By Aubri Juhasz
On August 8, 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. offered memorable words of inspiration to a divided nation. This past summer on the 47th anniversary of this revolutionary event, another brave man stood tall and spoke from his heart, hoping for the same thing Martin Luther King Jr. hoped for, for his words to be heard. Glenn Beck has a dream too, and on August 28, 2010 he took one more step closer to it becoming a reality. At the strictly nonpolitical rally, Glenn Beck with many other influential people of the twenty first century were there, standing beside him, to support him on three simple beliefs, Hope, Faith and Charity.
Almost everyone that I have spoken a word to about the rally, either had no knowledge of its existence, or had the facts all wrong. I feel that this is the situation that most Americans are in also. This is a result of either two things, being oblivious to the current events of their country, or being misinformed. Following the rally, not a single newspaper to my knowledge had anything negative to say about the rally, but on the other hand they kept their articles short and relatively plain, most not even stating what the rally was really about. The 8/28 Restoring Honor Rally was a way for Americans from all different walks of life states to come together and pledge to restore honor to America. It was a rally to honor those of us who serve our country, and pay tribute to our great nation’s “heroes, heritage and our future”. The rally was centered around three simple beliefs. Each had a guest speaker, who Glenn Beck felt lived a life that best represented that quality.
To speak on the behalf of Faith was C.L. Jackson a Houston Minister, and a dedicated preacher to his parish for 44 years, who exhibits unwavering faith in whatever he chooses to believe in. For Hope spoke Major League Baseball player, Albert Pujols. After emigrating from the Dominican Republic at age 16, he grew up not only to be an all star baseball player, but to launch his own foundation. The Pujols Family Foundation is dedicated to “the love, care and development of people with down syndrome and their families”. He is a man that has always held onto hope. Lastly, Charity was represented by Jon Huntsman Sr., philanthropist and businessman playing a key part in the invention of plastic egg cartons and many other take out necessities. Huntsman has been a lifetime humanitarian, donating to various causes, such as the homeless, underprivileged and the ill. He is best known for the funding and creation of the Huntsman Cancer Institute, and has arranged in his will that after his passing, all his money be donated to charity.
Other than those attending to represent the values of Faith, Hope and Charity, there were many other influential people of the twenty first century standing beside Glenn Beck at Restoring Honor. These included Sarah Palin, Marcus Luttrell, and Alveda King. Sarah Palin spoke not as a political leader, but as a mother of a soldier. While Marcus Luttrell one of Americas true heroes shared his inspiring story of his survival, and being the sole survivor of his Navy seal team in Afghanistan. Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr., who has stood by Glenn Beck long before the rally was conceived, attended with the words that if her uncle were still alive today, he would have attended the rally proudly.
The rally was also supported by The Black Robe Regiment and Special Operations Warrior Foundation. The Black Robe regiment stood side by side, a group consisting of people of all different religions, Pastors, Rabbis and even a few Imams were there to support the message of restoring Honor and Hope, Faith and Charity. The Special Operations Warrior Foundation, worked alongside Glenn Beck to run this rally. The sole purpose of their foundation is to raise money to provide scholarship grants to the children of deceased special operation personnel. People were able to make donations to the foundation while at the event, and in that one day alone, raising over 5 million dollars.
On the morning of the rally, over 500,000 people made their way from all over the country, by plane, train, and automobile, to the Lincoln Memorial, to witness what they hoped would be a day of inspiration and honor. These people were not angry rioters, obnoxious or loud, but kind, considerate Americans yearning for change. At the start of the rally, many could not see the Teleprompters, or were sweaty and tired, but there was no shoving, or foul language, no littering, or fighting or arguments of any kind. The day was sprinkled with random acts of kindness, which showcased that compassion for others still exists. The Lincoln Memorial was swarmed with nothing but true Americans standing together, holding their American Flags up to dance in the breeze. As Glenn Beck sought to take the stage, a perfect v of geese spontaneously flew over the reflecting pool. I looked around into a sea of different colored and aged faces that surrounded me, all with the same look of joyful anticipation at the idea of the restoration of Honor, Hope, Faith and Charity. On August 28th, I saw the good in America shine through.
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