead the campaign to officially establish the national King Holiday. Another highlight came when singer Dionne Farris, formerly of the group Arrested Development, performed a song often sung during the civil rights movement. Her uplifting, soul-stirring performance filled my eyes with tears as the crowd rose to give her a standing ovation.
Next came the presentation of the Humanitarian of the Year awards, and the atmosphere in the room turned electric.
The Target Corp. was honored for its commitment of $2 million weekly to community service programs around the United States. Then, the moment that virtually everyone in the room had waited for, it was time to honor Bono.
First, an excellent short film was shown on the several ballroom monitors about the life and career of Bono, his musical and humanitarian achievements. Then Coretta Scott King came to the podium and began to speak about Bono's humanitarian efforts over his lifetime and proudly mentioned the songs "MLK" and "Pride(In the Name of Love)" from U2's "Unforgettable Fire" album written to honor her late husband. And then, in true call-and-response tradition, Bono joined Mrs. King, Yolanda King and Jesse Hill Jr., former CEO of Atlanta Life Insurance Co., at the podium to receive his Award.
As Bono came up to the podium, the room went wild with applause forblack and white, young and old, had come to the awareness that this man and this moment was truly the fulfillment of one of Martin Luther King's most cherished dreams, a time and place where love and respect amongst the people of the world would shine like a beacon of hope and as an example for humankind. It was happening in Atlanta and we were all there to be a part of it.
Bono held the audience's complete attention. Interspersing devastating details and startling statistics of the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS pandemic with humorous quips, Bono kept the audience spellbound. He lauded the musical efforts of Georgia-based groups like OutKast and REM and stressed the importance of different musical styles coming together to find common ground.
Bono next talked about Martin Luther King Jr. the influence he?d had on Bono's life. He talked about how King's philosophy of nonviolence had resonated in him while growing up in strife-torn Ireland.
Bono then reminded us that every day nearly 7,000 Africans die because they can't get the ARV (anti-retroviral) therapy which can save their lives. He challenged the audience by asking the question most central to the journey of equalitywould the AIDS pandemic be allowed to continue at its current rate if the people who were dying were white? The audience, already knowing the answer, shouted "no" in response. In his willingness to speak this truth, Bono demonstrated his strength of character and why he was chosen to be the recipient of the King Center's 2004 Salute to Greatness Humanitarian of the Year Award.
Feeling now that the crowd was firmly behind him, Bono turned the podium into a pulpit. He told the story that King liked to tell about the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah witnessed much injustice in the world, including the unnecessary suffering of the poor. In the words of Jeremiah, Bono took us to church. "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?" The crowd exploded in affirmation.
Bono continued. He said that today in an AIDS clinic somewhere in Africa, a dying woman is asking her god this same question, "Is there no balm in Gilead?" Now, masterfully in control of the audience Bono concludes: "Well, God hears her, but do we? Because we, too, know the answer, the answer is no, there is no balm in Gilead, there is no balm in Gilead. We've got the medicine and the money and the same love for justice that guided Dr. King, if we apply these things, all of them, and we begin to be worthy of his example and take another step in our long journey of equality, we're going to get there."
In tears and on my knees less than 10 feet in front of Bono, where I had been through his entire speech, I leapt to my feet and clapped in complete affirmation with the other 1,900 people in the room. We had just been brought closer to the mountaintop that Martin Luther King Jr. told us about and we had Bono to thank for that.
2004.01
I had the great honor to be in Atlanta during the King Holiday weekend(Jan. 16-19) to participate in, and be witness to, many of the various activities sponsored by the King Center to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.?s birth, including the Salute to Greatness dinner honoring Bono.
Since I was a child growing up in the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. has been one of the most important influences in my life. I have always admired his courage, his gentleness and his willingness to see the best in every person and situation. When he left our world in 1968, I experienced a great loss in my life, so the opportunity to attend any King Holiday event sponsored by the King Center would have been a great privilege for me, but the combined "soul power" of Coretta Scott King and Bono would be an incredible blending of positive energiesI had to go.
I borrowed the money for the trip to Atlanta from a family member, booked a flight and prepared myself spiritually for a soul-stirring weekend. I was never disappointed.
On Jan. 17, after spending the day at the King Center talking with AIDS and other community activists, Bono showed up for a short press conference at the Hyatt Regency with Coretta Scott King and Laysha Ford, representing the Target Corporation, the other Salute to Greatness honoree. During the press conference Bono talked about many of the topics closest to his heartthe AIDS pandemic, DATA, Africa's future and Martin Luther King Jr.
