Boston To Selma Remembrance March Oct 05

[TayTay]

I left my house at 9:45 to get to the MBTA to get to Whome's place to get to the bus to get to Dudley Station to get walk to the First Church in Roxbury. (Three hours or so to get there. Whew. I was tired.) We talked the whole way there.

The First Church in Roxbury is a beautiful old classic New England Church. (I mean Old, I peg it as 1800's, Greek Revival structure based on the faux columns and ... oh yeah, no geeky posting right now. On with it.)

We saw Cam Kerry walking around and went over to thank him for inviting us, but some girl with a big Reform Election Voting Now sign stuck to her back got there first. We waited for her finish, but by the time she did, Cam had to get up and into the Church. So Whome and I talked.

The speakers started about 45 minute after we got there. Sen. Kerry was about 7th to speak (I think.) He spoke just after the wonderfully talented and gorgeous and powerful Deval Patrick, Dem Candidate for MA Gov next year spoke.



Sigh! These people are not actually blue, it was the full-on fall sun that turned them blue for awhile. Sigh!
The Gentleman to the left in the pic with the tie on is Deval Patrick. The guy up the stairs and next to Patrick (and behind Kerry) is Tom Menino, Mayor of Boston. Cong. John Lewis is next to da Mayah.

[Mass]

1. Thanks TayTay - great to have a first hand account .

[TayTay]

2. There were a lot of people at the Church.

A lot. Whome and I actually got there early and should have taken seats, but we thought they were reserved for old people and stuff so we didn't take 'em. So I got stuck behind the camera woman from Channel 4 in Boston and couple who insisted on kissing a lot. (Sigh! Who goes to a civil rights march to make out? Honestly people, we were on sacred ground here. Get a room.)

Still blue, but then the sun shifted and I gave Whome the camera, cuz my pics from this time are blurry and show either the camerawoman's butt or her arm. Sigh!

[TayTay]

3. The speeches were awesome, just inspiring.

The ceremony at the Church was very dignified and just inspiring. The speakers were trying to get a sense of the historic nature of THIS march and how it connects to the Boston to Selma connection in 1965 (more later.) The theme was also how to get today's 'young people' to show up, march, take part in activities and, most of all, get out the vote. The speakers had the crowd nodding their heads and shouting back at the them. ('That's right, that's right. 'You tell it, Mr. Lewis.' and so forth.)

Sen. Kerry spoke about the importance of people getting involved in the process and about the renewal of the Voting Rights Act that is coming up for a vote in Congress shortly. He did mention fraud, abuse and deception in suppressing the AA vote in America. (Someone shouted out, "Ohio!'. Sen. Kerry smiled and said, 'Oh yeah, I remember Ohio.' Good moment. That smile meant that he knew the there were real bad things going on in Ohio last year. He knew, as did the crowd.)

Then John Lewis spoke, sigh!

[Island Blue]

5. Thanks for posting!

Y'all really had a great view of the speakers. How many folks would you say participated in the march? One of the TV reports said 1000's.

[TayTay]

4. John Lewis is a national treasure.

It was an honor just to listen to this man who had been through so much and was still in there advocating for full civil rights for all Americans. He spoke about Sen. Kerry and how he wished he had been elected last year and his sorrow that the election didn't go that way. (Nice big round of applause at that from the crowd. The crows had been good and loud and loose all day and had cheered very loudly and with a lot of applause for Kerry initially.)



Oh, oh, the gentleman with the white beard at the extreme right of the pic is Byron Rushing. He's been a state Rep in Mass since 1983. Good, good man.

[TayTay]

6. The March got under way, after the obligatory Dem delay

Democrats are never, ever on time. It's like we all have the time gene missing or something. We were supposed to start the March at 2:00 pm. We started at 2:30. Everybody crowded the stage and wanted autographs from the dignitaries up there. I couldn't get close enough to bother anyone, but I finally did get close enough for a decent pic (that I took with my own little hands) of Sen. Kerry. (Whome took some of the above pics, cuz she didn't have the camera woman in front of her.)



