Edward R. Murrow

“This is CBS Reports Harvest of Shame. It has to do with the men, women, and children who harvest the crops in this country of ours, the best-fed nation on earth.

“These are the forgotten people, the under-protected, the under-educated, the under-clothed, the under-fed.

“We present this report on Thanksgiving because were it not for the labor of the people you are going to meet, you might not starve, but your table would not be laden with  the luxuries that we have all come to regard as essentials.

“We should like you to meet some of your fellow citizens who harvest the food for the best-fed nation on earth.”

—Edward R. Murrow “Harvest of Shame”

Note: Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Edward R. Murrow has been my hero since childhood.

I sat on my grandmother’s piano bench in Brooklyn, New York Thanksgiving Day, 1960 when this broadcast changed my perspective and my life.

I do not want to make promises I cannot keep.

I do want to celebrate Thanksgiving this year with joy and meaning with loved ones and with drums.

I want to celebrate the idea that in my own way I can help spread this day of satisfaction and appreciation.