Embracing individuality
Cathy Davis said some very piercing words when she got up to speak before the high school and middle school students during Monday's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day activities.
She said, "When I look out in the crowd, I don't see a lot of people looking like me."
Because, let's face it: our home here isn't very racially diverse.
That is exactly why HHS Principal Dale Honeck devoted the entire day to talks and performances by area African-Americans. Honeck took the opportunity to educate his students about some very important issues, the very ones Martin Luther King fought against: discrimination, prejudice, bigotry, segregation.
Every American needs to be reminded of the ugliness of those words.
And every Marion County resident needs to be reminded of them — because they don't just apply to racial issues. They apply to differences in general.
We all have our groups where we feel comfortable. Our circle of friends that's surrounded us for years. And when a new person comes into the picture, we're a little hesitant.
Maybe they're from another part of the country. Maybe they talk a little different. Dress different. Go to a different church.
Are we going to segregate ourselves from them? They're not like me; why should I make the effort to get to know them?
Sure, we may not say those very words — but the basic attitude is there.
It takes effort to break free of your comfort zone. And it also takes effort — and courage — to be the kind of person who says, "I'm going to be myself, even if I don't fit into the predetermined categories."
That's Cathy's message: Be who you are.
It's a powerful one.
— JENNIFER WILSON
