By Senator Hank Sanders
All seed grain has the potential of power. But they become powerful only if we plant them. One seed grain of corn properly planted grows one stalk of corn. Each stalk produces two to six ears of corn. Each ear contains hundreds of grains of corn. Thousands of grains grow from one seed of corn planted. Seeds are powerful only if we plant them.
We all have grains that can become seeds. But they become seeds only if we plant them. We can plant the seeds, but we can’t make them germinate and burst forth. We can plant the seeds, but we can’t make the plants grow and increase. We can plant the seeds, but we can’t make the plants bud and flower. We can plant the seeds, but we can’t make the plants produce bountiful fruit. Unplanted seeds are just grains of corn, wheat, rice, etc. that die without multiplying. It takes hope and faith to plant seeds. Seeds are powerful only if we plant them.
Every now and then, I look back over my life. I am looking back now. When I look back, I don’t see any seeds that grew the way I wanted. I don’t see any seeds that flowered the way I expected. I don’t see any seeds that produced fruit as bountiful as I hoped. But I do see where I planted seeds. Seeds are powerful only if we plant them.
I want to look back at just the last 50 years of my seed-planting life. Fifty years is a long time. And I lived nearly 26 years before these 50 years commenced. I could go over those 26 years as well, but time and space do not permit. In fact, I do not have space to do minimum justice to these 50 years. Seeds are powerful only if we plant them.
I know that whatever seeds I planted and cultivated, I didn’t make the seeds germinate and grow and flower and produce fruit. Only God can do that. I know that others helped plant and cultivate and harvest the seeds I think I planted. Nearly 50 years ago, in 1969, Faya Rose and I planted the seeds of marriage. The seeds burst forth on January 23, 1970 and grew well and grew long. The marriage produced many fruits. Every other seed planted over these years was cultivated by the spirit and hands of this marriage. Seeds are powerful only if we plant them.
From the seeds of marriage grew Malika Asha Sanders Fortier, Kindaka Jamal Sanders and Ainka Mopualola Sanders Jackson. Each has grown, planted seeds of marriage, produced offspring. Each planted professional seed as lawyers. Each is planting his or her own seeds in community. Rosie Sykes, Jennifer Wright, Charles Watson and Maurice Watson were grafted on our family by foster relationship. They are planting their seeds. Seeds are powerful only if we plant them.
Faya and I were partners in so many things. Together we planted the seeds of the Alabama Black Lawyers Association, which is now called the Alabama Lawyers Association. Together we planted the seeds of the Black Belt Arts and Culture Center (BBAC), which grew into the Black Belt Human Resource Center. Together we planted the seeds of the Black Belt Journal Newspaper, which covered the West Alabama Black Belt. Together, we planted the seeds of the McRae Learning Center, which grew into an institution of education excellence. Seeds are powerful only if we plant them.
Wait! Wait! Wait! I am getting ahead of myself. Back in 1971, Faya and I planted the seeds of what became the Chestnut, Sanders, and Sanders Law Firm. It was planted in 1971 but sprouted up on January 10, 1972. It grew into the biggest Black law firm in Alabama and one of the 10 largest Black law firms in the country. It no longer holds either status, but it is still going strong nearly 47 years later. More importantly, this law firm was the foundation on which we stood to plant as other seeds. Seeds are powerful only if we plant them.
We planted the seeds of the Campaign for a New South that reached across the West Alabama Black Belt. We planted the seeds of Twenty-First Century Youth Leadership Movement, which grew into the premier youth leadership organization with chapters across the USA and even in Africa. It no longer holds that status, but it produced and continues to produce many seeds that are producing other seeds across the globe. Seeds are powerful only if we plant them.
We planted the seeds of Alabama New South Coalition, which grew into one of the most powerful majority African American statewide political organizations in the country. We planted the seeds of the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute. We planted the seeds of the Slavery and Civil War Museum, which became the Ancient Africa and Enslavement Museum. We planted the seeds of the 50,000-watt Radio Station Z105.3 FM, which reaches across the West Alabama Black Belt and, now, all around the World on the internet. We planted the seeds of the Selma Collaborative and the Selma Renaissance Fund. Seeds of the Black Belt Community Foundation were planted. Seeds are powerful only if we plant them.
We planted the seeds of the Bridge Crossing Jubilee, which grew into the largest Annual Civil Rights gathering in the country and perhaps in the world. Each year the big and the not so big gather from across the country and around the world. Two sitting U.S. Presidents and two former U.S. Presidents have participated. Seeds are powerful only if we plant them.
I cannot forget my service in the Alabama State Senate or the 1630 straight Senate Sketches I have written each week. But I did not plant the seeds of the Senate; that was planted by J.L Chestnut, Jr., who tricked me into running for the Senate. The seed of Senate Sketches was planted by The Greene County Democrat, which has published all 1630 Sketches. I tried to cultivate these seeds as well as other seeds I did not plant. Seeds are powerful only if they are planted and cultivated and harvested.