HUU Community Cafe

Let America Be America Again
Presented by Robin McNallie and Chris Edwards
July 6, 2008

Readings:

This reading is from the poem by Langston Hughes:

Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed–
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above. . .

From The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Copyright © 1994 the Estate of Langston Hughes.

This is from the poem by Emma Lazarus, inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
– Emma Lazarus

…It never was America to me. Continue Reading »

1 Comment »

I remember well the Fourths when I was 10 to 12 years old in Pittsburgh, where I spent the summers with my father, my grandmother, and my father’s sisters. My father and I would arise early and after breakfast walk probably half a mile to Grandview avenue, that fabulous street that runs along the top of Mt. Washington and looks down on the panorama of downtown Pittsburgh, the Monongahela river below, the Allegheny river beyond the downtown, and the beginning of the Ohio river off to the left. We would take the Mt. Washington incline down to Carson street and catch a street car to Forbes field, home park of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team. We would watch the morning game of the holiday doubleheader

It was such a great pleasure for me to be going someplace with my father. The first time we went, he taught me how to keep track of the game on a little card, recording the hits, walks, etc. for each inning. It seems the Pirates always played Cincinnati and they always lost, even though these were glory days when the Pirates won two National League pennants. The big stars were Paul Waner and his younger brother, Lloyd, known as “big poison” and “little poison.” My father always took those losses in his wonderful relaxed, resigned way. It was only a game.

After the game we went home to a special, delicious dinner that my grandmother had fixed. And I was happy. JJG

1 Comment »