Arriving to America from abroad, many immigrants are utterly surprised by the complex discussion around race and inequality that is still ongoing today. I vividly remember how surprised I was, after arriving here, I did not meet many black people at the University of Michigan or even in Ann Arbor. Being the first college graduate in my family, and having a socio-economic background that reflected that of a low to middle class family, I always thought I had a lot more in common with children of poor people than with children of intellectuals who I often perceived as soft, self-absorbed and lacking of ambition. In contrast, people from poor neighborhoods and working class families had more drive. Of course, I learned that none of these stereotypes were perfectly correct, but tension around the issue of race could not be avoided.
After living in the US for over 16 years, and becoming a citizen, I am in no way a specialist of race-relations. But, I have never been as excited to be an American as I was this Martin Luther King Day, which is based on these three reasons.
First, it’s the people I met during the MLK dinner. Among them was Aaron Dworkin, whose Sphinx Organization has impacted thousands of youths and who has personally changed the racial mix of classical music. He was challenging everybody to think about what we do with our freedom. And, it was Dr. Ed Jackson, Jr., who is the Executive Architect of the MLK Memorial. This Michigan graduate was honored during the dinner for his extraordinary achievements through which he led from ideation to the opening of one of the most amazing memorials anywhere. Finally, I met numerous students who, through their actions, created opportunities for children or understanding for people from different cultural backgrounds. It’s these people of action who give me tremendous hope. Actions always speak louder than words.
Second, it’s the stories of opportunity I also learned about. I was fortunate enough to receive a pre-publication copy of a book “Proving Ground” that is truly worth reading. It tells the story of a family of Michigan graduate, W. David Tarver. Seeing opportunity in the struggles of his family he went from Michigan to the famed Bell’s lab, only to start and build an electrical engineering company that was very successful. His story is captivating and amazing, because it is true. I am proud that the University of Michigan is part of his story, and so many stories like it. It is fantastic if we can educate some of the smartest children in the country right here in Michigan. But, I am even more excited if these children are the first graduates from a family, the first who get a top-notch education that sets them up to do anything they want: build a company, teach, and change the world. David is a perfect example of this!
Third, it is what happened the day after MLK, when I went to Washington DC to run the Issues and Program of USRA, a company for which I served as a board member. We had dinner at a very nice restaurant, the BLT Steakhouse. The dinner started with a disappointment – we were being kicked out of their finest dining room we had reserved. Apparently, a VIP who was considered of higher priority than us was taking over. We were reseated outside the room, at a very nice table nonetheless. We went from slightly disappointed to elated, when we realized that the VIP was President Obama taking his wife out for her birthday dinner. Besides the thrill of seeing the president – who is a lot skinnier than I thought – and the first lady – who is even more beautiful than I thought, this event was special to me. All of a sudden I noticed that President Obama is black, a fact that is not ever-present in my mind. He is primarily the President of the United States, but he has a story that will forever make me proud to be a US citizen. To me, this is independent of politics and his performance in office – the US came together and voted a black man president less than 150 years after the emancipation proclamation, that set a course away from slavery – one of the most despicable parts of US history, and less than 60 years from Brown vs Board of Education, that remedied another epic injustice providing disadvantage to black children. It is wonderful to meet our first black president – it’s history happening today!
So, I am full of hope for a better and more just tomorrow in the US. We will get better because of our people, our entrepreneurial histories of people with many backgrounds we are writing, and because we have the possibility writing history today. Every one of us, and together as a community, we can make a difference. Let’s reject boundaries, talk about things even though they may initially be uncomfortable, but become people of action, not just words. If we do that, every future MLK day will be better than the one before.
Here’s an excerpt of president Obama’s speech on the day of the dedication of the MLK memorial, which provides a challenge to sincere people in the US, and especially impact-driven entrepreneurs: “And so, as we think about all the work that we must do –- rebuilding an economy that can compete on a global stage, and fixing our schools so that every child — not just some, but every child — gets a world-class education, and making sure that our health care system is affordable and accessible to all, and that our economic system is one in which everybody gets a fair shake and everybody does their fair share, let us not be trapped by what is. We can’t be discouraged by what is. We’ve got to keep pushing for what ought to be, the America we ought to leave to our children, mindful that the hardships we face are nothing compared to those Dr. King and his fellow marchers faced 50 years ago, and that if we maintain our faith, in ourselves and in the possibilities of this nation, there is no challenge we cannot surmount.”