Yesterday afternoon, myself and (4) of my lady princesses from Tiaras To Crowns had the opportunity to hear from, preview the work of, and speak one-on-one with an up and coming rising star – one of Plainfield’s very own – Director/Film Maker Alrick Brown.
The film covered a very tough topic – Genocide; specially as experienced in Rwanda. More notably, however, he shared his concerns with regard to the lack of awareness in America’s schools and in African American homes to share these stories from generation to generation. As we full know; “those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.” He gave poignant examples of how Jewish families ensure future generations know about the holocaust tragedies, and how Japanese and Chinese teach their young about their culture’s past and rich inheritance, to drive home his imperative points of "knowledge sharing" to the audience.
The genuine warmth that emanated from this young man was as fresh as a mid-summer’s breeze! I commend The Youth Exposure program organizers and P.A.L. for pulling this enlightening afternoon together!
This is PLAINFIELD Folks, despite all of the negative press, the random shootings – yes this is happening here – BUT – there are awesome stories among the citizenry that deserve front page billing and community support.
We will not acquiesce to the influences of depravity and destruction. We WILL overcome by committing to be a part of programs that provide our children with not just alternative outlets, but examples of Plainfield Students who have moved on to become productive engaged citizens.
I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon out with the lady princesses and hope we as a community will continue to create awesome opportunities for our youth to see Plainfield in action – the success stories.
They need us and quite frankly WE NEED THEM!!
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," may be found on p. 284 of Reason in Common Sense.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Santayana