Monday, March 14, 2011

Keep Japan in your prayers...

I got this message from a childhood friend the other day.  As an employee of a 24 hour news organization, I have been following the story in Japan closely, but it never occurred to me that I might know someone who was directly effected by this disaster.  As soon as I saw her name in my email, I immediately froze, but I thought her words and reassurance should be shared with others.
 
On Friday, I realized how life is unpredictable, and how every word and action could be your last. It has almost been 2 days since the first big earthquake struck, and I am finally at home with my family (I stayed put in my apartment for the first day). I decided to write this email, not only to report the situation and ask for help, but also to let you all know how grateful I am that I got to know you guys somewhere along the line. It's at times like these that you think of how many wonderful people you know, but how you never really verbalize your appreciation for them (and how terrible you are at keeping in touch).
 
First and foremost, my family, my friends, their families and myself are all fine. I realize how lucky I am when I watch the news to see so many people without homes and the rising death toll. Japan (up north) still needs a lot of assistance, and I hope that all of us can help out in our own ways; thank you to all that already have. We are also living in fear of the status of the nuclear power plants and the multiple after shocks (they are predicting a failry large one within the next week), and it's all very scary, but hopefully it will all end soon...Tokyo has minimal damage considering how big the earthquake was.
 
I was in the middle of Tokyo at my client's office when it all happened. The first thing I did was talk to my friend on my work chat about the earthquake. Kind of like, "ugh, it's another earthquake", because we had been having multiple over the past few weeks. I soon realized that it was not the usual earthquake when my body was being swayed back and forth / up and down. I quickly ducked under the desk and kept on hoping the building wouldn't collapse (it's amazing how Japanese infrastructure is so well-built). Japanese people are amazing when it comes to situations like these; the whole office was calm, directed people to keep doors open, stay away from windows, and take cover.
 
After the first earthquake dwindled down, I immediately sent a message out to friends online who I knew had family in Japan. I talked to a few of them until the next earthquake struck and I had to duck under the desk again. We were handed helmets to wear (there were already cracks in the walls and ceilings). I tried calling family but the phones wouldn't work, and it was soon evident that the internet was the only form of communication that was available. My brother was online so I spoke to him and found out my dad was okay. I miraculously got through to my mom on the phone and was able to confirm her safety.
 
We were told to stay in the building for a while, so we stayed there for an hour or so. Multiple after shocks later, I decided I wanted to go home, so I walked down 12 flights of stairs and left the building. There were hundreds of people outside - cabs were already taken (they weren't moving anyway) and the trains and subways had stopped. There were thousands of people walking in different directions, and I decided that I would walk home too. It was like a mass exodus. It took me 3 hours, but I got home safely. All in all, I was very lucky. I had electricity, I still had running water, I was able to go home on the day to find an apartment with almost no damage. Other people weren't as fortunate.
 
I'm still having a hard time dealing with the situation, and I can't stop watching the news. I have not slept properly for days, and have mixed emotions that I don't know how to handle... For those of you abroad with families in Japan, I am sure that it is very hard for you not knowing exactly what is happening and not being with your family. Everything is fine. For all of you out there: please keep Japan in your prayers. We need as much help as possible - no matter how small. Though we may be a technologically advanced, highly developed country, this is more than we can handle on our own.
 I hope that everyone can take time time to pray or keep the people of Japan in their thoughts.

Click here for updates regarding the earthquake.



Monday, March 7, 2011

Heritage vs Hate


I must admit that the sight of the Confederate Flag signals danger to my mind. I vividly remember a softball trip to Hilton Head SC. Upon our arrival on the bus there was a local parade where many of the participants were proudly waving Confederate Flags which shook the few Black people on the bus. As our team mates looked in awe at the fact that people would openly wave such flags, I took a moment to look around and noticed that every Black person that was there seemed to hunch down in their seats a bit as if to go unnoticed by what could have been a dangerous situation. To this day, I have no idea what kind of parade that was in Hilton Head, but I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life. If at this point in our American History that flag can shake an immense level of fear in my heart, I can only imagine the level of fear it struck for my ancestors.

There has been controversy recently over the fact that Kid Rock the Detriot NAACP has chosen to honor Kid Rock. Kid rock is known to proudly wave a Confederate Flag around at his shows. He is also known to be a proud supporter of equality, and has done a lot to build bridges between people who may not otherwise have come together. While I do not believe that Kid Rock is in any way racist, it is difficult for me to set aside my personal feelings with the Confederate Flag with his personal sentiments about the flag. I appreciate the work that he does to honor many African-Americans, and I accept the fact that we live in a country where he has the right to wave that Flag and hold different attachment to it than I do.

American history is extremely complex. History seen through the eyes of different people reflects very different stories, and I believe all of those stories are relevant. There are many people black, white, and otherwise who do not associate the Confederate flag with racism. There is a distinct and unique history that the South holds that is immensely diverse and different than that of the North that should be acknowledge, recorded, and celebrated. Not everything that has come from the South should be associated with racism. Although I do not understand the need to celebrate this history with a flag that was used to strike fear and represent hate, I have also accepted the fact that I am not capable of understanding everything and everyone.

What I do understand is that an organization that has been at the forefront of civil rights has chosen to acknowledge someone who bears the very symbol that they had been fighting for years. I understand the hurt, I understand the dilemma, I understand the pain, but I do not think that what Kid Rock stands for should be overlooked. There are plenty of things that we could say about past nominees that do not coincide with what the organization stands for that I believe should be amended. I hope that we all pay attention to those who do not live their lives as proper examples as much as we have chosen to pay attention to Kid Rock.  It is cliche to say that nothing in life is Black and White, but it holds so much truth. Sometimes we have to take the time to accept that part of heritage is hate.

Hear his feelings about the flag around the 1:00 min mark



Kid Rock from Joe Keenan on Vimeo.