Celebration of the Life of James Orange

"Strong men keep a comin’
Strong men keep a comin’ on"
These words written by the renowned poet
and social philosopher, Sterling Brown
Remind me of James Orange
To Cleo, the Orange family and friends
We are gathered together to celebrate the life
and many contributions of a Strong man,
James was strong
All the while gentle
Intense
Committed to Social Justice
Even resolute
And still
Friendly and open
He made you feel welcome and comfortable to join the group
Never asking where you came from or who you were
but expecting your commitment to the team’s work
and the vision of a better day.
 
James believed in the goodness of people
Faithful to the guiding principles of non violence
Faithful to the movement
Faithful to the leadership of Martin King and his lieutenants
I suspect he could get upset
But I never saw it or heard about it.
James was about moving forward,
Growing the support for the cause
Finding and educating those he met about
The Movement and its relevance in our lives
From Alabama to the Gulf Coast
From Atlanta to Johannesburg
I come as mayor of Atlanta
To pay tribute to the life and legacy of James Orange
In whose era I was born
But on whose shoulders I stand
 
"Strong men keep a comin’
Strong men keep a comin’"
James started as social change agent early in his life
That can be intimidating
to those of us who watched rather than acted then
But the celebration of  the life of James Orange
offers each of us, me included
The opportunity to pick up the batton now
In tribute to a life well lived
we can continue his work,
His love, his commitment to fairness and justice
We can use his example to inspire our lives
To stand up for what is right
To be gentle but strong and resolute.
That we, that I may be worthy of to call him friend
"Strong men, strong women keep a comin’ on"