As I look back on 2017, reflecting on the year, I am amazed
at the people I have met and am excited to see what 2018 has in store. This
past year, my father and I have had a chance to speak to people of all ages.
One of the most profound things I learned was the
different perception children have in the world depending on where they are
growing up. I always knew this theoretically of course, but being faced with it
head on was a stark reminder of where we are in the world. This past year my father and I were speaking to 5th and 6th graders in Newark NJ. This was a group of hispanic
and African American children. They had read the book as part of their class
and were all so excited to meet my dad. When they first saw him their reaction
was amazing - it was as if Beyoncé had walked in. The morning was wonderful, with so many great questions coming from the students. However, it was what I found out right before we entered the auditorium that really struck me. We were speaking to the teacher of the class and she told us about reactions the
students had to reading the book. She told us that the biggest takeaway the
students had reading the book was... that they did not realize that there was
white on white violence. They just assumed if you were white you had it made.
That hit me hard.
The thing is that to most people perception is reality. Having
the opportunity to teach the young that we are all really the same could be
life changing. We may all not be in the same place in our lives. Different
social and economic standings of course influence attitude and opinion. But
showing them that someone that is was once hunted, someone that experienced
discrimination to the worst degree, that experienced a hatred like no other, can actually come though the other side and
not only survive but thrive through hard work and perseverance is a lesson that
needs to be taught. We look forward to the year ahead and hopefully being able to make an impact on even more lives.
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