Meeting the incredibly inspiring CT Vivian at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center

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Sometimes in life you experience something, or someone, that you know is so much bigger than yourself. I was lucky enough to have that kind of experience recently when I attended an event at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center in which C.T. Vivian was interviewed (and which Dragon Army was happy to sponsor.)

Rev. Vivian (wikipedia link) was one of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, working side by side with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and Andrew Young. To put his impact in perspective, Barrack Obama recently called him “one of the greatest preachers ever to live.” High praise, indeed!

The talk he gave was so inspirational, I honestly wish I had brought my notepad to take notes. A few of the more impactful comments that he made:

  • Everything in life comes down to loving one another. If everyone who claims to love their fellow man would actually do that, all our problems would vanish.
  • Growing up as a young kid in school, he made it a point to protect the weaker kids and shut down the bullies. He had a little crew that made sure that no one was picking on anyone weaker or smaller than them. He carried that sense of protecting others throughout his entire life.
  • On following Martin Luther King Jr., he said that no one pointed to him and said, “that guy is the leader.” In fact, he made it clear that they were all saying the same things, Martin King (that’s what he called him during the interview) was just saying and doing them better. His commitment and his ability to communicate made him the natural leader of the Civil Rights Movement.

Watch this short video of his incredible bravery, standing up to Jim Clark, the Sheriff in Dallas County who was responsible for some of the violent arrests during the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965:

We had a great time with CT! Thank you to Callanwolde for putting on such a great event.

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