Hi Everyone!
I promise to update everyone soon on what I have been up to these past few months (trust me I've been busy hence the lack of blogging.) but first I wanted to share a great experience I had yesterday evening.
Last night, Baldwin-Wallace College hosted Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey on campus. Mayor Booker was invited to speak on ethical leadership in addition to the dream and realities of Martin Luther King Jr. However, what Mayor Booker presented was so much more than a lecture and reflection.
Booker began by describing his childhood, parents and the obstacles his family had to overcome. He then seamlessly started to reflect on Martin Luther King Jr.'s dreams and the lessons we must all take away from MLK's short yet impressive life.
Personally, Martin Luther King Jr. has always been of interest to me. I can vividly remember a day in the second grade when I brought my Encarta Encyclopedia on CD-ROM disc into class and played a clip of MLK delivering his, "I Have a Dream," speech. I was in total awe of his powerful words but confused about his obvious message. As a second grader from a small town in the heart of Ohio I had never experienced any race issues. From my perspective, this was a problem of the past, Abraham Lincoln had abolished slavery and, I would definitely have no problem joining hands with anyone! However, as I grew I began to witness the tremendous divide the history of race relations in this country had created for the present and future. Although we, as a nation, have made great strides toward equality for all races and ethnicities we are still a long distance from the dream that Martin Luther King Jr. had envisioned.
Mayor Booker shared and reflected on one of King's poignant quotes, "history will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people." He stated again, " not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people." This statement immediately created a connection for me. Throughout my diversity training and mediating as an Orientation Leader we discussed, "What Would You Do," after watching clips from the identically titled ABC show. The most common question we would ask was, "does silence condone the behavior?" Now, it was almost like Martin Luther King Jr. and Cory Booker were my facilitators and they were asking me, "what is your silence doing to create a solution to the problem?" So many of us believe we know what is right and wrong and what we should do in situations. However, we falter when it comes to our actions. Do we stand up to someone who is doing something we don't agree with or do we merely turn a blind eye? Mayor Booker poked fun at all of the armchair politicians that watch the news and get so fired up that they yell and scream at the TV and pump their fists but when it comes to making actual change do little. Change comes from action.
My favorite point that Mayor Booker made was that it is the day to day kindness and love that creates change and makes a difference. By doing good deeds and spreading kindness each day we will create a more conscientious world that strives to do better for all citizens. Booker also stated that what we see around us is what we are made of. It is easy to see darkness and despair but that means inside we are equally depressed. However, if we look upon our world with hope and ambition we will be able to create possibilities meaning our souls are just as beautiful and courageous. In order for our world to become a better place we must look beyond ourselves and our needs and focus on the people, places and things around us.
Mayor Booker was a huge inspiration to me and I hope my interpretation of his words ignite a flame of activism in you as well. I look forward to making a difference in the people and places around me and I hope you will do the same.
I want to leave you with an African quote that Mayor Booker relayed to us that specifically stood out to me, "When spiderwebs unite they can tie-up a lion." Although we may be a small part to a large problem with action and some help we can create huge changes.
More updates soon!
Ashley
P.S. Follow me on Twitter at MissMansfield20
