Newswise — (Winston-Salem, N.C. – Nov. 7, 2013) – Award-winning author, renowned poet and Civil Rights activist Dr. Maya Angelou told a packed auditorium at Wake Forest University that the best way to understand others is to “keep your mouth shut and listen.”
Angelou, the Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest, delivered opening remarks at a Nov. 6 celebration of dignity and respect – an event that addressed timely issues such as partisan divisions in Washington and incivility on social media.
The event, available in its entirety at go.wfu.edu/dignityrespect, marked the end of the first 30 days of a yearlong, campus-wide “Dignity and Respect Campaign.” Wake Forest is among the first universities to join the national movement, originally established by the Center for Inclusion at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). The campaign promotes inclusion through behavioral and organizational change.
Drawing inspiration from the Book of Genesis, Angelou suggested college students have much to offer in fostering a more respectful, civil and kind society.
“When it looked like the sun, wouldn’t shine anymore, each one of you has the possibility, the promise, of being a rainbow in somebody’s cloud,” she said.
The event, which was free and open to the public, also featured:• Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, Director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African Art; • Dr. Edwin G. Wilson, Provost Emeritus at Wake Forest; • Dignity and Respect Campaign founder Dr. Candi Castleberry-Singleton, UPMC Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer; and • Charlie Batch, two-time Super Bowl champion.
Cole, who also has served as the first African American female president of Spelman College and the president of Bennett College for Women, said the Golden Rule is a good place to start.
“In every one of the major religions or faith communities in the world, there is that idea. It must be because it’s so powerful,” Cole said, citing the examples from the Koran and Native American traditions. “It seems so simple – and it is. But when we treat others simply as we wish to be treated, it is the most revolutionary act a human being can commit.”
The polarization of politicsWhen reflecting upon Congressman Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) father’s recent comments that President Obama should go “back to Kenya,” Cole suggested the instantaneous nature and vast reach of Twitter and Facebook fanned the flames.
“I don’t want to deny that, but I also want to own a duality and that is, with the same rapidity, we can also say loving things about each other,” Cole said. “Let’s not put all of the blame on the instrument. Let’s understand that we have to take responsibility for how we use that instrument.”
Wilson, who was Dean of the College when Wake Forest made the historic decision to admit its first black student in 1962, had some bipartisan advice for politicians and students alike.
“We need leadership that looks beyond race, beyond sexual orientation, beyond all trappings of our society. We need leaders who look at the hearts and the minds of our people and believe that America is destined for something more than name-calling and criticisms. I think if we can do that, maybe we can rise above our separations and work together for something better than we have known.”
“You belong here”Dr. Barbee Oakes, Assistant Provost for Diversity and Inclusion and event organizer, brought the campaign to Wake Forest to cultivate a greater appreciation of how diverse constituencies enrich the community. Nearly 2,000 members of the greater Wake Forest community have taken the Dignity and Respect pledge.
“Dr. Angelou is famous for saying, ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ The primary goal of the ‘Dignity and Respect Campaign’ is to embed the message ‘You Belong Here’ into the very fabric of our campus,” Oakes said. “The willingness of these living legends to take part in the conversation shows the importance of this topic at this time.”
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