What if the mightiest word is love?
By: Thomas Fisher
In discussing King’s legacy, Pulitzer Prize nominee Elizabeth Alexander spoke of love and how it is love which makes us do better in the world. She reminded us of King’s words in saying “let love guide and unite us not for what were fighting against but what we are fighting for.”
Alexander, a well-known poet and chair of the Department of African American Studies at Yale University, delivered a speech entitled “The Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Hopeful Future” in her hopes and aspirations in the continuance of King’s legacy.
“His legacy is on-going and it asks something of us,” Alexander stated. She spoke of King’s legacy and described how it asks all of us individuals to commit to our countries and to our communities.
For Alexander it is love that changes lives. She stated, “It is love which makes us say we can do better, we expect better, we deserve better, we will struggle until we have better,” This message was sent to various students, faculty, and community members at Opening Convocation at Wittenberg University.
She recognized how much of an impact King has had in what he stood up for. Quoting the activist she said, “We will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path. It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.”
Who would have known that sitting in her baby carriage at the March on Washington in 1963 where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous ‘I have a dream speech” would be a scene involving a theme that she would spend her life continuing on through poetry and speech.
“What if the mightiest word is love, she asked the audience.” She then read the poem, Praise Song for the Day, a poem she had written and addressed at Barack Obama’s Inauguration. As her poem and speech came to an end, the community in Weaver Chapel rose to a standing ovation.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Interview Classmate Story
Hiking 11 miles a day with a large backpack on in a remote area of the Earth with no connection to friends or family doesn’t seem like an ideal vacation now does it? Although it may not be considered amusing or pleasurable in a variety of ways, a wilderness program in Georgia significantly altered Kate Pintauro and her outlook on life.
Kate Pintauro, the 5’6” dark haired girl, is from Westchester, NY and is currently a freshman communication major at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. She is also interested in the fields of journalism and English.
Feeding off her interests within the field of communication, the 18 year old has done some fascinating things like go behind the scenes in an ABC studio. She is hoping to get an internship with NBC sometime in the near future.
Addressing some of her hobbies, Kate loves sports, especially tennis, basketball, and soccer. She is on the tennis team here at Wittenberg University and loves staying busy with that. She also enjoys fishing with her dad, waterskiing, tubing, and goes into New York City every weekend. She loves the warm weather and has a Time Share in Saint Martin where she spends time with friends and family each year.
These all sound like great aspects of her life but it hasn’t been the easiest road for Kate to get where she is today. Like stated earlier, Kate had to attend a wilderness program in Georgia. She did this when she was 15 years old for 8 weeks.
She attended this program because she was a bit irresponsible in her young teenage years. She didn’t really take her academics seriously and skipped class often. In Georgia though, she learned things like basic survival skills and communicating with people around her. She realized a lot about herself and made it clear to herself that she was going to change.
After the wilderness program, she attended HIDE, Woodstock Boarding School. This school was fairly strict as there were things like a dress code but it really helped Kate become even more focused and get her priorities straight.
Kate applied to a number of schools including Florida Sothern, Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Miami of Ohio, but her choice of Wittenberg has truly proved to have a positive impact on her so far. She knew it was right for her when she first stepped foot on campus and since that moment only good has come about for her.
She stated, “it really taught me a lot about myself” in reference to the Wilderness program. Now her priorities are straight and she really understands the things that are important to her. This wilderness program was a life altering experience for Kate and a building block for shaping her in becoming a much more responsible and conscientious individual with much potential in the future.
Kate Pintauro, the 5’6” dark haired girl, is from Westchester, NY and is currently a freshman communication major at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. She is also interested in the fields of journalism and English.
Feeding off her interests within the field of communication, the 18 year old has done some fascinating things like go behind the scenes in an ABC studio. She is hoping to get an internship with NBC sometime in the near future.
Addressing some of her hobbies, Kate loves sports, especially tennis, basketball, and soccer. She is on the tennis team here at Wittenberg University and loves staying busy with that. She also enjoys fishing with her dad, waterskiing, tubing, and goes into New York City every weekend. She loves the warm weather and has a Time Share in Saint Martin where she spends time with friends and family each year.