No, he's not waving to me. Somebody just shouted out, 'John, hey, John' and he responded. (I can pretend it's me though, right?)

BTW, I love this pic. I got a lot better between April and now at digital pics, right?

[ray of light]

8. Thanks for the story and the pics. They're great.

[politicasista]

9. Thanks for the pics too.

:yourock:

[globalvillage]

14. That's a great pic, Tay Tay.

Thanks for posting. Sounds like a good time. Happy to hear so many people showed for this.

Do you mind if I save this pic and crop out the back of that woman's head? I really like it. The guy way in the back has a smile almost as nice as the guy in the middle. :-)

[TayTay]

18. Please do. Remind me tomorrow

and I can e-mail you the humungo original. You will get a better original to crop from. This was reduced in size twice in order to go into phtobucket.

[globalvillage]

20. This will do for now. It's a keeper. Thanks!

[TayTay]

22. He was very, very relaxed today.

Ahm, I think he knew a lot of people there. (LOL!) You know, that whole, touching home ground thing and all. He was clearly in a very sympathetic crowd and very pleased to be there. (Seriously, I think he felt that it was an honor to march with Cong. Lewis as well. He pointedly called John Lewis a hero of his, and Cong. Lewis returned the compliment.)

It was a very loose day. I know this was an important thing, but it was handled in a very relaxed fashion. No pressure, just some time spent among friends and some folks from home. It was great.

[karynnj]

25. He was clearly in a very sympathetic crowd and very pleased to be there

and you guys got YOUR Senator - who the rest of the country wants to borrow - back home.

What's cool is that I really don't know if Bush could find a crowd where he could be so genuinely relaxed and happy as Kerry looks here. Is there any major city whre Bush could have a pleasant three mile walk?

[globalvillage]

26. Sigh...I hope we get to do this kind of stuff some day.

I have such high hopes for Mr Casey.
For now, I will just live vicariously through you Mass folks.
Thanks for sharing your observations, your photos and your senator. When I get a real one, I'll share some of his pics, too.

I will refrain, for now, from posting the Bob Kerrey quote. I feel like it, but I won't.

[TayTay]

30. If you will permit me, my dear

May you get a day with a Sen. Casey that emphasizes the rich and wonderful history of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. (You Keystone State folks are second to none in having a gorgeous history.) I'm sure a Sen. Casey would engage in walks like this that are inclusive and inspiring. He sounds like a good guy.

It was really nice having Sen. Kerry there. I'm sorry that Teddy Kennedy couldn't go. (His walking days may be over, sigh!) I am also thrilled that Cong. from Boston and surrounding towns were there. They should be. It was an important cause and it reflects well on them that they attended.

John Kerry was clearly at home. He knew a lot of folks there and wa just, well, happy. He was funny and relaxed and in his element. It was very, very nice to see. This week does mark the one year anniversary and it's just so gratifying to see him se loose and having some fun. It really is good to see. Does my heart good.

[MH1]

36. Heh, I am hoping for the campaign stops where JK

is here to help out our Bob. I mean, Bob is okay, but...

http://www.bobcaseyforpa.com/

...not quite as, um, inspirational. For me yet, anyway. I'm working on that though...

[Mass]

27. He look really great in the interviews, relaxed, smiling

and taking jabs at Bush and his team (even using the fraud word).

We saw the guy the media did not like to show during the campaign because it would not have fit the stiff and aloof guy narrative.

[whometense]

31. We couldn't hear him doing the interviews, but

he made at least two references to election fraud, in a very matter-of-fact way, that I picked up on. He was quite outspoken about it, though he didn't belabor the point (I'm sure he is at great pains to avoid appearing sour grape-ish.) He mentioned it in the way you would if you were among like-thinking people, and it was a given that election fraud occurred. I doubt there was a person there who thinks in their heart of hearts that Kerry actually lost the election.

[blm]

42. John Lewis and John Kerry ARE bonded as men who worked for change in

some of our most troubled times in this nation.

And they STILL are.

