Go ahead and call me biased, but it was perhaps one of the greatest “It’s Not You. It’s the 22nd Amendment” farewell speeches. There were moments of humor, humility, reflection, and figurative mic drops.
But for me, the moment that made me proud that I casted my vote, not once, but twice for the young senator from Chicago was when, in reference to the empathy we need to have for those who differ from us, President Obama said this:
“Laws alone won’t be enough. Hearts must change. If our democracy is to work in this increasingly diverse nation, each one of us must try to heed the advice of one of the great characters in American fiction, Atticus Finch, who said, ‘You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.‘”
As someone who has written about Atticus Finch being her literary boyfriend and has a bumper sticker that reads, “Atticus Finch is a Real American Hero,” I gave President O a standing o, and then I went back to crying.
My feelings to @POTUS RN:#obamafarewell pic.twitter.com/cOfwmIgJnB
— Julie Nicole (@julep0405) January 11, 2017
This visceral reaction isn’t a shock to those who know me well – my favorite book to teach, to recommend, to quote, to wear as a charm bracelet will always and forever be To Kill a Mockingbird.
Ask any English teacher, librarian, avid reader and author what books make up their top ten list, and chances are TKAM is at the top if not already number one. Even the most resistant readers, disheartened by standardized reading tests and lack of accelerated reading points, find solace in the tale of a single father, raising his two children to be empathetic human beings in 1930s Alabama, a time and place where empathy was scarce.
President Obama’s reference serves as a reminder of just how important a book like To Kill a Mockingbird is for our society, no matter what a small minded school board believes. And its place in our libraries and in our homes is more essential now than ever.
In a few hours we will have a new president. Like many American voters, my reaction over this transition has been a mixture of anger, trepidation, and a limited vocabulary that typically include grunts, repeats of “No, No, No,” and expletives that I had no idea I knew.
So, to help me get through today with my head held high and my spirit still intact, I’m going to look to the good book. No, not the Bible – well, perhaps the Bible – I mean Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Talk me down, Atticus.
For Those Times When My Anger Gets the Best of Who I Am
“…you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ’em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change…it’s a good one, even if it does resist learning.”
For Those Times When I Want to Throw in the Towel and Move to Canada/France/Forks, Washington
“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.”
For Those Times When I Disagree With Those Whose Opinions are Incorrect Different
“…they’re entitled to full respect for their opinions…but before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”
For Those Times When I Feel Small
“Atticus -” said Jem bleakly.
He turned in the doorway. “What son?”
“How could they do it, how could they?”
“I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it – seems that only children weep.”
For Those Times When My Relationships Feel Fragile and Broken
“This time we aren’t fighting the Yankees, we’re fighting our friends. But remember this, no matter how bitter things get, they’re still our friends and this is still our home.”
For Those Times When Fear and Uncertainty Creeps In
“It’s not time to worry yet.”
For Those Times When I Remember That People are Still Good
“…an’ Atticus, when they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things…Atticus, he was real nice…”
His hands were under my chin, pulling up the cover, tucking it around me.
“Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.”
