(WJBC file photo)
By Pamela Sweetwood
Last Friday evening I attended a dinner in honor of Martin Luther King Jr at ISU. The speaker was Wes Moore, an impressive man who has been a paratrooper, Rhodes Scholar, White House Fellow, author, non-profit founder and frequent news channel contact. He had incredible wisdom for his XX years, but by his own admission and obvious to the audience, he observes, feels and learns from others.
After reading his biography I was looking forward to hearing more about his book, a profile into his journey and that of another Wes Moore. Both grew up in Baltimore without fathers, poor, and black. Although they shared similar beginnings, the paths are very different. The Baltimore Sun featured Wes Moore being named a Rhodes Scholar. Also sharing the front page was another Wes Moore, convicted of an armed theft in which an off-duty police officer was killed. The other Wes Moore is serving a life sentence. Wes Moore met his counterpart, exchanged letters, and has built a decade-long relationship with him.
Moore was humble, shied away from credit, did not judge or blame. He spoke with great sadness and honesty. He regularly made reference to the importance of looking out for others. He asked Wes if they were a product of their environment. The other Wes, said they were a product of the expectations of others.
With the college audience, he conveyed the story of entering college, being told to look at the person to the right and to the left. Only 1 of 3 would graduate. He no longer buys that but insists, as in the military, everyone succeeds together. He stressed that we must be willing to sacrifice for the well-being of others.
He truly believed everyone has incredible potential but passionately would argue everyone does not have the same opportunity. He continually brought his message back around to King, not his words, but his actions – that it is who you stand for that matters, especially when it is not convenient or popular.
I came across a quote over the weekend by John F Kennedy “Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.”
As a nation we have had so much conflict. Let’s put aside race, class, religion, and politics, and do what’s right. We must truly learn to be “our brother’s keeper.”
