Tea with B: Multi-tasking with History

I’m writing this week’s installment of Tea with B while also Tweeting about the amazing We Are One concert taking place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I am witnessing this moving, inspiring, and throroughly entertaining piece of American history, while also playing a minute part in it. It’s the most exciting time any of us has witnessed in our lifetime, and an indescribably energizing time to be in Washington, DC.

For the occasion, I brewed a blend known for centuries as the “drink of the gods” – an organic, fair trade yerba mate by Guayakí, infused with orange peel, rose hips, and cinnamon. Yerba mate leaves contain 24 vitamins and minerals, 15 amino acids, antioxidants, and naturally occurring caffeine. It’s every bit as delicious and uplifting as it sounds. And, also to commemorate the moment, I’m drinking it from a pink and orange striped mug with the word ‘serendipity’ trailing around the sides. It’s from my favorite dessert place in NYC – Serendipity 3.

I honestly have never felt this patriotic in my life. It’s one thing to feel united with our fellow citizens over tragedy, shock, grief, and outrage, and another entirely to be filled with the admiration, hope, love, and pride I feel today. Listening to the words of Presidents and other American heroes spoken by our entertainment icons like Tom Hanks, Rosario Dawson, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, and Queen Latifah, and watching the unforgettable performances of U2, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige, Garth Brooks, and John Mellencamp, should inspire each of us to ask not what our country can do for us, but what we can do for our country.

I have the privilege and pleasure to do work for Colin and Alma Powell and the landscape-changing organization they helped to found – America’s Promise Alliance. The idea behind the mission and focus of America’s Promise is that together we can accomplish more than any one of us could alone. I’ve learned about the alarming dropout rates in our country’s public schools, and I’ve worked on helping to publicize the research-driven, outcomes-focused programs that will help to turn them around. And, I’ve been moved by the principles of leadership and service to do more than sit idly by and shake my head at the disturbing statistics.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said that anyone can be great, because anyone can serve. Today, friends and fellow citizens, I ask you to think about what you can do to serve. Whether it’s volunteering at a local shelter for the homeless, abused women, or rescued animals, mentoring neighborhood youth, cleaning up a park or river, delivering meals to the ill or infirm, or answering a call to teach, serve in uniform, or save lives – we can all do something. What will you choose?