Ingram-Thurston: As history speaks, let’s listen to achieve a greater understanding

Time leaves tracks for us to follow and they become the words of history.

It was in June of 1862 that Congress passed an act banning slavery on all federal lands.

On Sept. 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln stated in the Emancipation Proclamation: ”I never, in my life, felt more certain that I was doing right than I do in signing this paper.”

At Gettysburg, Lincoln said on Nov. 19, 1863: ”This nation was conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

It was in 1963 that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his most famous speech during the March on Washington, proclaiming:

“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow. I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.”

Dr. King won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance. The beloved American Baptist minister/activist was a leading member of the Civil Rights Movement from 1955 until the tragic day in April 1968 he was assassinated .

In 1964, famed author James Baldwin reflected on the shortcomings of his education, saying, “When I was going to school I began to be bugged by the teaching of American history because it seemed to be taught without any cognizance of my presence.”

President Gerald Ford in 1976 decreed February to be Black History Month, stating, “In celebrating Black History Month we can seize the opportunity to honor the too often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”

On Jan. 18 of this year, the Los Banos NAACP held a very small gathering in front of City Hall to honor Dr. King. Before COVID-19, there was always a larger program and a march of solidarity. On Jan. 20 history was again made when Kamala Harris was sworn in as our first woman vice president who happens to be black. Many women joined in celebration as her inauguration made history.

There is a thread of history that binds these facts together.

There are times when our own personal history interconnects with a bigger history — that of our country and at times, even mirroring the growth of humanity itself.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, I lived through much of the racial tension there. It was a palpable thing, with divisions as high as tall walls.

My family moved to a gated, restricted community and as an adolescent I was awakened to the reality of discrimination.

As I moved to Los Angeles, San Jose, and Houston, Texas, I learned more about history and society.

I was pregnant with my youngest child when I heard over the radio of Dr. King’s death. I still can feel the depth of shock and sorrow I felt.

Dr. King had been someone I greatly admired. I believed the loss of his voice was a loss for all Americans who dared to dream.

My closest cousin married a handsome Black man almost a half a century ago and they had two beautiful little girls who I adored. Unfortunately the couple felt strong pull from both sides and their marriage failed. To this day I am bothered by the fact that love was not stronger than the accident of birth.

These things have made me who I am, just as your personal experiences helped form who you are.

Within life, in any era, there is a tug of war. People are always pulling from both sides. The answer is always the same: to listen to others so we can expand our own horizons and grow.

I believe we are all better than our limitations and as we become more united, we also become stronger and more resilient.

But first, let’s listen carefully. History is trying to speak. With listening comes understanding and a peace that we can all dream of.