Okay, so it wasn’t really open, it was sealed and stamped. I have no clue why people say open, is it like “open bar” and free? In that case this really is an open letter to the President. It’s a free copy of the letter I sent to Barack Obama this week.
Dear President Obama,
I’d like for you to meet a friend of mine, Dr. William Ferguson Reid Sr. He was the first African American elected to the Virginia State Assembly since Reconstruction.
Dr. Reid turned 90 last year and when his friends asked him if he wanted a party he said nah, he’d rather register voters. His friends started 90for90, a voter advocacy movement, with the goal of registering 90 new voters in each precinct in VA. “One quarter million for the Old Dominion”.
They’ve passed that goal and are on their way to registering ½ million new voters in VA and they have spread nationwide.
Dr. Reid was registering voters when there were poll taxes and literacy tests. He turned 91 this year and he’s still doing it. It has been such a pleasure for me to get to know him and I’ve been so inspired by him; he is an icon who has affected so many people’s lives.
I often think that the purpose of my own life is just to be in the right place at the right time in order to hold the door open for someone. That’s always seemed enough to me.
While in the VA Assembly Dr. Reid redrew districts so that a door was opened for Doug Wilder to become the first African American Governor of VA and the first African American Governor elected in any state in America.
I believe that act also helped open a door for you to become the first African American President of the United States. I’d love to see the door of the White House open so that you can meet Dr. Reid. I imagine you will enjoy speaking with him and listening to him. I think that he deserves the honor and privilege and that you do too.
Respectfully,
Tracy B Ann
So, that’s it, my letter to the President. I know his address by heart too, doesn’t everyone? 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington DC 20500.
In case you don’t know who Dr. Reid is, please check these diaries here:
From Randallt www.dailykos.com/…
From Vetwife www.dailykos.com/…
From Meteor Blades www.dailykos.com/…
From Denise Oliver Velez www.dailykos.com/…
Dr. Reid Sr. and his son, Dr. Reid Jr. were on the Thom Hartmann show last week. (It was incredible!)
First segment of interview with Dr. Reid on "The Big Picture" with Thom Hartmann.
Second segment of interview with Dr. Reid on “The Big Picture” with Thom Hartmann.
Tracy B Ann — everything I write, including, but not limited to, my name, belongs solely to me.