by Dr. Kenneth T. Whalum Jr.
Special to the Tri-State Defender

On Thursday, Feb. 4th, Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth Whalum Jr. attended the 58th National Prayer Breakfast with President and Mrs. Barack Obama in the International Ballroom of the Hilton Washington Hotel in our nation’s capital.
 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth T. Whalum Jr. (left) and his wife, Sheila, at the National Prayer Breakfast hosted President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in Washington, D.C. on Thursday (Feb. 4.). The Whalums were the special guests of Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.). (Courtesy photo)

The National Prayer Breakfast was founded in 1953 by President Dwight Eisenhower for the purpose of bringing people of various backgrounds together around a common belief that – in Eisenhower’s words – “without a moral and spiritual awakening, there is no hope for us…”
 
The 58th Breakfast brought together in prayer more than 3,800 guests from the United States and 180 nations around the world amid unprecedented security, the likes of which the Whalums had never seen.

Co-chaired by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), the program included scripture readings from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and His Excellency Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Prime Minister of Spain and President of the European Union.
 
Zapatero, speaking through an interpreter, called for solidarity in supporting those who are suffering in these trying economic times, and challenged all nations to embrace tolerance, which he said is “so much more than merely accepting the other.  It is also acknowledging and respecting the differences of others.”
 
While complimenting President Obama, who was seated immediately to his left, he commended Obama’s leadership in rejecting “absolutism and uncompromising fundamentalism” on the world stage and at home.

Secretary Clinton spoke eloquently about the need for faith in world affairs, particularly as it relates to the ongoing crisis in Haiti, whose people, she said, are dear to her heart because of her and her husband’s frequent trips there throughout their marriage.  

Clinton repeatedly addressed the importance of prayer and faith as world leaders tackle the seemingly intractable problems of ushering in a new world order where the oppressed, especially women and girls, appear to be losing ground in terms of respect, justice, and equality.  Speaking very sincerely, almost to the point of tears at times, Sec. Clinton quoted Methodist stalwart John Wesley: “Do all the good you can, to all the people you can, in all the ways you can.”
 
President Obama, introduced by Sen. Isakson as “the husband of the dynamic First Lady Michelle Obama,” agreed, saying to laughter and applause, “I thank God for being married to Michelle!”  In calling on all Americans to practice self-sacrifice for the common good, the President said, “the spirit of self-sacrifice is missing from day-to-day realities, especially political realities.”
 
Continuing in a professorial yet passionate tone, he observed that civility is sorely missing in Washington these days: “Surely you can question my policies without questioning my faith...or my citizenship.” Whalum points out that perhaps Tennessee gubernatorial candidate Ron Ramsey, who has publicly questioned the President’s citizenship, should have been in the audience.
 
Dr. Whalum and Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), who attended with his daughter, Julia, discussed briefly two issues that have been Whalum’s focus.
 
Of Whalum’s proposal to adjust welfare benefits for parents who refuse to participate in their children’s education by monitoring their attendance and progress, Corker expressed deep interest in the idea, and is “looking forward to talking with Dr. Whalum more about it, and looking into it further.”
 
As for Whalum’s hopes of influencing the use of federal stimulus dollars to grant tax credits or relief to consumers who spend money in small neighborhood businesses in economically depressed areas, Corker responded similarly.
 
For his part, Whalum will be traveling to Washington again within the next several weeks to assist the Senator and others in any way possible.