Yesterday, the New York Times published a fascinating article compiling research on first lady Michelle Obama’s genealogical background. I have always been a fan of genealogy because it can shift the historical focus from the famous to the more “common” people, offering a much fuller and more accurate picture of what life was actually like. What the story of the first lady’s ancestors shows is a family’s slow but steady rise over more than a century from the worst of conditions, indignities and abuses to becoming a celebrated and influential symbol of today’s United States.
Much of the information in the article is also apparently new to the first lady and the rest of her family. As I blogged and wrote about earlier this year, many descendants of slaves and slaveholders are simply not aware of their past, or share a common desire not to talk about it out of a sense of shame. But, as President Obama said during his campaign, instead of continuing to sweep the issue under the carpet or simply declare it “ancient history,” slavery is something many Americans, black and white, still need to come to terms with if they are going to move forward together to build a more unified country.
Of course, the United States is not alone in having skeletons in its closet. When you think about your family’s history, what historical legacies still lurk in the shadows and perhaps play a part in your country’s modern day politics? Does knowing your family’s role help you understand and motivate you to move forward, or would you rather not know?
Comments (15)
Jitendra Kaushal
8 October 2009 at 20:00 EDT
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Truthfulness in thought and conduct is the foundation on which trust grows, and trust is the finest glue to hold together diverse cultural and ethnic groups in a nation.
Sadly, President Obama does not view his foreign policy options from the prism of truthfulness. His desire to build a relationship of trust with Afghanistan and Pakistan is indeed sincere. But is the basic ingredient of truthfulness present in both sides of the equation?
Why can not thinkers and planners in Washington grasp the simple truth that al-Qaeda is not an identifiable group of Islamic zealots or a sworn brotherhood? It is just one of the many masks worn by the virus of Muslim fundamentalism which has the potential to turn any ordinary person into a terrorist. Lure of money is known to turn friend into foes.
America’s choice of dollars or American blood as a tool of transforming ignorant and feudal societies into vibrant democracies stems from its own arrogance of power. There is a far simpler way of doing it. A shift in a people’s cultural ethos does not necessarily have to be accompanied by quantum leap in economic factors. Why not learn from Army the importance of buddy system as the art of surviving in difficult situations?
The first step in Afghanistan’s reconstruction should be strengthening of that nation’s linkages with other nations sharing its ethos and values. It needs to be understood that Pakistan’s cultural similarity can not be misconstrued as its friendliness towards its troubled neighbor.
The friendship that dollars buy is bound to evaporate when supply of dollars ends.
Obama can do well to remember the following basic facts:-
i) Vietnam War was a showdown between communism and capitalism. Vietnam was not a breeding ground for any virus like Islamic terrorism.
ii) Iraq conflict was not aggravated by malicious designs of a crafty neighbor.
iii) Al-Qaeda may not be the mask that future terrorists groups repeating 9/11 in America would wear.
iv) Why is Karzai suspicious of Pakistan and can America succeed by ignoring genuine concerns of Kabul?
v) Islamabad is out of touch with ground realities in Pakistan and to be guided by advice emanating rom there is to court disaster.
r
10 October 2009 at 13:15 EDT
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When you say truthfulness in thought – who understands that and then you say trust is the finest glue etc – may be you are seeing that within yourself individually but you cannot universalize that with reference to governance on behalf of any country because there trust gets marred with mistrust because that is what is seen as selling politically when others come to see their own trust in thought?
? – So, let us not bring in truthfulness in thought where political governance stands to match artificial standards for diplomacy of relationships that stand to evolve trust in thought because thoughts always remain in transit for trust. Governance can not be pinned down with thoughts alone because thoughts have to allow trust to build on its own. How can therefore anybody come into the view of President Obama on foreign policy? The rest of what you convey Jitendra Kaushal in your communication becomes food for your own thought and not for others to follow with trust in governing terms and so remains with your personal intellect on it. This is the frank view of Krishna Consciousness on your comments under the learning process we are all in to legitimacy of purpose that is of creation with a change that has to inherently evolve trust where material role cannot be eliminated from it as you have put it in $ terms for buying friendship?
? – Friendship has its base in the lower nature of the state circumstantial and those cannot be overlooked under the sincerity of the rule of give and take in mutual terms for the purpose because that purpose also stands on trust with faith that has to evolve trust through levels at times not seen as legitimate; legitimate was the past, legitimate is the present and so would be the future if only one tries to be out of the prejudicial comments and thinks positive by burying the smoke of the past for the present and the future to blossom into a new flower of life. Your personal intellect jitender Kaushal would be becoming insight for many others to understand Krishna and that is the reason this comment stands of its state of glory to be fetched in understanding terms of depth on it. Thank you for bearing with me.
Jitendra Kaushal
11 October 2009 at 17:29 EDT
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Hullo r
But why must a Krishna Consciousness inspired spirit don anonymity?
Your might remember what Krishna said, ” Tulya ninda stuti mauni santashtu yain kain chit, aniketah bhaktiman priya may sa nareh.’
r
13 October 2009 at 00:21 EDT
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Because there is a process of creation behind Krishna Consciousness that makes Him Known as well as Unknown and Unknown is that - that makes Him nameless with His original name and I call that Krishna for myself not as His don? Sanskrit I do not understand because that is not the language in me accepted under the recreating step of progeny. Thanks any way for clarifying yourself on me. A good spirit that I appreciate in you.
