Tag Archives: Bono

MLK Jr. 2011 Memorial Edition: Reflections on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.- January ’09

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Martin Luther King Jr. Day from a young age has always been a special day to me. From the very first time I can remember learning about MLK Jr. in elementary school after watching a film strip of Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream Speech” I remember being deeply troubled, sickened, and disgusted by the injustices that black people faced/face.

Being from Utah my black history ties are limited. In fact according to the 2000 Census the black population in Utah was only .8% but for some reason the idea of a non-violent stand against clear injustice was something that I became passionate about at a young age. When I was in 4th grade I entered the Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest where I recited an excerpt of the “I Have Dream Speech” and to my surprise won honorable mention that year.

Martin Luther King Jr., Washington, DC-The National Mall, 1963

President Barack Obama Inauguration Celebration, Washington, DC- The National Mall- 2009

Today, I attended the Inauguration Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial “We Are One” Concert in a crowd that many thought they would never see in DC.  I took a moment in the crowd of people to stand still and drown out the noise and as I looked around with my friends near by all I could see was the National Mall bursting with an estimated 400,000 people I couldn’t help but fight back tears. When Bono sang “In the Name of Love” it was over for me! I wonder if being in such a large crowd felt something like being the midst of Dr. King when he gave his famous “I have a Dream Speech” over 40 years ago.

President Barack Obama Inauguration Celebration, Washington, DC- The National Mall- 2009

Me, "NWtoSE" and my close friend

I am so proud to be an American, I have always been proud to be an American and I pray that more people will be able to continue the work of Dr. King and to continue the work needed to support President Obama.

One man cannot and should not run a country himself/herself along. It is a country of the people, for the people, and by the people. Serve your country in whatever capacity you are able.

God Bless America.

This post was originally published on:  January 19, 2009

Bono will be back. . . any kind soul want to help me get there? : )

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Going to see U2 in concert is like preparing for a marathon for me and my two friends. We save, we put the new album that was recently released on repeat for a few months, we call in to the local radio stations to win free tickets (we never win- but came close to winning once), and we spend A LOT OF MONEY. Usually the tickets sell out in about 10 minutes so we end up having to buy the tickets online. This means the tickets end up being double the price of the face value. Then you have your t-shirt, your hot dog, and whatever other “U2 incidentals” come along you have a long long tab. It is ALWAYS worth the cost in the end but in this recession I hope Bono can give us a break, a price break that is. With no money on the “Horizon” come hell or high water we will see you there Bono. . . and Edge be ready for me! This concert my two U2 groupies might even make it out to the District to see Bono and the crew at least that is the current plan so if you would like to donate to my one seemingly frivolous expenditure you know where to find me :)

I always feel good at the end of the day putting out the money for the concerts because Bono gives so much back to fight HIV/AIDS, TB, increase literacy and decrease hunger to name a few.

Please check out U2.com for more information about U2′s causes. . .
See you at the concert!

Bono will be back. . . any kind soul want to help me get there? : )

Posted on
2

Going to see U2 in concert is like preparing for a marathon for me and my two friends. We save, we put the new album that was recently released on repeat for a few months, we call in to the local radio stations to win free tickets (we never win- but came close to winning once), and we spend A LOT OF MONEY. Usually the tickets sell out in about 10 minutes so we end up having to buy the tickets online. This means the tickets end up being double the price of the face value. Then you have your t-shirt, your hot dog, and whatever other “U2 incidentals” come along you have a long long tab. It is ALWAYS worth the cost in the end but in this recession I hope Bono can give us a break, a price break that is. With no money on the “Horizon” come hell or high water we will see you there Bono. . . and Edge be ready for me! This concert my two U2 groupies might even make it out to the District to see Bono and the crew at least that is the current plan so if you would like to donate to my one seemingly frivolous expenditure you know where to find me :)

I always feel good at the end of the day putting out the money for the concerts because Bono gives so much back to fight HIV/AIDS, TB, increase literacy and decrease hunger to name a few.

Please check out U2.com for more information about U2′s causes. . .
See you at the concert!

Reflections on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

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MLK Jr. Day from a young age has always been a special day to me. To be honest my reasons have no deep ties and are very simple. From the very first time I can remember learning about MLK Jr. in elementary school I remember being deeply troubled, sickened, disgusted and feeling guilt for the injustices that black people faced/face. There is nothing that really ties me to any rooted black history in general I am from Utah where the black population in 2000 was .8% but for some reason the idea of non-violence and taking a stand was something that wasn’t right and the way that Dr. King communicated these ideals was always felt strongly about. When I was in 4th grade I entered the Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest where I recited an excerpt of MLK Jr.’s “I Have Dream Speech” and to my surprise won honorable mention that year.

Today, being at the Inauguration Celebration in a crowd that I would have never thought I would see in DC I took a moment for the crowd to almost stand still and as I looked around with my friends near by, black friends, white friends, and to see the National Mall bursting with people I couldn’t help but fight back tears. When Bono sang “In the Name of Love” it was over for me! I wonder if being in such a large crowd felt something like being the midst of Dr. King?

I am so proud to be an American, I have always been proud to be an American and I pray that more people will be able to continue the work of Dr. King and to continue the work needed to support President Obama.

One man cannot and should not run a country himself/herself along. It is a country of the people, for the people, and by the people. Serve your country in whatever capacity you are able.

God Bless America.