About two months ago, I had the opportunity to speak to a group of elementary school children during their Black History Month program.
The program's theme was "Making the Dream a Reality" and I wanted the children to know that despite the contributions people throughout history have made, we all have the capabilities to achieve greatness.
Every February, we celebrate Black History Month. We learn about Martin Luther King Jr. and his "I Have a Dream" speech and the March on Washington.
We learn about Rosa Parks, the Montgomery bus boycott and civil rights leaders like Medgar Evers and Fannie Lou Hamer.
Then there are people you may not hear as much about like: P.B.S. Pinchback, the first black governor of any state. Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman to serve in Congress. In 1950, Ralph Bunche was the first African-American to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Charles Drew invented the blood bank and because of him, we all have a better chance of surviving operations or car accidents.
We learn about important events like Brown v. Board of Education or the signing of the Civil Rights Act. We also learn about people behind those movements and organizations like NAACP, SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and NCNW (National Council of Negro Women) to name a few. Throughout the year, we are taught about leaders like former Presidents George Washington, Abe Lincoln, FDR and JFK.
We learn about all of these important people I've mentioned and all of the significant things they've accomplished. But, sometimes, we forget that once upon a time they were regular people like you and me.
Life gives us, every one of us, the opportunity to be great. But before you can become great, you must know what it means. Greatness is being the absolute best that you can at all times.
There are five factors to being G. R. E. A. T.:
G — Give back and give thanks: Never forget who you are or the people who are important to you. Say thank you and don't take people for granted. Participate in community service; you can do that by raising money for a cause dear to you, making donations or offering a neighbor a helping hand.
R — Respect: Have respect for yourself, meaning don't do things you know are wrong, obey your parents and don't let people make you feel badly about yourself. Respect others by not doing things you know are wrong; respecting your parents, teachers, classmates and siblings; and don't try to make people feel badly about themselves.
E — Education: Learn as much as you possibly can. Pay attention in class, ask questions when you don't understand.
Read lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of books. Never stop learning; knowledge is power and the more you know, the stronger you become. Stay in school; graduate from high school and go on to college. If you don't want to attend college, learn a trade. Remember, the more education you have, the easier it will be for you to accomplish your goals.
A — Ambition: According to the dictionary, ambition means the desire to accomplish something. So in order to be great, you must want it and be willing to work hard toward it.
T — Think: Whatever it is you want to achieve you have to think, or believe, you can do it. There always will be people who will try to tell you what you cannot do. Don't listen to them. Instead, always remember the great things you CAN do.
Life won't always be easy; it won't always be perfect or fair. Believe in yourself and don't get discouraged because life will not always be hard either. There will be roadblocks but you can get through all of them. Remember that there are people in your life who love and care about you. They support you and want to see you happy and successful.
