Today, Sojourner Truth became the first Black woman to have a memorial bust included in the halls of the U. S. Capitol. You can read the full story at CNN.com.

It is in reading her speech given at The Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio in 1851 that I am reminded of how far we have travelled…and also, how far we still need to go.

Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that ‘twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what’s all this here talking about?

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man – when I could get it – and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I a woman?

Then they talk about this thing in the head; what’s this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That’s it, honey. What’s that got to do with women’s rights or negroes’ rights? If my cup won’t hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ’cause Christ wasn’t a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain’t got nothing more to say.

From CNN:

When it comes to educating about cardiovascular health, Rani Whitfield is proving that it’s not only what you say but how you say it.

He’s found a unique way of combining two of his passions, music and medicine, to help address troubling health disparities among African-Americans. When he’s not seeing patients, he’s in the sound studio, creating hip-hop songs about medical conditions like obesity, heart disease and stroke in an attempt to educate the black community.

“I started to notice there was an affinity towards hip-hop music,” said Whitfield, who is also a national spokesman for the American Stroke Association. He says that is what prompted him to found the Hip Hop Healthy Coalition. “I was hoping maybe I could get involved in the culture and have some positive influence on it.”

And that’s exactly what he’s done. By speaking in a language young people can relate to, he’s getting them to pay attention.

Read the entire story here.

Get your kleenex ready…this one is going to touch your heart.

The coach never considered any other option.

 It didn’t matter that his DeKalb, Ill., High School basketball team had ridden a bus two and a half hours to get to Milwaukee, then waited another hour past game time to play. Didn’t matter that the game was close, or that this was a chance to beat a big city team.

Something else was on Dave Rohlman’s mind when he asked for a volunteer to shoot two free throws awarded his team on a technical foul in the second quarter. His senior captain raised his hand, ready to go to the line as he had many times before.

Only this time it was different.

“You realize you’re going to miss them, don’t you?” Rohlman said.

Darius McNeal nodded his head. He understood what had to be done.

It was a Saturday night in February, and the Barbs were playing a non-conference game on the road against Milwaukee Madison. It was the third meeting between the two schools, who were developing a friendly rivalry that spanned two states.

The teams planned to get together after the game and share some pizzas and soda. But the game itself almost never took place.

Hours earlier, the mother of Milwaukee Madison senior captain Johntell Franklin died at a local hospital. Carlitha Franklin had been in remission after a five-year fight with cervical cancer, but she began to hemorrhage that morning while Johntell was taking his college ACT exam.

Her son and several of his teammates were at the hospital late that afternoon when the decision was made to turn off the life-support system. Carlitha Franklin was just 39.

source: Examiner.com

This happened right here in my own city…and I had to find out on the internet!

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When shots rang out at a basketball game at a local community center Friday, one of the players risked injury to save a 6-year-old boy.

Sean Merritt said he was at the game at the Tony Aguirre Community Center with his 6-year-old son, Desean, to watch the game between DeLaSalle High School and the Southeast Community Center team.

The boy stepped away from his father just as gunfire started in the fourth quarter, Merritt said.

Sean Merritt said 19-year-old Jullaion Jones stepped off the court and saved Desean’s life. Jones put the 6-year-old on the ground and covered him until the gunfire stopped, holding him tight even after a bullet grazed Jones in the leg.

Read more here.

It may not seem like it, but there are angels walking among us. I’m glad one of them was at this game for this little man.

I have always admired Tony Dungy. His quiet strength, his incredible management of the sideline, and great football knowledge is all good, but that is not why. It is the fact that this man knows that he is blessed. He knows that he has been showered with the grace of God and he never hesitates to mention it, never fails to give praise where it is due.

So it is with sadness, but an even bigger understanding and a very proud heart, that I bid Mr. Dungy adieu from the Indianapolis Colts sideline every Sunday. He is a Hall of Fame coach in every sense of the word. Not only did he build competitive and strong football teams, but he set an example for all the men on his teams on how to be a man. He said what he had to say with respect and tact, a quality that is lacking from some athletes these days.

Remembering when his oldest son committed suicide and the poised way he spoke to the media about the sure pain he and his family were going through will forever be in my mind. I look at him and know that if there is an earthly reason why and how his family made it through that dark time, he was the strong force keeping them together. His faith is always apparent, always forefront, always entering the room before him.

I use my Good News Tuesday post today not to celebrate Mr. Dungy’s retirement, but to celebrate the coach that he was. And even more, to celebrate the man that he is.

You can read about Tony’s retirement here. Or watch the video (grab some tissue first):

If you are interested in reading a really good book, pick up “Quiet Strength” by Tony Dungy.