The highlight of the series of book events I had this week was being introduced by Oscar winning actor, Sidney Poitier, at the Beverly Hills Public Library. What I have always admired in him was that early in his career he took pride in portraying his community in a way that brought a sense of dignity and pride and shaped a new vocabulary for generations to come. He is a true trail blazer to me.
In his speech in front of some 280 people, he talked about the human diversity seen on our planet and our commonalities within that diversity:
“We all sprang from different places—different cultures, languages, habit patterns—different religions—different—continents. We are all different in multiple ways, yet we are ONE family—one species—all sharing one home—planet earth.”
He was gracious as always and shared the kindest words about my book and poetry. I was touched by the fact that he viewed me as “the quintessential example of a gobal citizen”. There is no higher compliment given by such an esteemed human being. I hope I live up to it. Certainly the message of Life as a Visitor is just this: we are all different, yet we have so much in common, and bonds with others are forged when we connect on our deepest and most genuine level.
