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Steward Speakers opens with an outstanding panel

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On Oct. 16, I had the privilege of attending the inaugural Steward Speakers event of the 2018-2019 season. For the uninitiated, Steward Speakers is Indiana’s oldest speaker series; it is also the only one that exclusively brings African-American luminaries to Central Indiana. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I have served Steward Speakers in a variety of capacities since 2010.)

The event was a panel discussion that featured former Essence magazine editor-in-chief Susan Taylor; civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton; “the hip hop professor” Dr. Michael Eric Dyson; and award winning journalist Roland Martin, who served as moderator. The panel took place at the spacious Pike Performing Arts Center.  (Other Steward Speakers events will occur during the next several months.)

Billed as “The State of Black Affairs,” the night was an unflinching examination of topics ranging from racism to poverty to politics to the intra-racial struggles that have long plagued African-Americans. Martin did an excellent job of ensuring that each speaker had ample time to express his or her perspective — while also sharing insightful facts and anecdotes of his own. Dr. Dyson, who is well known for his superlative vocabulary and spellbinding oratorical skills, brought many in the capacity crowd of 1,200 to their feet on more than one occasion. Ms. Taylor, who continues to defy the aging process at 72, embodied sagacity and passion as she implored the audience to be vigilant in the struggle for racial equality. 

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the evening was a somewhat subdued Rev. Al Sharpton, who seemed quite content to cede the spotlight to Dyson and Taylor. (The sometimes-controversial minister was more animated during a closed-door session with local clergy members earlier in the evening.) During the panel, Sharpton spoke wistfully about how one of his mentors, the legendary James Brown, encouraged Sharpton to style his hair with Brown’s trademark “conk.” Sharpton’s father abandoned his family when he was a child, so the fact that Brown wanted Sharpton to “look like him” left an indelible mark on his psyche. 

Near the end of the evening, Rev. Sharpton pointed out that Oct. 16 was the 23rd anniversary of the Million Man March. He said that some of the action steps that were proposed during the March had been realized while others had not. This naturally led to a type of “denouement” — a literary term referring to the moment of crisis resolution at the end of a book or play.   

Specifically, Martin asked a small number of people — approximately 20 — to stand up. He then recounted how a decision made by a similarly small group of people ultimately changed the world. In December 1955, a few “ordinary” African-Americans, who were huddled in the basement of a church, launched what was initially intended to be a one-day bus boycott. Instead, the Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted 381 days — and turned a young minister by the name of Martin Luther King Jr. into a national leader. 

The key question that naturally arose from this powerful evening (a question that was explicitly raised) is whether audience members would channel our fervent energy into meaningful action. Would we organize? Would we open businesses? Would we become better parents? Would we become more politically active? I pray that these questions are not merely rhetorical. There is no hyperbole in suggesting that the fate of our nation will largely turn on our willingness to answer — and to act — affirmatively.

 

Larry Smith is managing director of Randall L. Tobias Center for Leadership Excellence at Indiana University. Contact him at larry@leaf-llc.com.

 

On Oct. 16, I had the privilege of attending the inaugural Steward Speakers event of the 2018-2019 season. For the uninitiated, Steward Speakers is Indiana’s oldest speaker series; it is also the only one that exclusively brings African-American luminaries to Central Indiana. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I have served Steward Speakers in a variety of capacities since 2010.)

The event was a panel discussion that featured former Essence magazine editor-in-chief Susan Taylor; civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton; “the hip hop professor” Dr. Michael Eric Dyson; and award winning journalist Roland Martin, who served as moderator. The panel took place at the spacious Pike Performing Arts Center.  (Other Steward Speakers events will occur during the next several months.)

Billed as “The State of Black Affairs,” the night was an unflinching examination of topics ranging from racism to poverty to politics to the intra-racial struggles that have long plagued African-Americans. Martin did an excellent job of ensuring that each speaker had ample time to express his or her perspective — while also sharing insightful facts and anecdotes of his own. Dr. Dyson, who is well known for his superlative vocabulary and spellbinding oratorical skills, brought many in the capacity crowd of 1,200 to their feet on more than one occasion. Ms. Taylor, who continues to defy the aging process at 72, embodied sagacity and passion as she implored the audience to be vigilant in the struggle for racial equality. 

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the evening was a somewhat subdued Rev. Al Sharpton, who seemed quite content to cede the spotlight to Dyson and Taylor. (The sometimes-controversial minister was more animated during a closed-door session with local clergy members earlier in the evening.) During the panel, Sharpton spoke wistfully about how one of his mentors, the legendary James Brown, encouraged Sharpton to style his hair with Brown’s trademark “conk.” Sharpton’s father abandoned his family when he was a child, so the fact that Brown wanted Sharpton to “look like him” left an indelible mark on his psyche. 

Near the end of the evening, Rev. Sharpton pointed out that Oct. 16 was the 23rd anniversary of the Million Man March. He said that some of the action steps that were proposed during the March had been realized while others had not. This naturally led to a type of “denouement” — a literary term referring to the moment of crisis resolution at the end of a book or play.   

Specifically, Martin asked a small number of people — approximately 20 — to stand up. He then recounted how a decision made by a similarly small group of people ultimately changed the world. In December 1955, a few “ordinary” African-Americans, who were huddled in the basement of a church, launched what was initially intended to be a one-day bus boycott. Instead, the Montgomery Bus Boycott lasted 381 days — and turned a young minister by the name of Martin Luther King Jr. into a national leader. 

The key question that naturally arose from this powerful evening (a question that was explicitly raised) is whether audience members would channel our fervent energy into meaningful action. Would we organize? Would we open businesses? Would we become better parents? Would we become more politically active? I pray that these questions are not merely rhetorical. There is no hyperbole in suggesting that the fate of our nation will largely turn on our willingness to answer — and to act — affirmatively.

 

Larry Smith is managing director of Randall L. Tobias Center for Leadership Excellence at Indiana University. Contact him at larry@leaf-llc.com.

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