Last night I watched the movie "The Secret Life of Bees." The movie was set in the 1960s in the South of America. What touched me most deeply was a scene where a teenage African American boy went to the movies with a white girl his age. The two were clearly falling for each other. When they arrived at the movie theater, the young man had to go through the "coloured" door and the girl went through the "whites only" entry of the theatre. Rather than sitting in separate areas like they were supposed to, they decided to sit next to each other and share the snacks they had purchased.
Angry white racist men stormed into the theatre and began to beat the young man. The girl screamed, begging them to stop their violence. They continued their violence anyway and took the boy away in a car. Nobody knew if the boy would ever be seen again. (You'll have to rent the movie to see what happens...)
As I sat with my husband watching the movie I began to think of how often I take for granted that I am in an inter-racial marriage and my children are of mixed race. Look how far the United States (and other parts of the World) has come in regards to race relations in the course of 50 years. Of course, there is still racism, but much has changed!
Today, I take time to celebrate pioneers--people who have stood up for their vision of what is right. When confronted with violence, anger and hatred from those who want things to stay the same, they don't back down. Pioneers see beyond where the culture is and know that we can evolve further. Martin Luther King Jr reminds us, "Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better." That is the type of minority I want to be counted in.
I thank the leaders of the women's rights movement and the civil rights movement for the progress they made and for the groundwork they laid to allow me and my family the lives we live today. I am truly grateful that they stayed focus and never gave up.
It also caused me to consider whether I have the type of courage to stand for my truth. I want to be so committed to progress and to helping others live their best lives that I never let up in my pursuit for what I believe in. I pray that in moments of trial I will be able to stay the course and be strong as those who have gone before me.
Don't give up on what you believe in. Follow your passion. Live your vision no matter what anyone around you tells you. There will be plenty of naysayers and many cowards. Martin Luther King Jr. also said, "A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus." Don't stick with the crowd. Stay true to your heart. Pave the way. Create the future.
Be the pioneer that opens the way for future generations to enjoy an even better, more peaceful and secure World than we have today.
with sincere desire to make our World a better place,
Patricia Omoqui
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