Reflecting on President Obama’s visit to Kalamazoo

Western Herald

There was an energy in the Kalamazoo community the week Kalamazoo Central’s video, one of six of 1,000 entries, was being voted on by the public; then ultimately chosen as the winner by President Obama himself in the national 2010 Race to the Top Commencement Challenge.

The vision of K-Central as a winner was strongly sensed in between the words spoken in the community prior to the president’s decision and was carried through with a practically tangible fervor during the anticipation of his arrival, his speech and through the graduation ceremony itself.

It seems to have set a new course for the future in Kalamazoo.

To encapsulate the weeks, the culminating event and all the cascading goodness around the vigor of a community celebrating its work, achievement and ideals is not to capture quite the extent of the communal perfection that prevailed.

The president’s words embodied and held much of it, but it was in the emotional energy, the allowing of life unfolding that occurred larger in the collective community than anything individually possibly could.

And it was the president’s words resonating far in a truly heartfelt manner that spoke of the energetic totality of this experience here in Kalamazoo.

The president’s visit provoked generosity as President Dunn offered a university venue for the K-Central graduation to accommodate the crowd – at no charge and with no contracted or requested seats in exchange.  The venue, after the stage set-up, Secret Service and press accommodations, still seated approximately 5,000 people.

It was simply a gift with no strings attached – given in the spirit of real support.

Yet Kalamazoo Public Schools (who managed all ticket distribution for their event) offered tickets in mutual respect anyway.

And once trustees, senior staff and necessary support staff were included in the momentous event, extra tickets were returned to KPS.

That some families of graduates, who were allowed eight tickets each, returned back extra tickets so that graduates needing more would have them, affirmed there was the best of intent for rightful attendance at this event, regardless of the enormity of its special guest speaker – the President of the United States.

Goodness was afoot in action – where it mattered most.

Other Kalamazoo seniors allowed to share in the graduation experience with their fellow 2010 graduates in their own community seemed inspirationally thoughtful and in the spirit of genuine caring for all students meriting similar honors.

Community dimension was even felt in the offsite venues at Kalamazoo Central and Chenery Auditorium.  This was not an individual experience and the creation of these venues seemed to have been made in honor of that.

The superintendent’s office of KPS distributed community tickets, determining – and rightfully so – who is integral to this community, and who in turn fed the inexpressible energy of something larger than each of their individual identities or statures ever could.

Before President Obama’s speech, this community was already living its tenets – the “energy and the dynamism and the innovation of this country” was going on in finding a venue and colleting its community together.

“America has a lot to learn from Kalamazoo Central about what makes a successful school in this new century,” Obama said.

His words dove deeply true and was felt among the audience members.

Older men had tears streaming down their faces, punctuating the poignancy of truth about this community that the president said.

He was remarkable to walk on stage and incorporate all the people – from Dr. Rice and Principal Washington to Cindy Lee, Simon Boehme and Kelsey Wilson – he inspired awe for so seamlessly stepping in as another connected member of this community.

And before he advised graduates to take responsibility for their actions and not to blame, there was a knowingness in the collective here in Kalamazoo that the larger community had already modeled responsibility for these young achievers.

There seems no doubt that they will move on – perhaps move away and will really answer, “What is each – what are each of you going to do to meet that responsibility?”  No doubt they will take great actions for they have witnessed great actions around them.

The students are already a “part of something bigger” than themselves, as they have experienced the magnitude of the president’s words through their community.

Nothing could damper any of the enormity of this event.

Nothing detracted in fact.

Not the people (some 20 percent or so) who showed no respect to the community, the president or the graduates and their families by leaving immediately after the president’s speech, or the people who offered their extra graduation tickets to make money.

They simply were not tapped in.  They did not allow themselves to be part of the fullness of this experience and energy.

They were the ones who missed out, who were on the sidelines of this Kalamazoo life – the ones who could not participate fully in the larger magnificence of this unique community at this time.

They may have missed out on the greatness and the change that seems upon this community and its future brilliance.  But they will not detract from it.

And think, too, that the power is far greater than it even seemed.  For the sleeping choir member undoubtedly needed his rest and feeling the moment in his heart – he went to where he could find exactly what he needed – and take responsibility (what the president advised) to do precisely that, whether he was captured on television, or blamed or judged by others, the greatness of finding his real power overrides any of that!  (And who’s to say learning by osmosis is not part of life or the teachings at K-Central).

And what of the serendipity of the man who had the heart attack? Was the blessing of a community held together in goodness no less the most responsible thing?

For if his being had chosen another time and place, would the defibrillator and doctors been available?  Was there not a greater power in this, too?

Is all of this energy affirmation of the power of transformation that occurs through vision and work? The sum of parts that leads to real change is here in this monumental event – all that is necessary to shift in this large collective has been sparked.

Connections were made in immeasurable ways.

Impossibility has been seen to know no bounds here.

As President Obama said to the K-Central graduates, “You are amazing.”

As Dr. Rice pointed out, in so many words, it takes a community.

And it is an amazing one – with amazing people, amazing schools and amazing goodness.

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Jun 13 2010. Filed under Editorial, Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
Web Manager: I'm a Communication Student at WMU, a SCUBA Diver, Boater, Ordained Minister, Notary Public, Web Designer, Film Maker, DJ, and of course a Journalist. Born and raised in Port Huron, MI and a graduate of SC4. http://www.codykimball.com