Robert E. Lee


Robert E. Lee Hotel
I was born and raised in Winston-Salem, NC. The Robert E. Lee Hotel was a fixture in my city until it came tumbling down in 1972. My mom still has a piece of furniture from the hotel. Robert E. Lee was a revered figure in the South for the longest time. 
I left Winston-Salem in 1973 to attend a boarding school in Alexandria, VA. One of my classmates from Episcopal is a direct descendant (Great Great Grandson) of Lee. Great guy from a great family. I read this article today: "How Robert E. Lee Went from Hero to Racist Icon." Also highlighting this article I read on Lee on April 26, 2019 - "The Myth of the Kindly General Lee."
In 2011 I wrote a blog about a treasured park near my hometown, Tanglewood Park -- I titled the blog, "Confronting my Past." 
Growing up Black in the South in the 1960's & 1970's will make you continually confront your past - it could be complicated and perplexing. The recent events in Charlottesville, VA definitely cause me to think of the childhood angst I felt towards race, discrimination & hatred.
That said, I wouldn't trade growing up in the South during the 60's & 70's for any other time period that I've been a part of in my life. I witnessed seismic changes in our society during my childhood because a majority of the people in this country were challenged to recognize the better angels of their nature. 
To quote Abraham Lincoln:
We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.
"How Far We Have Traveled." William Etling wrote these words in 2008 after witnessing the inauguration of Barack Obama. His words inspired me to write "Confronting my Past." We've traveled far but we still haven't traveled far enough. 
Kurt Warner's recent Pro Football Hall of Fame speech spoke to me. Warner talked about how moments matter. 
Moments matter. They leave their impression upon us. They shape how we live our lives, and they impact who we become. They also offer us something of possibly more value: The opportunity to leave a lasting mark on the world around us.
I came here tonight to say thank you to all of those who crossed my path and didn’t miss their moment to mark on me. It made all the difference. Don’t miss your moments. Both the moments to be impacted, and the moments to impact.


Peace & Love!

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 27, 2018 at 9:31 AM

    Clarence, my name is Sophie and we met at the Ellis Paul concert at the Iron Horse in Northampton recently (Oct 20th) - we ended up chatting after the show because I know Jayne, who you and your family stayed with while you were in town for parent's weekend. I'd love to continue our conversation about race / racism etc. if that's something you'd be open to. No pressure if not. I hope you're well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AptoinnMarch 1, 2019 at 7:05 AM

    I enjoyed reading this blog post. It was inspiring and informative. Thank you. nata coaching classes in chennai

    ReplyDelete

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