Week 3: Yes, I do have power.

This week I had the opportunity to hear a wonderful man named Keith Boykin speak about his life, lessons, and beliefs. Although he doesn't look a day over thirty, he is actually a very accomplished 47-year-old African American who was once the highest ranking openly-gay individual in the White House during the Clinton administration. Most recently, he is known for being a New York Times best-selling author and political commentator.

Time after time, Boykin kept referring back to Robert Frost and "the road less traveled" -which to him meant not going to graduate school and corporate America. He instead chose to get involved with campaigning (which didn't always pay much), but ultimately traveled to all 48 contiguous states. His family often questioned his choices, but there was one unforgettable moment in which Boykin witnessed his mother's unconditional love - the day he came out to her as gay. He called her (and hung up) about three times before he was able to tell her. The room went dead silent as he told us the same words that he told his mother. For a few moments everyone was still, and then Boykin said that was the exact reaction she greeted him with - complete silence. It was broken when the first thing his mother said to him was, "I love you." For whatever reason, that almost made me cry.

Boykin's words had power to them. He told us about his frustrations when he attended Harvard Law school and found that diversity was sorely lacking among professors who taught there. The majority of instructors were heterosexual white males. Alongside other law students, he argued a case that discriminatory hiring processes were being used. Boykin believes that events like this have had a "ripple effect"; you never know when your words or actions could have an impact in the future. Harvard did make changes in the years following, and since then at least 2 women have became deans of the law school. What's interesting is that this was all happening right when I was born, around 20 years ago. And forty years before that moment, segregation was declared unconstitutional. Now, we just re-elected our first black president. It's all kind of mind blowing in some ways.

At some point in their lives, every child that is educated in America learns about the civil rights movement. Rarely though do you see it manifest in daily life today. There was something about Boykin that seemed to reflect the spirit of those movements. He believes in collective power, the opportunity to follow your dreams, and that a single person can make a difference in the world. He is convinced that some people will never learn to accept, that they will always discriminate - but ultimately those generations will fade away, along with their narrow mindsets.

He mentioned the memorable photo of Elizabeth Eckford, a member of the Little Rock nine, on her way to school. An angry mob surrounds her, presumably screaming profanities and threatening her life. Boykins asked, "How can you be so hateful? How can you justify your behavior?"

Photo by Will Counts

Event: An Evening with Keith Boykin: A Celebration of Black LGBT History Month
http://illinois.edu/calendar/detail/1137/27516029