Icy Mike: My President is Black...God & Mr. Cox are too

(again shout out to the boy ICY MIKE for this wonderful blog)

Today has been one of those days that you need every now and then to renew your faith in mankind and yourself. I watched Barack Hussein Obama become our 44th President and in the beginning of watching all of this unfold I shed a tear. I cried because I was thinking of all the hardships that Civil Rights Pioneers had endured in order to see a day like this take place when Love Wins and we as a collective nation said yes we can to change and stop being so indifferent to everything in life.

I was at work today and later on in the evening when I was working alone and a gentleman (whose name is Mr. Cox) came in and was looking for a bow tie and a dress shirt for a black tie affair. (I work in a predominately black mall at tuxedo shop if you didn’t know) He was an older gentleman probably somewhere in his early 70 (he told me he was 73). I told him I was watching the parade in the back on my laptop and told me he was excited about the whole day and he was happy that I was too. So, I asked him point blank, “sir, did you ever think this would happen?” his reply was, “no, I never thought a day like today was possible.”

He said “I grew up in Mississippi and was born in 1936 and moved to Chicago when I was 19” “When I was growing up we couldn’t get a table at a restaurant and when we wanted food from them they would pass the food through a window in the back of the building.” also “There were no public restrooms for us when we went places. If we needed to go to the bathroom we would go on the side of the road or in some woods.”

“One thing my father taught me at a young age was not to let all the words and things people say about you get into your head. He said don’t listen to what others say about you if you are something in God’s eyes then that is all that matters.” “My Father was a very strong man and was of sound character. He also told me that if you have hate in your heart you are only hurting yourself, because that person cannot feel the hate that you are putting on them.”

Another story that he shared with me was deep and really just awe inspiring it went something like this. “I remember one night when I was 9 years old our house got surrounded by the KKK, and they were yelling for my father to come out. My father said the front door is open you can come in but I’m going to take out a bunch of you before you kill me and my family. Dad had a hand pump shotgun on his lap and pistol in his hand down to the side.”

He also shared with me that he served in the Korean War. He was very active in the Civil Rights movement, and now he is involved in street ministry dealing with gangs in Chicago. When this man mentioned God to me it was only in passing, but it was one of those moments when you knew that his actions spoke more to me then T.D. Jakes could ever say in a sermon. It was one of those moments when your cynicism parts and you open your mind and listen with your heart.

Mr. Cox wasn’t really talking about being a follower of God; he was walking in full living action everyday of his life to be living the Gospel. It was incredible. This is man who truly believes that Love Wins, and if you know anything about MLK or Jesus those are two men who truly and whole heartedly believed that Love Wins.

Today was living proof. We have Barack Hussein Obama as our 44th President, and did so, on a platform of change and peace. I am a true believer that Love Wins, I just need to do so in action more so then just speech and print. Mr. Cox summed up how he dealt with racism in a very short and profound statement “Don’t listen to what others say about you. If you are something in God’s eyes then that is all that matters….. If you have hate in your heart you are only hurting yourself, because that person cannot feel the hate that you are putting on them.”

To Mr. Cox I owe a debt of gratitude and I am glad that we were able to share our joy and passion for the day together. Even though I do not understand all that he has been through, his stories and wisdom have touched me in a profound way, to where we both can unite together and pronounce……..LOVE WINS.

Sincerely,

Icy Mike.