From Watch Night To Renewed Emancipation:The Lincoln Decree to A New Obama Legacy

With the festivities of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Years Day now in our rear view mirror, there is still time to reflect on the ritual of my ancestors and many other African Americans, whose forefathers sat around campfires and wood stoves in the twilight of December 31, 1862. There they sang spirituals acapella, prayed, and thanked the Good Lord for what was about to happen the next day.

It was on January 1, 1863 amidst the cannon fire, gun shots, and burnings at the height of the Civil War that President Abraham Lincoln sealed his own fate and signed the Emancipation Proclamation. It begins with the following decree:

Whereas on the 22nd day of September, A.D. 1862, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, towit:
"That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.
"That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclamation, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be, in good faith, represented in the Congress of the United States by members chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such State shall have participated, shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such State, and the people thereof, are not then in rebellion against the United States."

CAROLE' S TRANSLATION: Effective January 1, 1963 all slaves in the states in rebellion against the Union are free.

Technically that is all that President Lincoln could do at the time. He used his wartime powers as Commander in Chief to liberate the “property” of the states in rebellion of the Union. The act did not free the slaves of the Union or border states (Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, or West Virginia) or any southern state under Union control (like parts of Virginia). It would take the Union Army winning the Civil War (April 9, 1965), the assassination of President Lincoln (shot on April 14th and died on April 15, 1865) for all of the slaves to be freed. That included the liberation of the slaves in rebellious Texas on June 19, 1865 (Juneteenth Day) and finally the ratification of the 13th Amendment on December 18, 1865, giving all black people freedom and permanently abolishing slavery in the US.

So in 1862 on the eve of this great era, the slaves “watched”, prayed, and waited. My ancestors, including Bishop Wesley John Gaines of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) and the other four million slaves prayed for divine guidance and an empowered Abraham Lincoln to do the right thing.

That is the history of Watch Night in the African American culture.

It is as important today as the tradition of black people eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day for good luck. (Yes my family ate black eyed peas this past Thursday.) And even though a new snowstorm blasted New England on New Year’s Eve, making driving tricky at best, my church used technology to hold our Watch Night Service. Bethel AME Church-Boston held Watch Night in the form or a teleconference call. A virtual way to praise the Lord by telephone.

Our low tech version of Watch Night by telephone included homage to our ancestors for that first candle light prayer virtual to prayers for our families. We prayed for our children, our hopes, and our dreams. We prayed for the sick, the financially strapped, and those in despair. We prayed for our country and our neighbors from Boston to Botswana.

And we definitely prayed for President Elect Barack Obama. The amens came right through the telephone as we prayed for his safety, for his family, and for his wisdom and guidance as he leads a troubled nation at a difficult time in our history.

Two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. New violence in the Gaza Strip. Bail outs from General Motors to AIG. And layoffs just waiting to occur in the first quarter of this New Year.

It’s no coincidence that our first Black President will pledge his presidential oath on Abraham Lincoln’s bible. In many ways these two giants in American history are intricately linked. Just as President Lincoln faced enormous uncertainties in 1863, Obama faces high hurdles in the early dawn of 2009. They are separated by 146 years, but the Lincoln-Obama connection is as strong as ever.

Much work is needed in order to turn our global economy around, stop the regional fighting around the world, resolve our credit crisis, and get people back to work. At least we African Americans know that prayer is a powerful inoculation against life’s uncertainties.

And we know that continuing the Watch Night services of our ancestors is a powerful tool for the spiritual, economic, and social warfare we face today.

Happy New Year, keep praying, and God Bless America.

Holiday Greetings From My Family To Yours

Originally Published on Sunday December 28, 2008

As the holiday season continues, I wish for you and your family a joyous sense of peace and happiness throughout this Christmas Season and into the New Year.

During the holidays, I have enjoyed visiting the home of my oldest daughter and son in law here in West Hartford, Connecticut. Lorna and Jerome, have a beautiful 7 month- old daughter, Julianna Gwendolyn, who is enjoying her first Christmas. Becoming a grandmother has been something I treasure with the passing of each day.

Joining me in Connecticut has been my younger daughter, Michelle, who is quickly learning how to spoil her niece with toys and extra hugs. My niece DaVonne is now called “Auntie Cuz,” and is trying to find ways to smuggle little Julianna into her suitcase to take back to Boston.

