Which African-American Senators/Leaders were absent from Coretta's Funeral

[KoKo]

I was looking for Condi, Colin, Parsons (head of AOL/TIME WARNER) the Black Business Leaders who managed to EXCELL under Lyndon Johnson's Civil Rights Program after JFK was Assassinated.......

So..was Obama there, was Harold Ford there........WHO WAS THERE of the BLACK DEM LEADERSHIP to carry her SOUL UP IN THE SKY???

Is there a list?

[jaysunb]

1. You forgot Clarence Thomas

oops....you said Black " leaders " :evilgrin:

[Mass]

2. Conyers was there - He spoke.

Here is a list (not complete though).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5601075,00.html

[GemMom]

3. Rice was there.

I saw her in today's coverage when the cameras panned the crowd during a prayer. Not sure about others you mentioned.

[KoKo]

6. Condi Rice was there! I didn't hear any news about that!

Good for her, then.

[FrenchieCat]

8. Does showing up to a funeral means that you're ok, or something?

I don't get it. :shrug:

I wasn't there, and I know that I love and respect Coretta Scott King much more than Junior ever did.

[KoKo]

10. I think I was surprised because I don't see Condi as thinking of herself

as someone who cared about Coretta or MLK and going to their funeral was of less importance to her than her "State Dept. job."

:shrug: Maybe I misjudged her.

[dflprincess]

13. Bush showed up at the funeral it doesn't mean he cared

about the Kings. Don't assume Condi does either. You'll notice she apparently was not asked to speak.

[AnnieBW]

4. T.D. Jakes?

Isn't he one of *'s pet black ministers? One of the ones that he appears with when he wants to look like he likes black people?

[Vinca]

5. Where was Jesse Jackson? They had cameras and everything!nt

[FrenchieCat]

9. Jesse Jackson was there....

after all, he was one of the pall bearers at MLK's funeral so many years ago.

He was interviewed on both CNN and MSNBC along with Al Sharpton.

(the comment about Cameras being there is really a low blow....I understand the Right wanting to vilify and demonize most strong Black people until they are dead.....But I didn't expect that from DUers--Guess getting a Yuk-Yuk is just as important as anything else!)

[Vinca]

24. Wow - lighten up.

In dark days like these, a "yuk-yuk," even at Jesse's expense, is worth it. As for "demonizing strong black people" - well, I can't even respond to an insulting comment like that in a civil manner.

[beaconess]

7. There was a memorial service yesterday that many black leaders

including Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, John Lewis, Marc Morial, Andy Young and Rev. Lowery attended.

[KoKo]

11. I wonder who the "special" were who got Funeral Invites...because I think

the FAMILY would have only wanted those closest to her for the Funeral and the Memorial would have been something different. :shrug:

[beaconess]

12. Obama was there, so were Jesse and Al

[bobbieinok]

14. where was JC Watt??????? Wade Connerly??????

they've certainly benefitted from the Kings' work, but I doubt they admire them

[beaconess]

15. They were probably not invited . . .

[BigYawn]

16. Why do some people think of "racial" categories for people?

I am sick and tired of the racial divide. This is the only
country where people are identified as belonging to some
racial category, besides South Africa.

It is high time we stopped noticing people's race, and
concentrate on the contents of their character...per MLK.

[beaconess]

17. This is NOT the only country where people are described by race

There's nothing wrong with identifying people by race - I like celebrating our diversity. The problem comes in when race is used as the basis for value judgments.

[BigYawn]

18. But there is no "pure" race...almost all "black" Americans have

white blood in them, thanks to the philandering, over sexed
plantation owners. A huge percent of "white" people have
native american blood in them, inter-racial marriages are
exploding. A lot of "blacks" have lighter skins than many
"whites" of mediterranean origin. Paula Abdul is one example.

And don't forget we go back only 400 generations
back to "Lucy", the humanoid from Africa.

And also don't forget Europe was invaded for centuries by
Arabs, North African, Mongols, who left a significant amount
of their genes in that population.
IMHO, the longer we keep referring to "race", the longer
we prolong racial tensions.

[beaconess]

19. Who said anything abou "pure races?"

Reference to race is not the cause of racial tensions. Race is more than just skin color or blood - it is often deeply rooted in culture. I'm a black woman with more than a smattering of white and Indian blood, but I still consider myself black and don't want to be turned into a homogenous figure in a homogenous society.

But even superficial racial descriptions aren't the problem - any more than noticing that someone has blue eyes rather than brown, or red hair rather than blond, or that one is a man rather than a woman. The problem is how some people USE racial classifications to make value judgments about others - and that's not going to go away by simply pretending that we don't notice people's differences.

A few years back, I was meeting an out-of-time business associate for lunch. Because we had never met, he asked me to describe myself so he could spot me in the restaurant. Because I knew few black people patronized this place, I told him, "I'm black." He got very flustered and said, "That doesn't matter. What will you be wearing?" I said, "I don't know. But I'm black." He said, "That doesn't matter to me - I don't notice skin color." I told him, "Then you're going to have a terrible time spotting me since that's my most distinguishing physical characteristic."

Now, if I were applying for a job and an employer asked me what race I was, that would be problematic, since it would have nothing to do with my qualifications for a job. But if someone's trying to find me in a crowded restaurant full of white people, it would be ridiculous for me not to let them know I'm black.

[BigYawn]

20. People should be noticed for whats inside their brain, not what color

is their skin. I know that will take some time in this
country because the subjugation of blacks into slavery
in previous times.

But the longer we keep obsessing over race, the longer
the racial divide and tensions will continue.

[norml]

21. The cons try to make MLK Jr. safe for con-servatism

by making him out to be someone who'd rather we not talk about race, class, gender, or war.

The image they try to paint of King is of a preacher who just wanted to join hands, sing psalms, and forget about all that other stuff.

[kskiska]

22. Anybody see Harry Belafonte?

I'm sure he must have been there. If so, he kept a low profile.

[adigal]

23. Silly - the only Repubs there were the ones who HAD

to be - the ex-president Bush and present Dear Leader Bush. And he had not planned on going, but I guess Karl told him he had to.

Republicans are not comfortable with minorities. I know - I have a lot of republicans in my family.