Mr. Rogers Would Be Proud

We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It's easy to say, 'It's not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.' Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes. - Fred Rogers

Mr. Rogers is back in the news!  We're celebrating the 50th anniversary of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.  He's getting his own postage stamp (along with King Friday) and Tom Hanks is making a documentary about him.

When we hike through Rollins College as we did yesterday there are lots of reminders about Mr. Rogers.  He was a graduate and life long friend of the college.  

Remember Eddie Murphy's "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood on SNL?  

I don't know why but there have always been urban legends about Mr. Rogers.  Some of them silly like he was a sniper in the Marines and he had to wear sweaters due to his many tattoos.  And some of them just mean spirited questioning why children needed to be loved and respected.  By the way, Mr. Rogers did not ever advocate spoiling children.  Quite the opposite.

I can't help thinking about him this weekend with young people across the country taking to the streets and being brave in demanding justice and a chance to live out their lives in peace. 

A few decades ago I attended an event where Fred Rogers was speaking to a large group of senior citizens - people far older than I was at the time.  I wondered what message he might have for these folks.  

It turned out to be the very same messaged he had for small children.  "I like you just the way you are..."  I know for a fact that many of these people were inspirited that night to continue to do amazing things with their lives. 

Just like these young people are doing.

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Women's History Month

Nevertheless, she persisted...is the theme for, March, this year's Women's History Month.

Why have a month set aside to celebrate women's history?  As recently as the 1970s women's history has been virtually an unknown topic.  When I was a young women there were a myriad of things women were told they could not do, like run for office or go to law school.  So I want to thank all of those women who led the way.  I like to think, in a small way, I was one of them.

Nevertheless, she persisted...

It wasn't until 1980 that President Jimmy Carter declared March as Women's History Month:

From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation.  Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed.  But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built American was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.

 Yesterday I was thrilled to attend Onyx Magazine's luncheon honoring the accomplishments of African American women here in Florida.  It was a packed house.  And all kinds of people were there to help celebrate these woman - and all women. I wish every middle and high schooler could have been there to see the accomplishments of these women being honored.  We can almost be assured that nothing was given to them.  They earned it.

Nevertheless, she persisted...


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Truth and Beauty

In 2004 Ann Patchett wrote the critically acclaimed and highly controversial book, Truth and Beauty.  It's about her twenty year relationship with fellow writer Lucy Grealy.  Lucy had cancer as a child.   It left her face disfigured.  She spent the rest of her life enduring endless reconstructive surgeries.  So, as you can image, Lucy was a very troubled, not easy to get along with, person.  She was extremely self centered and addicted to drugs and sex.  She eventually died of a drug overdose.

Through it all, Ann remained her friend.

In 2006 Ann Patchett was invited to Clemson University to speak to the 3,000 incoming freshmen who had been required to read Truth and Beauty over the summer.  A Clemson alum, and a member of the South Carolina Commission of higher education was offended by the book and started a huge campaign to have both Ann and the book barred from Clemson.

Following is his description:  The book talks in graphic terms about pornography, about fetish, about multiple sex partners...The book contains a very extensive list of over the top sexual and anti religious references. There is an implied lesbian relationship between n Ms. Patchett and Ms. Greely. 

Unlike this man, I found Truth and Beauty to be about a troubled human being and another human being who stuck by her even when she was at her worst.  It has made me rethink my relationships with a couple of troubled people in my life.

Of course, Clemson was not swayed by this man's efforts to ban Ann Patchett's book.  In her speech to the 3,000 students in 2006 she essentially said - don't let anyone take your books away from you.


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School For Prisoners

Should prisons offer education and job training to incarcerated people?  We, here in the U.S., traditionally want our prisoners to be punished not rehabilitated.

But a couple of weeks ago 60 Minutes featured a guy named Shon Hopwood who, while serving his full sentence of 12 years for bank robbery, began his education toward becoming a lawyer - and is now a law professor at Georgetown University.

This is an anomaly.

But here in Orlando, in our 33rd Street jail where every prisoner has one thing in common - they're all poor - a new program is up and running.  The Department of Corrections, along with Valencia College and other sponsors, have developed a successful construction program.

Last week my son was the commencement speaker for the latest graduating class.  The students wore caps and gowns over their orange jumpsuits.  What an overwhelmingly positive experience.  He said "I can't believe I got a huge hug from an inmate and a Department of Corrections officer in the same room."


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