Jerome’s mom, Vilma, traveled up to Connecticut by train from Philadelphia, and completed our goal to surround our grandchild with lots of love throughout the holiday season.

Even Godiva the cat received Christmas goodies from Aunt Michelle, who lovingly put his new bags of cat food and litter under the tree.

Phone calls, gifts, and well wishes came from Lorna and Michelle’s dad in Chicago, aunts, uncles, cousins, and godparents in Detroit, including Wilson, Debbie, Lauren, Macie, Nate, and Charles.

My family embraces the joys and sorrows of life, just like any other family. We’re concerned about the recession, while shouting hallelujah for President Elect Barack Obama. My son in law and daughter, Michelle are football fanatics and have screamed at the television set since the first kick off several days ago.

And boy, have we eaten a truckload of delicious, fattening food. Turkey, chicken, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, collard greens, dressing, turkey soup, red velvet cake, salmon, omelets made to order, and brownies, golden vanilla ice cream. We’ve had it all. And yes, we will all start our diets as soon as the leftovers have been devoured.

The Christmas holiday season gives us time to reflect on the birth of Jesus Christ, while we review our accomplishments and setbacks for the year. We share our celebration with our friends who celebrate Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, and Kwanzaa.

For some, 2008 is a year to remember. For others, it is a year to quickly forget. The uncertainty and opportunities of 2009 await us in the next few days. Whatever is ahead, I give thanks for the precious moments of the past few days and surrounding myself with my family. It has given me an opportunity to remember what is really important in life, despite the demands of my business, my goals, and my personal ambition.

Family is everything. Family makes life worth living. Family is the ultimate support network when you need strength from a higher power and the loved ones both near and far.

So for you, I wish you the best throughout the holiday season and into the New Year.

We’ll be back in a few days with news about out exciting line up for 2009, and the game plan we’re designing to help you succeed through the coming months.

In the meantime, sit back, relax a bit, and soak in your own family bond, from the blood relatives who have known you from birth, to the support network you now call your family.

Whatever the combination, I wish you the very best through the season and into the New Year.

Merry Christmas.
Happy Hanukkah
Happy Kwanzaa.
Happy New Year.

See you in 2009.

Five Ways To Beat The Recession Part 2: Reinvention

Published on December 12, 2008
Commentary by Carole Copeland Thomas

The economy keeps spiraling downward with no real way to determine when it will bottom out. Every day a new company announces massive layoffs because of bailout blues, credit freezes, or consumer hesitance. Just this morning Bank of America, who recently bought out Merrill Lynch, announced 35,000 layoffs over the next three years.

And you’re thinking…that next pink slip or business contract cancellation could have my name on it.

Should you cry and crawl in the nearest hole …or should you do something else?

My recommendation to you is to do something else…

Reinvent Yourself.

If the Big Three auto manufacturers in Detroit should do it…why not you?

Reinvention is a personal overhaul of the way you project yourself to the world and the manner in which you do it. It’s not developmental plastic surgery…it’s a complete reconstruction of the professional package you present to the world.

And it takes work to get there.

Let me use myself as an example.

I had established myself as an office based diversity and leadership speaker and trainer working with large and small organizations to help enhance their developmental potential at work.

After considerable soul searching and research I have become…

A professional communicator specializing in the fields of global diversity, empowerment, multiculturalism, and leadership. I run a virtual operation that can serve the needs of a worldwide audience through my Multicultural Symposium Series and communication services.

Everything I do now filters through a virtual world since I do so much online. I use an iPhone, carry my laptop everywhere, and check in with friends and colleagues from New York to Nairobi.

That’s reinvention on a small business scale.

Perhaps you work for a large and small company and you’re trying to figure out how to reinvent yourself.

Take a look at every single thing you do on and off the job and prioritize their importance. With your “day job” talents, figure out a way that those strengths can LOCK you into your next job, a promotion, or your current positions. You should OWN those skills and learn how to communicate your strengths to everyone around you. No, I am not asking you to become a human brag machine. I want you to learn how to package and market your skills so that YOU are the preferred employee of choice when that next opportunity comes your way. You can’t expect someone else to do it for you. You must learn how to market your assets so that your organization realizes what a value you are to them.

And if you are continually overlooked at work…you must develop the courage and the GAME PLAN to move on to a new organization. That doesn’t mean quit your job in the middle of this recession with no job prospects. It means that you must develop a plan of action that will lead you to a smooth and effective job transition…either to a new department or a new company.

