While I meant every word of my first blog post of the conference, I wasn't necessarily feeling my own words. It actually took walking into the Grand Ballroom for the POCC opening ceremony for the emotion of my words to hit me. The true beauty of our family reunion POCC moved me to tears. The energy and excitement of the 6300+ POCC and SDLC attendees was palpable as we all geared up to do the work. The Tennessee State University Aristocrats of Band had everyone up on their feet as they brought down the house with their performance.
The Aristocrats of Bands' performance was only the start of something great. More greatness came as speakers dropped some serious gems on us.
Gems dropped...
"Allow students to keep shaping and shaking our school communities." - Donna Orem
"Reclaim our time, talent, treasure, and testimony." - Collinus Newsome
"We came here to be fortified, so we can go back and do the work we need to do." - Rodney Glasgow
"Now that you know, you can't pretend that you don't." - Lisa Ling sharing Oprah's advice to her
When people give us gems, we can't just sit back and admire them. We must string them together to create something new, powerful, and beautiful. Words can stay words if we let them, but what a waste that would be. We need to use these words and so many others that we hear throughout the day to fuel action and inspire change in our schools.
So my POCC family, what will you do with all the gems you hear?
Great points, Patricia. For a practical handbook on how to go beyond words into a future of hope and equality, search Amazon for: Off the RACE Track--From Color-Blind To Color-Kind. Thank you. --Steve Simms
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