DAVID COHEN
Quite often I get asked what motivates me to pursue this mission. Well here's my story and it started 60 years ago.
I was born in the fifties, childhood in the sixties, and went through high school in the early seventies. Growing up in Atlanta you were up close with first-hand hate, racism that basically made no logical sense. Going to all-white grade school everyone hated black folks but love their maid.. The reason for that, the maid was the only black person they knew. Crazy I tell you, Never made any sense to me. I always said things were going to be different in my lifetime. I have many stories but now I will share my most powerful story that has definitely shaped my life.
First-year of high school I was president of my class. The second-year our grade queen for Homecoming who was black asked me to be her escort. Well, now I was called an N lover and went from being popular to being the most hated. Quite frankly for a lot of people, it was an easy hate. Well, that was a very painful time for me. Went to bed with tears in my eyes listening to Sinatra That's Life and My Way feeling the pain and surprising enough strength at the same time. Now here's the good news, the life lesson. Through the pain and tears, the strength liberated me to be my own person I realize there is nothing more important in life than to be true to yourself. Stand strong in your core beliefs, it's the best gift you can give yourself. Please listen to Martin Luther King's speech 'Been to the mountain top' 1968. Most powerful speech of all time and MLK's last speech, he got assassinated the next day. When you come from the mountain you can go to your death bed and die with no regrets. When you come from the valley with the shackles on your feet, that's when you are living your life for everyone else. That's Not freedom, it's weakness, an invisible prison. So when this happened with George Floyd, I realized I could not sit on the sidelines anymore. It's my time it's our time, the clock running and doesn't stop for anyone. It saddens me 60 years later the sensitivity and social awareness of others is still a struggle. We must reach common ground through understanding and communication which will only make the world a much better place for everyone.
I was born in the fifties, childhood in the sixties, and went through high school in the early seventies. Growing up in Atlanta you were up close with first-hand hate, racism that basically made no logical sense. Going to all-white grade school everyone hated black folks but love their maid.. The reason for that, the maid was the only black person they knew. Crazy I tell you, Never made any sense to me. I always said things were going to be different in my lifetime. I have many stories but now I will share my most powerful story that has definitely shaped my life.
First-year of high school I was president of my class. The second-year our grade queen for Homecoming who was black asked me to be her escort. Well, now I was called an N lover and went from being popular to being the most hated. Quite frankly for a lot of people, it was an easy hate. Well, that was a very painful time for me. Went to bed with tears in my eyes listening to Sinatra That's Life and My Way feeling the pain and surprising enough strength at the same time. Now here's the good news, the life lesson. Through the pain and tears, the strength liberated me to be my own person I realize there is nothing more important in life than to be true to yourself. Stand strong in your core beliefs, it's the best gift you can give yourself. Please listen to Martin Luther King's speech 'Been to the mountain top' 1968. Most powerful speech of all time and MLK's last speech, he got assassinated the next day. When you come from the mountain you can go to your death bed and die with no regrets. When you come from the valley with the shackles on your feet, that's when you are living your life for everyone else. That's Not freedom, it's weakness, an invisible prison. So when this happened with George Floyd, I realized I could not sit on the sidelines anymore. It's my time it's our time, the clock running and doesn't stop for anyone. It saddens me 60 years later the sensitivity and social awareness of others is still a struggle. We must reach common ground through understanding and communication which will only make the world a much better place for everyone.