That’s the beginning of reinvention.

Five Ways To Beat The Recession

Twenty Years Ago I launched an early version of this publication and named it The Thomas Report. Like this electronic version, The Thomas Report was a news and information print magazine with a primary goal of empowering people to develop their human potential both on and off the job.

One of my first articles was titled, “Job Security: Is It Gone Forever?” I remember designing a presentation based on that theme and delivering it to senior executives at a major corporation in the Boston area. The executives listened politely, yawned a bit, and sent me packing. They didn’t want to hear my rabble-rousing message of employees taking control of their own careers. It was too much for the masses to hear.

Shortly after that speech the company had a massive reorganization with thousands of layoffs during the brand new recession of the 1990s. My message that the executives didn’t want to hear was the message that they needed the most.

Fast forward twenty years later. Another era. Another recession. In the spirit of rabble rousing, I present my latest version that includes 5 ways to ride out this nasty economic mess we’re facing. I hope you won’t read passively and yawn at the advice but will govern yourselves accordingly. It’s going to get worse before it gets better…but a better day is going to come.

We’ll talk more about these five steps in the coming weeks.

1.. Reinvent Yourself.
This is no time to wrap yourself in the status quo. Find new ways to package yourself so that you add new value on your job and off.

2.. Embrace Technology
Chances are the very job you’re looking for is waiting for you…online. So much of our society is moving online, and some of the best opportunities can be researched and identified on a website, blog, or discussion board. Keep your computer skills up to date and install the latest software on your comptuter.

3.. Revise Your Resume
The new unemployment figures just came out this morning, and we are at a new 34-year high. Translation: No job is safe. Your position could be eliminated next. Dust off that resume, make necessary modifications, and keep it up to date if you discover a pink slip waiting for you in the coming weeks.

4.. Keep Abreast of World Events
Two great websites that cover much of the news events around the world are
www.bbc.co.uk and www.english.aljazeera.net.
The British Broadcasting Company covers international news like no other media outlet. Al Jazeera gives you authentic Middle East news coverage that’s written in English.

5.. Find Different Networking Circles At Work
Hang around the same people at work all the time? Make new friends while you keep the old ones. With layoffs happening fast and furious, you can’t afford to ignore new relationships at work that may pay off for you in the long run. Make a point to form new relationships as you build new networks throughout your organization.

America Rises To The Occasion: New Leadership With President Elect Barack Obama

Most of you know that I was an early supporter of President Elect Barack Obama. June 2007, to be exact. As I reflect on our pivotal shift in American politics, I recall receiving the Christmas card from the Obama family in December 2006. I was surprised to receive the card, and figured that my name was on that list of supporters and campaigners for Deval Patrick, our governor of Massachusetts who swept into office in 2006 as our first black governor. Obama and Patrick are very good friends, both have Chicago connections (Patrick was born and raised in poverty in Chicago…Obama relocating to Chicago as a young adult) and both graduates of Harvard Law School.

For those of us in Massachusetts, we know that we’ve just seen the Patrick campaign expanded to the national landscape. Both the Patrick campaign and the Obama campaign shared David Axelrod as chief strategist for their winning victories. Grassroots base. Longshots. Small donations over the Internet. Keen vision and strong leadership skills. Commitment to diversity inside and outside of their campaigns.

That describes BOTH the Patrick and Obama campaigns.

So as excited as I was on November 4th at 11 pm when the news rang out that Barack Obama was elected as our 44th President of the United States, I felt a wonderful sense of pride to have been an active part of BOTH successful campaigns.

Patrick’s campaign slogan was Together We Can.
Obama’s campaign slogan is Yes We Can.

Since his 2006 election, I receive regular emails from Governor Patrick. Here’s the latest email I received from Governor Patrick:

“On Tuesday morning, I started the day participating in and witnessing the historic turnout for the election here at home. I ended the day in Grant Park in Chicago seeing the result of that turnout in Massachusetts and all around the country in the election of Barack Obama as our next president. And I remain enormously moved, excited and proud. 

We are, all of us, going to have to continue to focus on what we can and must do to our communities and our country. I look forward to working closely, as Governor, with the President-elect and with ordinary people alike to answer his call for service and sacrifice.” --Governor Deval Patrick

I won’t be surprised if Barack Obama also continues a similar online presence as his presidential journey takes shape.

