This week we covered diversity! First we had a lesson taught by Cory and Jenna, they did a great job! Then on Friday we went to ISCORE it was great!! I wish I could have gone to Zach’s and Allie’s sessions but couldn’t, I hear they did great though!!
My first session was Minority Student Athlete Experiences at a Predominately White Institution was great! It was fun to hear about how athletes from all over talked about coming to Iowa State and what it was like coming to a school that has mostly white students. It was very interesting to hear first hand from some of the student athletes about their experiences on the campus and on the court or field. A couple things they all had in common were, they didn’t like the snow, they thought Iowa State as a community was very friendly, and not being white was not a problem. They are proud of where they came from and that has made coming to Iowa State a great choice from each of them.
I decided to stay for the Keynote speaker who was John Carlos, he was great! He was one of two USA team members at the 1968 Olympics who raised a fist in pride causing political controversy and a long journey of hard times for him and his teammate. However, Mr. Carlos used this journey to make a difference. He now goes all over talking about his journey and helping individuals find a path of their own. Listening to Mr. Carlos was very inspirational he discussed how God tells each of us where we are going, all we have to do is be ready. God’s journey for Mr. Carlos was to stand up for his rights along with all black’s rights. He stood up for what he believed was important, which is why people like Mr. Carlos and Rosa Parks were able to make a difference. They made a difference because they were not afraid to stand out which is something we could all learn from. Standing up for differences instead of looking down on them is important. One last quote from Mr. Carlos that sums up diversity is “one person’s ego can destroy a colony.” We each need to remember that the next time we are going to say/do something that could hurt somebody else.
I really wished I could have stayed for the keynote. Everyone said he was awesome!
ReplyDeleteI wish I would have been able to hear him speak as well. I always find people that have inspiring stories like that to be the ones that help me realize things the most. It is always hard to stand up for something, but it is something that we all need to do to make this a better place.
ReplyDelete