More than the words spoken, the very amicable interaction between Bono and Mrs. King that was most striking. They laughed, exchanged affectionate glances and genuinely got along beautifully together. It was as if they had both found what they were looking for, a soul connection. Whether from mother to son or son to mother (King had "adopted" Bono earlier in the day), they were connecting with each other on a very real level and everyone present was witnessing their transformation.
For Bono, this connection seemed to be especially important, his joy was palpable as he told us, "Coretta told me today, she said 'You're my boy now,' she adopted me. I haven't had a mama for 30 years so I'm excited about it." It felt like a sort of Homecoming for Bono.
The Salute to Greatness dinner was held that night in the Hyatt Regency's ballroom, filled to capacity with at least 1,900 people. Emcee for the night was Yolanda King, the eldest King daughter, who did an exceptional job setting the tone for the evening. Martin Luther King Jr.?s sister, Christine King Farris, gave a rousing "call to action" speech that invoked the legacy of her late brother. The Honorable Barbara Masekela, South Africa Ambassador to the United States, extended wishes of goodwill and support for the efforts of the King Center from the people and government of South Africa.
A personal highlight of the night was the "Birthday Cake Ceremony", led by Coretta Scott King and her daughter, Yolanda, replete with an audience rendition of ?Happy Birthday? written by Stevie Wonder in the 1980s to help spearhead the campaign to officially establish the national King Holiday. Another highlight came when singer Dionne Farris, formerly of the group Arrested Development, performed a song often sung during the civil rights movement. Her uplifting, soul-stirring performance filled my eyes with tears as the crowd rose to give her a standing ovation.
Next came the presentation of the Humanitarian of the Year awards, and the atmosphere in the room turned electric.
The Target Corp. was honored for its commitment of $2 million weekly to community service programs around the United States. Then, the moment that virtually everyone in the room had waited for, it was time to honor Bono.
First, an excellent short film was shown on the several ballroom monitors about the life and career of Bono, his musical and humanitarian achievements. Then Coretta Scott King came to the podium and began to speak about Bono's humanitarian efforts over his lifetime and proudly mentioned the songs "MLK" and "Pride(In the Name of Love)" from U2's "Unforgettable Fire" album written to honor her late husband. And then, in true call-and-response tradition, Bono joined Mrs. King, Yolanda King and Jesse Hill Jr., former CEO of Atlanta Life Insurance Co., at the podium to receive his Award.
As Bono came up to the podium, the room went wild with applause forblack and white, young and old, had come to the awareness that this man and this moment was truly the fulfillment of one of Martin Luther King's most cherished dreams, a time and place where love and respect amongst the people of the world would shine like a beacon of hope and as an example for humankind. It was happening in Atlanta and we were all there to be a part of it.
Bono held the audience's complete attention. Interspersing devastating details and startling statistics of the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS pandemic with humorous quips, Bono kept the audience spellbound. He lauded the musical efforts of Georgia-based groups like OutKast and REM and stressed the importance of different musical styles coming together to find common ground.
Bono next talked about Martin Luther King Jr. the influence he?d had on Bono's life. He talked about how King's philosophy of nonviolence had resonated in him while growing up in strife-torn Ireland.
Bono then reminded us that every day nearly 7,000 Africans die because they can't get the ARV (anti-retroviral) therapy which can save their lives. He challenged the audience by asking the question most central to the journey of equalitywould the AIDS pandemic be allowed to continue at its current rate if the people who were dying were white? The audience, already knowing the answer, shouted "no" in response. In his willingness to speak this truth, Bono demonstrated his strength of character and why he was chosen to be the recipient of the King Center's 2004 Salute to Greatness Humanitarian of the Year Award.
Feeling now that the crowd was firmly behind him, Bono turned the podium into a pulpit. He told the story that King liked to tell about the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah witnessed much injustice in the world, including the unnecessary suffering of the poor. In the words of Jeremiah, Bono took us to church. "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?" The crowd exploded in affirmation.
Bono continued. He said that today in an AIDS clinic somewhere in Africa, a dying woman is asking her god this same question, "Is there no balm in Gilead?" Now, masterfully in control of the audience Bono concludes: "Well, God hears her, but do we? Because we, too, know the answer, the answer is no, there is no balm in Gilead, there is no balm in Gilead. We've got the medicine and the money and the same love for justice that guided Dr. King, if we apply these things, all of them, and we begin to be worthy of his example and take another step in our long journey of equality, we're going to get there."
In tears and on my knees less than 10 feet in front of Bono, where I had been through his entire speech, I leapt to my feet and clapped in complete affirmation with the other 1,900 people in the room. We had just been brought closer to the mountaintop that Martin Luther King Jr. told us about and we had Bono to thank for that.
