Wow!!!
This has been an incredible week. I feel personally responsible for getting Barack Hussein Obama elected President of the United States of America. I have been accepting congratulations from leaders around the world. And I have been offering congratulations to those around the world. When MSNBC called the state of Pennsylvania for Obama, I saw the culmination of months and years of hard work by many come to a new beginning.
Many of you have asked me if I "worked" for this campaign. I do. My title has been "Head Citizen". The responsibilities are immense; the primary one being defined as "participation"; and the privileges are awesome, too many to name here. The great part of this organizational structure is that I had the opportunity to directly collaborate with other department heads. There was no pass through. Direct contact
, planning and action.
I walked the streets of Columbus with other head citizens, I sent emails from head citizens out to other head citizens. I spent a great deal of time talking to some head citizens on the phone who I have known for decades, as well as sitting in coffee shops with other head citizens I had just met. I read and stayed inform through articles and blogs written by brilliant head citizens. I supported fundraisers organized by everyday head citizens. I spent the last day of the campaign with a my 16 year old cousin Christian, another Head Citizen, who actively campaigned for a political campaign for the first time to help support his neighbor Head Citizens efforts to GOTV (Get Out To Vote). Head Citizenship has never been so exciting.
I will continue in this role for the indefintite future. The Obama campaign has been a great training program to beef up skills on the role of Head Citizen. The political camapign is completed. The governing phase is developing, however the role of Head Citizen never stops. The role of Head Citizen requires that we continue to support the rest of the department heads in working to make this organization - oh, it's abbreviated as the USA, a subsidiary of the WORLD - productive, viable and just for each and every department. Use your power!!
I just would like to thank all those who have helped contribute to my training and experience in this role in no particular order:
1. James and Margaret Thomas (dec.) for making sure my Dad and Aunt Marjorie pioneeringly (I think I made this up) integrated their schools to provide generations greater opportunities.
2. PG County Schools - where I picked up some crucial critical analysis skills for the majority part of my work in my Head Citizen role.
3. John F Kennedy, Sargent Shriver and Frank Williams for developing the organization Peace Corps which helped me understand firsthand the elements of our role of Head Citizen by contrasting it with the limited roles of citizens in other parts of the world.
4. William and Brenda Thomas for supporting the gifts and talents of their third child by letting me explore always.
5. Nadirah, Daya, Jason, Nzinga, Takeyah, Maura, Kim Morton, Adam Barr, Catherine Poff,and those whose names I have forgotten - other Head Citizens I walked the streets with out of town.
6. Dwayne Kennedy, my first political candidate (6th grade president) and a chief strategist from the beginning of this presidential campaign and an updater on Va poll numbers for the last six months- thanks for the guarantee on Va.
7. Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, Malcolm X (dec.) - previous Head Citizens who exemplified the role.
8. Zachary and Justyne - new fresh Head Citizens that encourage me to make this role better for them.
9. East of the River for letting me plug Obama in so many pieces.
10. Ubi, who listened a lot.
11, My entire Peace Corps and public health family - Head Citizens extraordinaire.
12. The CHOICE Program for providing a job experience that showed the importance of the role of Head Citizen by opening my eyes, on the ground, of the inequities that other department heads face.
14. All my facebook friends.
15. The First Tuesdays crowd.
15. All who are reading this for doing your part. I'll see you at the office.
Maceo
Head Citizen since 1971
In Recognition of National HIV Testing Day
When Harlem Came to Paris is the brainchild of 
Me with Wallace Thurman (played by Fred Joiner)
My partner Maceo Thomas, co-founder of Liberated Muse Productions with Marita Bonner (played by Bassey Ikpi)
