Joslyn and I are attending the National Baptist Convention this week in Atlanta. It is a city of high rise buildings whose pinnacles seem to touch the sky. It has beautiful parks, several wide eight lane streets and hustling commerce.
When General Sherman burned this city during the Civil War its inhabitants looked at the ashes and thought it could never be rebuilt. Margaret Mitchell even wrote a book about the determination of Atlanta citizens and Scarlet O'Hara, called "Gone With The Wind."
I see Atlanta and I think about New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurrican Katrina. It certainly can rise again.
Atlanta left behind its endearment of slavery and much of its racism. Maybe, New Orleans will have to leave a few things behind when it rebuilds.
To be born again, we can't do the same thing again. We must be brand new.
The good must rise from the spoils; the bad must be "Gone with the Wind."
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