“Truth Can Come from Unlikely Voices”

Years ago, I had just finished speaking to a local group and while it wasn’t my best speech, I was proud of the fact that I had gotten more than a few rounds of applause and I had finally named some of those who I believed had created the conditions I found myself in. The good Lord has a way of humbling you when you start letting your ego drive you, or in Baton Rouge as a few of the locals described it … started to smell yourself, because he sent an Miss Linda to me. At first, I thought this sweet older woman was coming up to congratulate me on my remarks but when that boney finger started waiving; I knew it was not congratulations she had in mind. Ms. Linda first introduced herself and then leaned in close and said, “Mr. Superintendent, you might think you are all that but let me tell you a thing or two. First, when you point your finger at someone else, look at your hand and you will see three fingers pointing right back at you. And second, ‘dem people aren’t here any-more and these kids are counting on you.”

I learned in that moment that blaming and sidestepping your responsibility wasn’t going to make us better. Pointing out what others hadn’t done wasn’t productive. It wasn’t going to make us better. It didn’t motivate or inspire others. Rather it kept us focused on the very things we wanted to move beyond.