Who to invite

Hope and fear cannot occupy the same space. Invite one to stay. - Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou says the Obamas are the Real Deal - Washington Post

"At Long Last, Ready for the Real Deal"

By Maya Angelou

Sunday, January 18, 2009; Page B05

In September 2008, I was invited to introduce Michelle Obama at an event in Greensboro, N.C. I had met her fleetingly during the Democratic National Convention in Boston, but I had no real sense of her personality.

I telephoned Oprah Winfrey, aware that she knew the Obamas, and asked, "What is your take on Michelle Obama?"

Oprah answered promptly and with conviction, "She is the real deal."

I waited backstage in the Carolina Theatre wings. Mrs. Obama arrived, and we sat and talked for 45 minutes. We spoke about family, the economy, youth obesity, television, music, cooking and men. I was completely won over. She neither postured nor preened. I sensed no subterfuge in her conversation. She said what she thought and said it clearly, without bombast. When I was cued to go onto the stage, I shook hands with her warmly and went to the microphone. The theater was packed, and there was no standing room. I told the audience of some of Mrs. Obama's accomplishments, and then I told them of the conversation that I had had with Oprah. I ended my introduction by saying, "Now ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the 'real deal.' "

Read the rest HERE at the Washington Post Online

It's time to lift America's spirit, by Maya Angelou

One of my heroes, Maya Angelou, is interviewed by CNN today - "It's time to lift America's spirit"! Absolutely, isn't it time to bind us together? It may, indeed, be such an important time to work to heal divides, and care for one another. Read an excerpt below, or read it all HERE.

~ Rev. Peter M. Carey

It's time to lift America's spirit, by Maya Angelou

NEW YORK (CNN) -- At 80, Maya Angelou says her "knees are not all that swift and my lungs need some extra help but other than that, my desire to learn and to share, that has not abated."

Maya Angelou urges politicians to "aim for the high ground" in her new book, "Letter to My Daughter."

She shares what she's learned in an eventful life in her best-selling new book, "Letter to My Daughter." Angelou achieved fame for her autobiographical writing, including "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and her poetry.

She read her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at President Clinton's first inauguration. She was only the second poet invited to read at the swearing in of a new president.

But her career has had many facets -- Angelou has been a singer, dancer, playwright, director and teacher.

In 166 pages, "Letter to My Daughter" distills stories from Angelou's life into universal lessons. She writes about birth, life and death, about the ways people misunderstand each other and then transcend their conflict. She calls on national leaders to raise the country's spirit and on Americans to remember that this is the nation that defeated the Nazis and expanded people's freedom through the civil rights movement.

"Politicians must set their aims for the high ground and according to our various leanings, Democratic, Republican, Independent, we will follow," she writes. "Politicians must be told if they continue to sink into the mud of obscenity, they will proceed alone."

Read the rest HERE.

Poetry Month: Still I Rise, by Maya Angelou

In honor of poetry month, and of Maya Angelou's 80th birthday last Friday, here is one of her incredible poems:


Still I Rise

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

Maya Angelou

Vanity Fair Issue on Africa - Don't Miss it

This month's (July 2007) Vanity Fair issue has a special issue on Africa that is worth a read! To catch our attention, there are 20 different covers in which some interesting pairs of people are photographed....Desmond Tutu and Brad Pitt, Madonna and Maya Angelou! Bono and Condy Rice!! It's worth a look!





Slide show: The 20 Covers
The 21 people who put their famous faces to work for this issue say it all. Annie Leibovitz paired them up on 20 different covers—shout-outs for the challenge, the promise, and the future of Africa.

Madonna's Malawi
A look at Madonna's work in Africa, including Raising Malawi, the nonprofit she co-founded. Also on VF.com: photos from Madonna's trips to Malawi and an exclusive conversation between Madonna and Harvard professor Jim Yong Kim.

At the Desert's Edge
Five years after a brutal al-Qaeda bombing in Tunisia, Christopher Hitchens explores the pressure points in one of Africa's most successful countries.

Picturing Genocide
Inspired by images of suffering in Africa, a lone Chicago woman pulls together "Darfur/Darfur," an exhibit of haunting photos by important photographers. By Evgenia Peretz.

Out of Africa
The DNA shared by the world's six-billion-plus people ultimately comes from the same place. Leading the Genographic Project, Spencer Wells traces a global debt to Africa.

Telling African Stories
Danny Glover's new production company, Louverture Films, is allowing him to work on the material that is closest to his heart, writes Austin Merrill. A VF.com exclusive.


The Lazarus Effect
AIDS is no longer a death sentence, thanks to miracle drugs. But millions still can't afford them. Enter the consumer-action strategy of (Product) Red. On the ground in Rwanda, Alex Shoumatoff learns what a difference buying (Red) can make.

Youssou N'Dour's Personal Playlist
N'Dour, the Senegalese singer, shot to world-music superstardom in the 1980s. For the Africa issue, he compiled this playlist. VF.com exclusive: Learn how to download all the songs from the iTunes Music Store.

Jeffrey Sachs's $200 Billion Dream
Extreme poverty can be eradicated, insists superstar economist Jeffrey Sachs—all it takes is determination, focus, and, well, money. In Uganda and Kenya, Nina Munk gets a tour of his ultimate battleground.

Africa: An Interactive Map
Vanity Fair's July 2007 issue captures the epic diversity of the African continent. Point your mouse at the countries on this map and you'll discover historical details, cultural items, useful links, and more.

The Africa Portfolio: Contributors
From archbishops and athletes to doctors and movie directors, the July issue's Africa portfolio (page 176) focuses on 71 people who are defying the status quo. Here are bios of the profile writers.

The Africa Issue: Online Resources
Here are dozens of sites that will help you dig deeper into the topics covered in the July issue.

The Africa Issue: Table of Contents