[ginnyinWI]

15. simply adorable

What a cutie! Suede jacket, right?

[TayTay]

19. Yup. And cords.

At first I thought I might have a jeans sighting, but Whome said no, he's wearing cords. (How utterly sensible for Boston in late Oct.)

Nice suede jacket. The weather was perfect today. (And it had snowed yesterday?????) About 60 degrees, a gorgeous cloud-less sky. It was like God intervened to make it just the absolute perfect weather for a 2.5 miles jaunt through Boston. Just lovely.

[whometense]

34. I have to admit

that while I was listening to all the speeches (and on an occasion like this ALL the pols want to speak.....) I was looking at JK and admiring. In a totally objective and emotion-free way, of course... ;-)

The one thing I wanted to add and that you just don't hear anyone talking about is his warmth and emotional openness. He was unmistakably happy to be there. Every time I've seen him in a situation like this there's this incredible dynamic between him and the people there (I mean the regular people, not the celebs) that's hard to describe without sounding stupid and hokey. I'll try, though. It's like there are waves of love travelling from the crowd to him; he just basks in that love and sends it back. It's quite lovely.

And now I hope I haven't caused you all to go into a diabetic coma...:blush:

[TayTay]

38. Whome, I agree.

I also agree that it's hard to phrase that without sounding syruppy about it. This much is true, after the speech there were a a whole bunch of people (mostly youngish, under 30 or so) who just wanted his autograph or to touch him. I guess being a high profile pol means people feel they have a right to paw yuh!)

What Whome wrote was my impression too! It was a very, very warm reception. Sort of a family reunion feel to it as well.

[karynnj]

39. I just wish the media would have told the truth about this last year

Your (and whome's) accounts amd the photos sound like what was seen last year at the end of the campaign. The Kerry in your pictures (especially the thumbs up one) almost glows and he looks soo happy.

[whometense]

40. Too true.

TayTay and I were saying what a shame it is that he has such a wretched connection with the black community.

[karynnj]

44. Naw, they were only cheering Lewis

just like all the Philadelphia people were there for BC and the Nadison and Cleaveland people were there for Bruce Springsteen.

Seriously, it looked like a fantastic event for very good reasons and Kerry looks very happy. (It's great that his state gives him the type of response you describe which has to make him feel good. Also, I wonder if he's not very happy to have the Iraq speech behind him.)

[ginnyinWI]

56. not at all!

I love that kind of talk. It only reinforces my belief in his character. Because you can't fake that stuff in person--the crowd knows the truth.
I saw it myself, at my closest-encouter-of-the-Kerry-kind last year. He was warm and responsive to the audience and really seemed to enjoy being there, even though it was mid-October and he must have been exhausted. It wasn't a rally but a smaller indoor crowd, and it was televised. The audience loved him, simple as that.

Objective and emotion-free...yeah right, whome! ;)

[whometense]

28. That's a really great picture.

It was a fantastic crowd. I said to Tay when we got there that I was relieved it was not a predominantly Cambridge Birkenstock crowd (no offense to anyone, but you know what I mean.) But it was a crowd that ran the total gamut of ages and colors. It was thrilling to be part of it. I can't estimate crowd size at all.

Video here on NECN under New England news, titled "Retracing the footsteps of history" http://www.boston.com/news/necn/

[Mass]

29. Here is the CBS video

http://cbs4boston.com/video

Thousand gather in Boston, reenact Martin Luther King's March.

[TayTay]

33. Well, I bulldogged my way to the front of the crowd

and just waited for it. I have about 50 blurry damned shots. (But one which looks like Sen. Kerry is looking directly at me. I kind of saved that one for now. LOL!)

Wasn't that a great day! You are superb company and put up with all my bad jokes all day. My obliged my dear. We really had a wonderful time. And it was nice to see everyone, from the amazing John Lewis to hunky Deval Patrick to John Kerry. Just great.

Bad jokes Tay? Well, we have a Mayor of Boston who is famous for being unintelligible in his speech. His nickname is Mumbles Menino. So I remarked to Whome that a really bad job would be sign language interpreter for Da Mayah. She let me live, which is nice of her.

