“A song for the unsung heroes who rose in the country’s need,
When the life of the land was threatened by the slaver’s cruel greed,
For the men who came from the cornfield, who came from the plough and the flail,
Who rallied round when they heard the sound of the mighty man of the rail….”
–The Unsung Heroes – Poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar
Paul Laurence Dunbar, one of America’s greatest poets, spent almost his entire life just a half a mile from where I am writing this. He published hundreds of poems, as well as novels, short stories and song lyrics. He is considered one of the most important figures in African American and American history, in the company of Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington and our Dayton neighbors, Orville and Wilbur Wright.
We, just as Paul did, live in interesting times when one only has to read the newspaper, blog, or watch cable news, or listen to talk radio for an hour to see the endless expressions of human wickedness, tragedy, corruption, etc… and the fear such anxieties cause. Instead of looking for heroic leaders to save us, each of us needs to be a hero or heroine. The call during this Black History Month asks us for courageous and authentic people to connect with one another, to convene others, and to welcome and honor diversity to bring form to the creative potential of the time in which we live.
The unsung heroes, the bravest among us, will step boldly into the mystery of life with no preconceived solutions or biases creating a future by learning, adapting, and appreciating the gift of humanity as they proceed. These unsung heroes will take the best of the old and merge it with the new to create sustainable new enterprises. Because only by freeing the mental, emotional and spiritual potentials within us and connecting such energy with that of the other can we overcome the threatening forces within humankind and create the light that is possible for all people in this world.