These all sound like great aspects of her life but it hasn’t been the easiest road for Kate to get where she is today. Like stated earlier, Kate had to attend a wilderness program in Georgia. She did this when she was 15 years old for 8 weeks.
She attended this program because she was a bit irresponsible in her young teenage years. She didn’t really take her academics seriously and skipped class often. In Georgia though, she learned things like basic survival skills and communicating with people around her. She realized a lot about herself and made it clear to herself that she was going to change.
After the wilderness program, she attended HIDE, Woodstock Boarding School. This school was fairly strict as there were things like a dress code but it really helped Kate become even more focused and get her priorities straight.
Kate applied to a number of schools including Florida Sothern, Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Miami of Ohio, but her choice of Wittenberg has truly proved to have a positive impact on her so far. She knew it was right for her when she first stepped foot on campus and since that moment only good has come about for her.
She stated, “it really taught me a lot about myself” in reference to the Wilderness program. Now her priorities are straight and she really understands the things that are important to her. This wilderness program was a life altering experience for Kate and a building block for shaping her in becoming a much more responsible and conscientious individual with much potential in the future.
What if the mightiest word is love?
Love is something that can be interpreted in a variety of contexts. “It is love which makes us say we can do better, we expect better, we deserve better, we will struggle until we have better,” said poet Elizabeth Alexander as she stood in front of an attentive crowd just a few days ago.
Alexander, a very credible poet and chair of the Department of African American Studies at Yale University, delivered a speech entitled “The Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Hopeful Future.”
“His legacy is on-going and it asks something of us”, Alexander stated. She spoke of King’s legacy and described how it asks all of us individuals to commit to our countries and communities in which we live in. We also have to commit to friends and family around us she explained.
Throughout her determination and pride in discussing King’s legacy, she spoke of love and how it is love which makes us do better in the world. She reminded us of King’s words in saying “let love guide and unite us not for what were fighting against but what we are fighting for.”
This recurring theme of the passion and the need for love was shown throughout Elizabeth Alexander’s speech at the commemorative convocation at Wittenberg University on January 18, 2010.
Throughout her speech, Alexander reflects on the works of Martin Luther King Jr. and in doing so recognizes how much of an impact he has had in what he stood up for. She stated some of King’s words in saying “We will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path. It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.”
Who would have known that sitting in her baby carriage at the March on Washington in 1963 where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous ‘I have a dream speech” would be a scene involving a theme that she would spend her life continuing on through her graceful poetry and speech.
“What if the mightiest word is love?” As she finished up her last words and thoughts with us, many of us were left with a thought that echoed in the back of our minds, something we may never have really thought of before. Having love in your life really is the key in avoiding all heartache and all conflict. As this message consumed all of our minds, the crowd responded in a roaring standing ovation and left us with an idea, a theme, and a legacy to reflect on.
Alexander, a very credible poet and chair of the Department of African American Studies at Yale University, delivered a speech entitled “The Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Hopeful Future.”
“His legacy is on-going and it asks something of us”, Alexander stated. She spoke of King’s legacy and described how it asks all of us individuals to commit to our countries and communities in which we live in. We also have to commit to friends and family around us she explained.
Throughout her determination and pride in discussing King’s legacy, she spoke of love and how it is love which makes us do better in the world. She reminded us of King’s words in saying “let love guide and unite us not for what were fighting against but what we are fighting for.”
This recurring theme of the passion and the need for love was shown throughout Elizabeth Alexander’s speech at the commemorative convocation at Wittenberg University on January 18, 2010.
Throughout her speech, Alexander reflects on the works of Martin Luther King Jr. and in doing so recognizes how much of an impact he has had in what he stood up for. She stated some of King’s words in saying “We will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path. It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.”
Who would have known that sitting in her baby carriage at the March on Washington in 1963 where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous ‘I have a dream speech” would be a scene involving a theme that she would spend her life continuing on through her graceful poetry and speech.
“What if the mightiest word is love?” As she finished up her last words and thoughts with us, many of us were left with a thought that echoed in the back of our minds, something we may never have really thought of before. Having love in your life really is the key in avoiding all heartache and all conflict. As this message consumed all of our minds, the crowd responded in a roaring standing ovation and left us with an idea, a theme, and a legacy to reflect on.
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