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Location: Elkhart, Indiana (USA)
9 October 2009 at 01:29 EDT
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Yeah… I do gone through the article and found it quite interesting… these the terms which elaborates there are really true with the words and logical even with common man’s achieve..
http://www.discoverautomobiles.com/rv/rv_type_make.php?TID=Park%20Model
Ben laden
Location: pakistan
10 October 2009 at 05:36 EDT
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He must teke a cold shower,soon
Jitendra Kaushal
11 October 2009 at 17:32 EDT
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Hullo Ben Laden
Not a bad idea at all. That is what a soul in anger ought to do. Your kindness and concern touch me.
r
10 October 2009 at 09:44 EDT
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Painful past is an expression in relative terms offering comparisons – the one who rises out of it like the sun should be treated neutrally vibrant with commonality that is of the universal essence in all where pain and pleasure, poverty or richness, famous or in famous all stock life in separation for neutrally vibrant classless of its class that offers inherent teachings of the self that stands to recover in steps where the one soul in all individually stands for experiences in its diverse genetic terms as flowers to greet the self one in all the beings of life?
? - It is the self that is classless whether of the rich background genealogically or of poor, the painful past remains equally for both because it is bodily related and not soul related. So what is related as the highest state as analyzed by the research on events of the first lady’s background only remains academic conveying something for others of its state of ascents where bad and painful time is seen as such in relevance in relative terms of suffering as viewed materially?
? - The Highest state is not judged by the chair or otherwise of the person supporting the Highest chair, Highest is the moral of a soul that painlessly becomes spiritual wherein the Highest and the lowest of the mortal gets dissolved into the light that has under it all the abundance of a soul for recognition both genealogically of its background and of its present position relatively that comes to stand. Historical legacies at the mortal level only remain as shadows of life and shadows do not stand before the light?
? - Shadows therefore cannot play a part in modern day politics where a person or the mortal is seen standing by the Highest chair that is brought about by the light absorbing the fascinating article on the first lady of U.S.A. Therefore to conclude on it, I would say that knowing one’s family role “whatever” is better than not knowing it only at one’s personal level for inferences of logic if any that it conveys under the Universal truth of light as life. Hope this answer as comment will stand to the inherent satisfaction of all the wise because it concerns every body with varying degrees of perceptions on it. That’s all.
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Location: http://www.whiteinkstudio.com
10 October 2009 at 22:55 EDT
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Interesting comments! What do the have to do with Michelle Obama?
I wonder if we will ever transcend the existence of slavery in our history.
I know that some of our forefathers “bought” the slaves that came off the boats. I am wondering if the folks who tore them from their families and put them on the boat are having the same discussions.
Jitendra Kaushal
12 October 2009 at 19:38 EDT
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Does man enjoy the luxury of deleting pages from history and pasting the stuff of his fancy? No, surely not.
The past can at best serve as a point of comparison to evaluate progress up to this juncture. On that count both Michelle Obama and America have made laudable progress to obliterate the stigma of slavery with the majesty of free human spirit. Congratulations to both.
Obsession with history or its dark characters becomes an obstacle to exploiting the present to the full and building a bright future. That is why the saying let bygones be bygones.
lynne heard
Location: boston ma
13 October 2009 at 10:39 EDT
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Every time you hear of a famous person’s past they make it seem as though it only happend in their family. This search for one’s heritage has really turned out to be an elitest game. Just as Professor Gates only searched for Oporah’s and other famous peoples history. We should all be so lucky. This is a class action affair and not be just for the elite.
Did you ever stop to think young black males decendants of US Slavery are most at risk for this lack of their heritage. The Africans, Haitians, Cape Verdeans, and Island people rule in Boston. All the because they have learned to use the Black mantra to their advantage. Thus leaving “Leroy Jones” decendant of American Slavery out of the job market and decision making process. Oh by the way Gov. Devel Patrick is Haitian and his wife is West Indian. We can only imagine what would happen if we the “Decendants” tried to own land or search for employment in the above listed demographics “We must share” in our hard fought civil rights fight in the name of “diversity”.
Jitendra Kaushal
16 October 2009 at 19:59 EDT
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Bravo. Well said.
Polprav
Location: USA
15 October 2009 at 14:48 EDT
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Hello from Russia!
Can I quote a post in your blog with the link to you?
Stephen Kaufman
America.gov Staff
15 October 2009 at 15:12 EDT
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Hi Polprav. We’d be honored. Thanks for your support!
Steve
ilyas mohsin
20 October 2009 at 00:43 EDT
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A tragic reflection on the ‘goodguy’ culture.
I have many decent friends in US who would abhor such an account like any normal human being. For others it will remain “out damn’d spot’”of Lady Macbeth
in Shakespeare’ Great Tragedy Macbeth.
However, it’ll be unfair not to compliment Americans for moving on by electing Obama as President which makes his wife the First lady.
The lunatic fringe in the US backed by vicious vested interests keep on making derogatory remarks about them. Nature’ rule is that dogs will keep barking while life moves on!