"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." MLK, Jr.
Last night, Target gave all of the Twin Cities the opportunity to hear Geoffrey Canada speak as part of Martin Luther King, Day events. Gathered in the Basilica of St. Mary, we had the opportunity to be inspired.
[There are tons of clips I could show you of Mr. Canada, he's been on Oprah, 60 Minutes, you name it, but I'm choosing this one because if Stephen Colbert can't help but give you a thumbs up, you know you are legit. ]
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Geoffrey Canada | ||||
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Now more than ever I believe the ideas and concepts of Geoffrey Canada need to be the next steps of America. I could go on and on, but I think he speaks enough for these programs and ideals that he doesn't need my two cents worth.
For me, the most refreshing part of hearing Mr. Canada was his humility and genuine desire, no, demand, for positive progression. More often than ever, in this political climate, we hear great ideas drown in rhetoric abhorring or blaming or diminishing the "other side". We spend more time pointing out what's wrong with the system and far less time making room for ideas that seek to correct our failures. Certainly, Mr. Canada points out the system's failings, but he does not place blame or attack any situation, instead, he uses the traumatic numbers of the prison system to say that if we are capable of creating such a large system of negativity, then let us reverse and create an even larger system of educational equality and positivity.
Even more, Mr. Canada's "talk" doesn't include references to his own life, his own struggles and subsequent success. He speaks only to the picture of sincere change he's working towards. So often "inspirational" speakers choose to focus on the negativity they left behind, but Mr. Canada focuses solely on where we're going and how we're going to get there.
...and that is truly inspirational.
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