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Monday, November 10, 2008

Just kidding with the headline -- the DN city editor and I were joking last night that we should have just held our in-depth series on how the momentous events of 1968 affected Philly for another two months and made it a 41st anniversary package. That would have been classic Daily News.

But seriously, I wanted to call attention to this series in the paper, which will run thoughout the week. The odd timing actually worked out perfectly, since the landmark election of 2008 is a perfect time to recall where we came from. And Girard College is an ideal place to start (more here):

National leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Roy Wilkins, national NAACP president, also marched at Girard.

Some 3,000 people came in early August 1965 to hear King speak of how "sad" it was "to stand in the city . . . that is the cradle of liberty but has a kind of Berlin Wall to keep God's colored children out."

Then, after 14 years of legal battles to break Girard's will, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling admitting black boys.

The year was 1968.

As a loosely related bonus, here's one of the many outstanding songs released that troubled year:


Posted by Will Bunch @ 9:57 AM  Permalink | 29 comments
Comments   
Posted 10:09 AM, 11/10/2008
Talking point sleuth
Best band. Ever.
Posted 10:20 AM, 11/10/2008
legatus
Cream was GREAT. Best band ever?...nah, can't agree. Probably top ten though.
Posted 10:24 AM, 11/10/2008
beetlejuice
The heroine addict's national anthem.
Posted 10:36 AM, 11/10/2008
SteveMG
Without speakers, I couldn't tell what the song is. Little help?
Posted 10:36 AM, 11/10/2008
jmc
Liberals are hailing Obama's election as the landmark achievment of the civil rights movement, and I agree. That said, liberals were less enthusiastic about previous achievments of the civil-rights movement, including Colin Powell becoming SOS, and Condoleeza Rice becoming the first African-American woman SOS. Which makes me wonder what may be more important here, race or ideology?
Posted 10:39 AM, 11/10/2008
SteveMG
Although I'll venture a guess that it's "Tales of Brave Ulysses", because that's what people with no imagination think is cool. If he picked "World of Pain", I would be surprised.
Posted 10:40 AM, 11/10/2008
SteveMG
The luster of becoming the first African American Secretary of State loses its luster when you remember who selected him.
Posted 10:45 AM, 11/10/2008
legatus
It's White Room, Steve
Posted 10:47 AM, 11/10/2008
montani semper liberi
SteveMG, the song is White Room (thus Will's "loosely related" description?). This is far and away my favorite Cream tune, noted for Clapton's use of the wah-wah pedal that Hendrix had pioneered.
Posted 10:56 AM, 11/10/2008
Gibba Mang
The "best" Cream song wasn't even written by Cream: Badge.
Posted 10:58 AM, 11/10/2008
SteveMG
OMG it was ok the first thousand times I heard it, so-so the next thousand times, but the last five thousand times... Therer are a lot of songs I can recognize in a split second, and that's all I ever hear of it any more: "Whi-" NEXT! My fave is "Badge". Funny thing about them is that none of the guys in the post-Cream careers did anything that sounded like Cream. Blind Faith may be the closest, I guess they had two out of three.
Posted 11:01 AM, 11/10/2008
legatus
My favorite Cream song wasn't written by the band either....Spoonful.
Posted 11:01 AM, 11/10/2008
SteveMG
A little love for Politician. Some of the guys here could relate.
Posted 11:03 AM, 11/10/2008
montani semper liberi
jmc, the first black American to be given a cabinet post (granted, not as high as State) was Robert Weaver, LBJ's Sec'y of HUD. Carter appointed the first black woman, Patricia Harris, as HUD and later HEW secretary. While I would agree that State is special (and high in the order of presidential succession), Powell's appointment had already followed a history of over 30 years of black appointments to the cabinet.
Posted 11:12 AM, 11/10/2008
legatus
"A little love for Politician. Some of the guys here could relate." Good choice Steve. Another favorite of mine is SWLABR (which was an acronym for "She Was Like A Bearded Rainbow")...not sure that anyone could relate though. LOL!
About Will Bunch
Will's book: Learn about it here and purchase it here.

Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.

E-mail Will by clicking here.

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