I didn’t watch the Academy Awards last weekend, but I remember scrolling through Twitter and suddenly seeing masses of Tweets about Tyler Perry. He was honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award this year, and gave a short, but inspiring speech calling upon all of us to “refuse hate.” I watched the speech later on YouTube, and knew immediately that it should go on my Inspirational Videos for Students Pinterest Board. Not only does Perry refuse hate, but he dedicates his award to “anyone who wants to stand in the middle, no matter what’s around the walls because that’s where healing happens, that’s where conversation happens, that’s where change happens.” If you haven’t had a chance to see and listen to this speech, I encourage you take a moment to fit it into your day.
I will be adding this post to my Anti-Racism Wakelet, but I want to re-iterate Perry’s words because they are not just about racism. We must stop hating “the other” and stop pre-judging people based on the categories our brains find more comforting to assign.