[whometense]

35. It was great.

I had a wonderful time. And Mumbles is a trip to listen to. There were Patrick and Kerry and Lewis, all wonderful speakers - and many others as well. And then, there's Mumbles. He fortunately only spoke for a minute or so (they were supposed to have 3 minutes each, and the program was still nearly an hour too long). But when he was finished I thought, "What did he just say?" It's always like that with him. He's a nice guy, but his speech patterns remind me of one of those weird villains from Dick Tracy cartoons.

[politicasista]

7. John Lewis is a fine man

As I said in the last post, not only is he and good man, but I am proud he hails from my alma mater (Fisk University). I watched a documentary called "Eyes On The Prize" back in the 7th Grade. I was inspired by he and a lady named Diane Nash's courage in leading the fight against segregtion at the lunch counters in Downtown Nashville.

I am also glad that JK is staying involved (I know he always has) in Civil Rights issues and the Voting Rights Act. He, Lewis, and Patrick look good together.

It looks like it was a nice turnout, glad you and Whome had a nice time. :hi:

[TayTay]

11. Stand alone pic, cuz I just loved this kid.

Oh yeah, did I mention that we had fun! I couldn't dance like this little one, but I know how he felt!

Boston Common, Oct. 30, 2005. After March rally.

[politicasista]

12. How cute!

[TayTay]

21. He was adorable!

His very proud and very amused Dad was behind him and just telling him to dance. The beautiful choir from the Church in Roxbury was singing and this little one just up and started dancing. I had to get a pic. I'm sorry I didn't get his Dad in the pic too cuz his face was just lovely to look at. (That wonderful parental smile of pride and deep amusement.)

[JI7]

32. the way JK looks at John Lewis

that pic with him smiling and the other one on the bottom.

it's that look of love , admiration etc. you see it when he looks at other people also like Caroline Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, Dana Reeve etc.

[TayTay]

10. I really can't tell how many people took part

Seemed like lots and lots. (1,000's I hope.) Lots of local pols were there, but not that crappy Gov of mine. He sent an envoy from the UU Church, cuz he knew nobody would boo a UU Rev. Smart of him. Real smart. Stevie Lynch, Cong. From South Boston was there, as was Mike Capuano from Somerville. The speakers did NOT gloss over the bad racial history of Boston from 1940 to today. In 1940, Boston was 3% people of color. At the time of the 'movement' it was 8% people of color and was legally segregated. (Yup, Boston.) It took a lot of effort, time and commitment to effect lasting change in Boston. It took lawsuits and money and stick-to-itness as well. And, as it is everywhere in America, so it is here. The job ain't finished yet.

Since I was marching, I couldn't take good pics of the crowd. I have one that shows a tiny bit of it though.



Roxbury, Massachusetts. October 30, 2005. Selma to Boston Commemoration March. It was a time.

[Mass]

13. I dont know, but the crowd seems huge on the videos of CBS and NECN.

Great job.

[TayTay]

24. I think it was huge.

It seemed to go on for a long time. But I was in the middle of it and can't do any crowd estimates. Whome and I *hoped* that 5,000 showed up, but we can't be sure.

One funny part was when Cong. Lewis complimented the marchers on their fast marching skills. He said that this was one of the fastest civil rights marches he had ever been in. He said, "We had a song written about the movement called, 'Pick 'em up, lay 'em down' and you people really did that today!" LOL! (This is Boston my dear, we don't mess around here. They said march to the Commons and we did. No dawdling, we have business to conduct. And we were late getting started. We got 5,000 or so people 2.5 miles in about 45 minutes to an hour. Good work!)

[TayTay]

16. Whome and I walked and talked for the whole march.

We sang some, ('This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine...') We talked the whole hour it took to March from the Church in Roxbury to the Boston Common. (We really did. Honestly, it's like I've known the woman for years and years. Funny how people just get on well sometimes.)

I'm not posting anymore pics tonight, cuz I'm tired. I have lots of pics, but a lot of them were blurry because of the crowd and such.

