Sunday, January 18, 2009

MORE's Celebration of the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I was both humbled and honored today to be able to speak a few words at the Celebration of the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sponsored by the Multicultural OutReach Effort (MORE). Here are my comments spoken at James Monroe High School:


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Thank you for the humbling honor of being in the presence of those of you who are heroes of America's Second Revolution, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, and for the opportunity to combine some of my poor words with those great expressions by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that “Everything that is done in the world is done by hope.” He knew that to have an education was to have hope. To have an education was to have a dream, to have the knowledge, skills and character to achieve that dream. He knew that if we were truly to be judged by the content of our character, it was education that molded and shaped that character.

Dr. King said that "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. [That] Intelligence plus character is the goal of true education."

Dr. King knew that, for most of American history, education had been used to divide the races, to keep a whole people from having and achieving their dreams for themselves and their children.
“It is precisely because education is the road to equality and citizenship, that it has been made more elusive for Negroes than many other rights,” he said. “The walling off of Negroes from equal education is part of the historical design to submerge him in second class status. Therefore, as Negroes have struggled to be free they have had to fight for the opportunity for a decent education.”

He said that the family ”is the main educational agency of mankind,” and that as long as the family was being undermined, dreams and hopes were often replaced by despair and hopelessness.

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity," he said. And his entire life was dedicated to defeating ignorance and stupidity. His life serves as a model. He was educated and fought for others to be so educated. He saw his ministry and his activism as opportunities to teach with the entire nation, indeed the entire world, as his classroom.

His too brief life modeled his belief that “the quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important.” His life is a beacon that shines a light on our successes and failures, and guides us from the shoals of failure towards his dream of a society and educational system where we can truly be judged by the content of our character and not the color of our skin. Too many are still left behind. The beacon of his life glares a spotlight on what we have yet to do and aims us towards the way to achieve the dream of an empowering education for all of our citizens.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Russell James, Director of the Daniel Center, Earns Professional in Workforce Development Certification

Congratulations to Russell James, Director of the Daniel Center in Culpeper for successfully completing a certificate from the University Of Virginia School Of Continuing and Professional Studies and the Workforce Development Academy designating him as a "Professional in Workforce Development."

According to Barbara Kessler at UVA, "The PWD certification designation signifies exceptional knowledge and practice of the workforce development professional competencies." Good show, Russell.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Annual Report provides glimpse at what makes Germanna Community College special

This year’s Annual Report, available now, celebrates the contributions and achievements of Germanna students, faculty, alumni. And it recognizes the generosity of community stakeholders whose contributions have become more important than ever as the state has been forced to make budget cuts.

Among those featured:

  • Ninety-four -year-old Germanna computer science student Claire Ducker, for providing an inspiring example of what lifelong learning is all about.
  • Associate Dean Judi Bartlett, whose selflessness in giving of her time sets a standard of going above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to caring about, taking a personal interest in, and helping students.
  • Retiring English instructor Rob Sherwood, who brought an energetic, imaginative and fun approach to learning despite a long and debilitating battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
  • David Rose, who has been a part of Germanna since the College opened in 1970 as a student, faculty member and a member of the GCC Local College Board.
  • Hugh Cosner, whose generosity to Germanna earned him a statewide award for philanthropy.


We hope you’ll agree with us that the report provides a glimpse of the heart and dedication that make Germanna a special place, even in the most difficult times.