I have been crying, cheering, and dancing around my house since Obama won the election. I knocked on doors in New Hampshire, made phone calls from the New Hampshire campaign office, and held an Obama/John Kerry sign until 8pm at my local polling location on November 4th. I celebrated with my daughter, Michelle, at the Fairmont Copley Hotel in downtown Boston and watched the electoral count go over 270 with astonishment. The hotel room, filled with thousands of people of different races and ages erupted in jubilation when Democratic Party leader John Walsh took the stage and announce our next president of the USA.

WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE!!!!

Yes, our country is facing shockingly frightful threats to our nation’s economic infrastructure. The big 3 auto manufacturers on the brink of bankruptcy if they can’t negotiate new government-backed loans. Our unemployment rate at an alarming 6.5%. We’ve had thousands of jobs lost in this fiscal quarter alone. We face uncertainty with our jobs and economic stability for 2009.

As bleak as it looks, I am more hopeful than ever that the American people have elected a man who can LEAD us through these perilous times with his message of hope, change, and strategic planning.

Barack and Michelle Obama heard the call and accepted the path laid out for them. They beat primary election giants like Hillary Clinton. They beat the forces supporting a John McCain/Sarah Palin ticket.

The Obama/Biden presidency will have high hurdles to climb. But I am confident that they are equipped for the journey and prepared for the steep road ahead.

God Bless America. God Bless the People of America, Kenya and All The Countries of the World.

God Bless The Obama Family.
Gob Bless The Biden Family.

God Bless Us All.

Yes…We Can!

Saving Our Country With Barack Obama

Most of you know that I was an early supporter of Barack Obama, signing up to serve under his leadership in June 2007. Having participated with Governor Deval Patrick’s campaign in 2006, once again as an early adapter, I had a gut instinct that Obama, like Patrick, could fool the experts, build a guerilla operation and deliver a stunning victory to the electorate. I had witnessed it in Massachusetts and knew that it could be replicated during the presidential race. Knowing that Patrick and Obama were good friends and, had similar political philosophies and would always emulate a servant leadership mentality was enough for me to sign up again to help deliver the vote.

Obama was a longshot. So was Governor Patrick’s campaign. During the 2006 gubernatorial campaign, Republican opponent Lt. Gov. Kerrie Healey launched one of the most negative and vicious campaigns in the state’s history. It was ugly and the people of Massachusetts responded by sending Healey home packing.

Like our state campaign, this presidential race is ugly, nasty and negative. The sky IS falling, Wall Street IS in serious trouble, the economy IS in trouble, and John McCain and Sarah Palin ignore the obvious and pounce on Obama for his alliance with William Ayers, a reformed 60s rebel, whose violent actions occurred when Obama was 8 years old. This week the clueless Sarah Palin with great delight called Obama a socialist.

What a STUPID campaign the Republicans have run.

Now those Republicans of reason are bailing ship. General Colin Powell. Susan Eisenhower, Chris Buckley (whose father the late William F. Buckley started the National Review). And now former Massachusetts Governor William Weld.

All have endorsed Senator Barack Obama and Joseph Biden, the Democratic Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates for President of the USA.

They see what I saw in June 2007. THE man who can SAVE this country.

As bad as things are with the economy, it is electrifying to know that SO many Americans are closely following this race. What a blessings for the masses to finally taking a stand in the political arena.

The world is also watching very very closely. My Kenyan friends who are part of the listserv I belong to are calling the action shots as fast as we are. The young adults from Ireland who I trained three weeks ago don’t understand why we would even consider electing Senator McCain. And Sarah Palin becomes more of an embarrassment each day. I can see Russia comments yesterday. A $150,000 wardrobe today. What is next?

The WORLD is waiting for President Barack Obama.

In less than two weeks, every American citizen who is eligible to vote will get an opportunity to become the civic activist of the day. Early voting, absentee ballots, and pulling the lever on November 4th are the BEST ways that you can help the country.

My choice to save our country is Barack Obama. You may choose a difference candidate, and that, my friend is your RIGHT. Whoever you choose…DO NOT STAY HOME. VOTE.

VOTE like your life depends on it.

VOTE for your children and grandchildren.

I am voting for Senator Barack Obama and I pray that he will become our next President.

I respect those who will not pull the lever for Obama and will congratulate those who just go out and vote.

I will have little respect for those who will not vote, making endless excuses why their vote won’t matter.

I pray you will go to the polls and vote for the candidate who will help save this country.

VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4th.