The rally at the Common explained the Boston To Selma connection. (Why were we marching in Boston to commemorate Selma anyway?) One speaker, a historian, explained that in 1965 the Sunday night movie (Judgment at Nuremberg, ominously enough) was on TV. The network interrupted it to show 15 minutes of footage of people being beaten at the original March in Selma. Cong. Lewis was really decked in the head with a policeman's club and he wound up being flown to Massachusetts General Hospital for treatment. (He nearly died from this.) Dr. Martin Luther King appealed for people to come to Selma and help out with the March.

Apparently, Dr. King hit a nerve with the Mass folks. We had a Repub Senator at the time and he made some noises about supporting Dr. King but then wimped out. But people took matters into their own hands and Mass folks just began making arrangements to go to Selma. (By the hundreds, if not thousands.) One UU minister from Boston was shot to death outside of a Church in Alabama. So, this March commemorates all the people of courage from Massachusetts who put it on the line for the civil rights movement. And a big Amen to that.

(This also proves that we have always been a meddlesome bunch of people in Mass. LOL! I am very proud of this. I like being from the 'we don't take crap from anybody' state. It's nice.)

[karynnj]

17. Wow! Your story and your pictures are great

Kerry looks so relaxed especially in the picture where he is smiling and giving a thumbs up. I loved the littel boy picture - he was adorable. Looks like you had a beautiful day.

The speeches sound great.

[MH1]

23. Thanks for posting!

Echoing everyone else I guess - the pics are great, especially with your first-person account.

Sounds like it was a beautiful day. (I was just thinking of that song, I was doing my homework and scrounging for mp3's on my hard drive since I moved most of them off, and I had this unlabeled album (who knows why it was unlabeled), turned out to be one of the discs from Springsteen box set. Yes with THAT song. No not beautiful day- that is U2. No Retreat baby, No Surrender. Made me think of the U2 song though, too. And here you had it - a Beautiful Day.)

[kerrygoddess]

37. Wow! Thanks for posting this Tay Tay!

What a wonderful day you and Whome had. I linked to your thread on my news thread of the day on the Dem Daily - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=997

Great photos - even the blue one.

[TayTay]

41. Not even the Globe was able to find a bad pic

This is from the Boston Globe 10/31/05 issue:



Big, big grin. Love that!

[whometense]

43. BC Heights

The Boston College student newspaper: http://www.bcheights.com/media/paper144/news/2005/10/31/News/March.Revives.Activist.Spirit-1039374.shtml

March revives activist spirit
Three-mile route from Roxbury to Boston Common mirrored King's historic 1965 marches

Echoing the footsteps taken by civil rights leaders 40 years ago, local and national officials led a 3-mile march yesterday to increase public engagement in politics. About 40 Boston College students participated in the march, carrying a banner that read "Boston College for equality."

The event was highlighted by speeches from Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), among others. Before and after the march, the speakers stressed the importance of voting, and honored those who spearheaded the civil rights movement during the 1960s. <...>

[karynnj]

50. Love the grin and ... Did you notice he is really really tall!

[Mass]

45. Here is the RW view of the event via the national review

http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/macomber200510311008.asp

No comments. This is enough to make me sick. A few excerpts, just to show how they still have pbs with the issues relative to voting rights.

Congressman Lewis took it a step further during his speech when he addressed Kerry from the podium, declaring, “I voted for you for president and you should have been president. A lot of us still believe that you won.” And while no one can ever cast aspersions on Lewis’s heartrending tale of growing up under segregation or impugn his bravery during the civil-rights era — he was hit so hard in the head with a police baton during the march from Selma to Montgomery that he was very nearly killed — some of his words on Sunday were troubling in their lack of scope.

“My generation would never, ever have taken what people are taking today,” he contended at one point. “We are too quiet in 2005.”

Are racial tensions really that much worse today than in 1965? It is difficult at times to fully grasp why a group ostensibly gathered to celebrate the victories of the civil-rights era spends nearly the entirety of that celebration almost reveling in how little they believe has actually been gained. The idea of America as a banana republic seems to be the only thing that can assuage the pain of losing an election.

