Frank DuNN: Conversations at the junction of faith and politics
Glory
"One Day when the Glory comes, it will be ours, it will be ours..."
David Eber;ly
7/4/20261 min read
I have despaired of celebrating the Fourth of July. Two hundred and fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, masked armed men roam our streets. Our neighbors are seized, shackled, and deported; their families separated. Antisemitism is overt; Jews are attacked; synagogues defaced. Transgender people are unprotected. The disabled are maligned. Women demoted and demeaned. Decades of racial progress has been undone. Our anniversary is presided over by a would-be king who spews hate. We find ourselves living in an evil, unbeautiful America.
The Obama Presidential Center opened on June 18, 2026 in Chicago with four presidents in attendance and tens of thousands of citizens crowding its park. During the ceremonies, Common and John Legend performed their anthem, Glory. I was reminded of another performance of Glory in 2015 when the Obamas hosted a celebration of gospel music in a tent on the South Lawn of the White House. There Common was joined by the great gospel singer Yolanda Adams. Barack and Michelle Obama rose, cabinet officers and Congressional representatives rose, African African staffers and aides rose, school children rose as her voice soared:
One day when the glory comes
It will be ours, it will be ours
I was eating lunch in Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess hospital cafeteria when Barack Obama was sworn in as President on January 20, 2009. Monitors had been set up around the room. When Obama finished taking the oath, the entire room – doctors, patients, nurses, administrators, and kitchen staff stood together and applauded:
One day when the war is won
We will be sure, we will be sure
Oh glory
“Never, ever lose hope,” John Lewis wrote. “Never, ever give up. Keep the faith and be willing and ready to walk those last steps to redeem our society. To move us closer to the creation of a loving community.”
Happy Fourth.
David Eberly is a poet and writer who lives in Boston.