Where is the love?

Where is the love? By: Brynne Mayne
“I’m talking about the kind of love that takes work, but leads us to where we’re trying to get today.” Like one of the most influential people in Elizabeth Alexander’s life (Martin Luther King Jr.), she too has a dream. Alexander has a dream the King’s legacy will live on for years to come, and it is through love that this is possible.
On January 18, 2010 Elizabeth Alexander, inauguration poet, and chair of African American studies at Yale, gave a moving speech at the Martin Luther King Convocation at Wittenberg University.
Alexander captivated her diverse audience with personal stories as well as relatable events. “I was at the march in Washington” Alexander explains. “I was also in a baby carriage!” Alexander proceeded with memories of that point in time. She explained that her parents described the infamous “I Have a Dream” speech an event that they “had to go to.”
Also reflecting on the past, Alexander told the audience of a candy dish that sat in her house while she was growing up. The dish was full of political buttons. She said that she vividly remembered King’s button. “It was a black hand shaking a white hand” she describes. Her father wore that same button to Obama’s inauguration.
It was that button and the memories of her past that reminded her of the importance of equality. “Once people had that [equality] so much more would take care of itself.” As Alexander continued reflecting on the past, her theme of love became more and more apparent.
“It is love that says we will do better” Alexander says. She explained that love is not only a deep emotion, but a component in the pieces that make the world go round. Alexander passionately explained the importance of love in today’s society through several quotes of one of her favorite writers, June Jordan.
The importance of this topic was incredibly obvious judging by the look of passion on Alexander’s face. While quoting June Jordan, Alexander was tugged in the direction of her specialty: poetry. Poetry is something that Alexander and Jordan have in common. “Poetry is sacred speech that makes the sacred in our lives” Alexander states.
Alexander concluded with a poem of her own, “Praise Song for the Day.” “What if the mightiest word is love?” Alexander spoke these words with great zeal. Receiving a warm, standing ovation, Alexander made a grave impact on her audience. I know she left me thinking… “What if the mightiest word is love?”