Mother of five. Seeker of justice. Believer in good.
They stood and clapped for him; a standing ovation. Cornelius Minor spoke with passion and inspired a community when he spoke in Noblesville High School’s auditorium at Noblesville Diversity Coalition’s Learning Series last month.
He was unifying and gracious. Challenging and encouraging. He was a truth teller and a perspective shifter. The partnership that Noblesville Schools has with Mr. Minor will surely foster growth in our community.
After the event, I spoke with Mr. Minor and he shared, “It’s an exciting time to be a part of what Noblesville is doing. I travel the country speaking and I don’t know another community that is doing what you guys are.”
Mr. Minor brings energy and a relatable approach to talk about difficult subjects like racism, sexism, classism and social justice. The most overheard word to describe him this night was infectious. He encouraged the audience, after the racial incident at Noblesville High School, that “we recover from big events by small interactions.”
Being kind to one another. Empathizing. Listening. Reaching out. It’s in the simple way we treat our neighbor, the person in line next to us at Walmart, the conversation we strike with the other parent at our child’s school. Building community and fostering a spirit of inclusion is rooted in kindness.
Mr. Minor professes that “to be actively engaged in changing our community, simply requires us to architect love for another.” I love that. I listened to those words and saw a chorus of nods throughout the auditorium. The evening had several key moments that carried such hope.
Cornelius explained the oft misunderstood concept of privilege in such a graceful way and how we can be a part of a system and even benefit from it, without any ill intention or malice. “Systems persist despite our intentions. Systems change because we actively work to disrupt them.”
He pointed out the importance of creating relationships with others that can help us see the world differently. “Powerful teaching is rooted in powerful listening.”
As our eyes are opened to new experiences, as we hear and believe the stories of our friends, it helps us to see changes that can be made towards inclusion and equity.
As we use our voice, as we stand with others, we become allies. Something each of us should strive to be. Mr. Minor likes to say as we get in and do the work with others, we become “accomplices.” That is when the real change happens.
The Noblesville Diversity Coalition would love to have you as our accomplice … to join us in the work. The evening with Mr. Minor at Noblesville High School was an important part of the ongoing conversation and step toward our goal of becoming an inclusive community that celebrates our differences and rejoices in the richness it brings.
2018 certainly held its own set of struggles for Noblesville but it’s also given us the opportunity to see how amazing it is when our community rallies together. The Noblesville Diversity Coalition looks forward to working in unity with you in 2019!