Today, Michelle Obama This Speech
She was talking to a school age children that attend a school with an arts-focused curriculum, and in addition, in the audience, were some wives of diplomates from other nations.
I wonder if we can, somehow, make this issue important enough so that the husbands, the diplomates, can honor it also.
Portions of Ms Obama’s Speech:
“We believe strongly that the arts aren’t somehow an ‘extra’ part of our national life, but instead we feel that the arts are at the heart of our national life. It is through our music, our literature, our art, drama and dance that we tell the story of our past and we express our hopes for the future. Our artists challenge our assumptions in ways that many cannot and do not. They expand our understandings, and push us to view our world in new and very unexpected ways…..
And these artists are passing on the gift of their magnificent example to these young people who are here today, studying in this school — showing them that if they dream big enough, and work hard enough, and believe in themselves, that they can do and achieve some uncommon things in their lifetime….
Even though many….kids are living in Washington, D.C. and in cities across the country, just minutes away from the centers of culture and power and prestige, many of them feel like these resources are really miles away, very far beyond their reach. That’s something that I felt growing up.
“And my husband and I are determined to help to bridge that distance. It is critical that we begin to bridge that distance.
“We want to show these young people that they have a place in our world, in our museums, our theaters, our concert halls…. We want them to experience the richness of our nation’s cultural heritage, one on one, up close and personal, not on TV. We want to show them that they can have a future in the arts community — whether it’s a hobby, or a profession, or simply as an appreciative observer.
“In the end, those efforts, and the performances we’re enjoying today, and the work these artists do every day here in America and around the world — all of that reminds us of a simple truth: that both individually and collectively, we all have a stake in the arts, every single one of us.
“And you don’t need to be rich or powerful to lift your voice in song or get out of your seat and shake your groove thing. You don’t need to be a Van Gogh to paint a picture, or a Maya Angelou to write a poem. You don’t need a Grammy or an Oscar or an Emmy to make your work on the cultural life of your community or your country a valuable one.
“People who might not speak a single word of the same language, who might not have a single shared experience, might still be drawn together when their hearts are lifted by the notes of a song, or their souls are stirred by a vision on a canvas.
“That is the power of the arts — to remind us of what we each have to offer, and what we all have in common; to help us understand our history and imagine our future; to give us hope in the moments of struggle; and to bring us together when nothing else will. That is what we celebrate here today.”
Thanks to the Los Angeles Times and their blogger ,Marc Boehm, for deeming this as something important enough to print, and for bringing it to my attention.
Best,
:~Dana
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