“Forty years after the civil-rights filibuster was broken in the United States Senate and the Civil Rights Act was finally signed into law; 40 years after the Voting Rights Act, we are still living in a nation where too many of our fellow citizens are hassled, harassed and even denied the right to vote,” Kerry said, for example. “That has to stop now".

[TayTay]

46. Apparently they failed to listen To Deval Patrick

He spoke about Katrina and the national embarrasment and shame about the conditions that Katrina revealed. The National Review shouold listen to these words when they ponder why people are so angry.

I am paraphrasing Deval Patrick (A dem candidate for MA gov next year, btw) when he said, "We saw those people abandoned on the rooftops in New Orleans. But we know those people were abandoned long before Katrina hit. The storm ripped the illusion away that someone actually cared about them." Amen, brother, amen.

[karynnj]

49. Nice comments

Somehow your and Whome's comments gibe more with the photos. Does the author have a clue that voting rights ARE related to the theme of the march, which is why Lewis and Kerry mentioned them.

Questions for the NR: If they were right, that Kerry is bitter and still not able to think about anything but losing -

Why does he look relaxed, happy, glowing and smiling surrounded by thousands of unscreened people who seem very happy he's there? Why has he been very productive? Why are they still covering him - if he's just a sorry loser? Why does he seem to enjoy himself - at concerts, shows, rallies, and other places? Tay Tay observed that this week marks the sad anniversery of last year and Senator Kerry is clearly doing alright. (If NR wants pictures of an angry, unhappy man - they only need to google "George W Bush")

[whometense]

51. Nice.

And of course, 100% correct. Why are they paying so much attention to a mere "failed presidential candidate"?

It's noteworthy (and I'm sure you saw this in NJ as well) that for an uncharismatic loser, an extraordinary number of people want to be near him, to touch him and to talk with him, to get his signature. An extraordinary number of people light up in his presence and hush to hear what he has to say.

[Mass]

52. The fact people attack Kerry is the best sign he is still relevant

He clearly ticks them off by not disappearing as other candidates have done.

[whometense]

53. True.

And they didn't waste any time getting on his case, did they? It is plain as day that they see him as a particular threat. Good. He is.

[karynnj]

47. Thanks for posting this

They are not even intermally consistent - In the 2nd to last paragraph they print Kerry's prepared speech (then complain that he deviates from his prepared speech), but their interpretation of it that it has some threat is crazy.

From the idiot:
"In the prepared remarks provided to the press (and which hardly resembled Kerry’s actual speech at all), the former Democratic presidential nominee allowed that America “was and still is a great nation. But” — and you knew there had to be a “but” — “when we fail to protect the right to vote, our nation becomes less great, less capable of doing great things, and worst of all, less free.”

This is fairly magnanimous stuff for John Kerry. It let’s us know he’s finally accepted his loss, but also serves as a friendly warning that if we want this to remain a “great nation,” we all better vote the right damn way next time. "

[TayTay]

48. Good!

Obviously we're still pissing off all the right people.

Let me know when they stop sniping, misquoting and misunderstanding the man. Then I'm gonna get worried.

To stand up for something is become a target. It was ever so.

[whometense]

54. In contrast to the right wing

smearing, I wanted to add a note about this moment of grace I witnessed yesterday.

Among the crowd of local pols and contenders present was Maura Hennigan, who is challenging Boston mayor Tom Menino. She wasn't among the people on the stairs of the church (the VIP spot), and after the speeches ended and before the march began she was standing sort of awkwardly off to one side, looking like she wasn't sure where she should be. Kerry spotted her, called out to her, and came over to greet her with a big hug and a smile.

It was a small thing, but to me that moment exemplified how thoughtful, considerate and gracious he is. I am so proud to be represented by him.

[Mass]

55. That's great of him -

She does not stand a chance, but I was happy to see that she challenged Menino. If anything, it forced him to campaign and to have these debates.