Spring Break
Glover urges students to be active in community
Issue date: 10/18/07
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Actor-turned-activist Danny Glover called on Hopkins students to take advantage of their position in the community Friday night at a speech in Shriver Hall, the third and final installment in the Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium's "Triple Play."
"You can be active right here in this university," he said. "How do we as individuals collectively involve ourselves in what is happening in the community around us? Johns Hopkins is in the middle of a city that's devastated with everything that New Orleans had and beyond. What do you do in that situation? Do you just simply go to class? How do we make the neighborhood a part of the classroom, and vice versa?"
He also urged students to empower themselves with their imaginations.
During the event, which differed from the traditional speech in its exclusive Q&A format, Glover addressed a wide range of topics, including the origins of his acting career, the changes he would enact if he were elected president, and his decision to endorse John Edwards in the 2008 presidential campaign.
Glover refused to isolate any one issue as the most vital, focusing on the interrelation of the problems facing America today. He offered advice to the youth who would join the realm of "culture work" and service. He cautioned students not to isolate themselves from the needs of the local community.
A recurring theme in Glover's answers was the interconnectedness among many of the problems facing modern America such as substance abuse, racism and inadequate education. He also repeatedly emphasized that these problems, as well as their origins and solutions, are not limited to the United States. He explained a unilateral viewpoint is not an option if change is to be initiated. Glover asked the audience, "What are the relationships, what are the stories I see … How do our stories intersect?"
Glover defended his and others' use of fame as a soapbox for activism, highlighting the responsibility of all citizens as individuals to meet the needs of society.
"You can be active right here in this university," he said. "How do we as individuals collectively involve ourselves in what is happening in the community around us? Johns Hopkins is in the middle of a city that's devastated with everything that New Orleans had and beyond. What do you do in that situation? Do you just simply go to class? How do we make the neighborhood a part of the classroom, and vice versa?"
He also urged students to empower themselves with their imaginations.
During the event, which differed from the traditional speech in its exclusive Q&A format, Glover addressed a wide range of topics, including the origins of his acting career, the changes he would enact if he were elected president, and his decision to endorse John Edwards in the 2008 presidential campaign.
Glover refused to isolate any one issue as the most vital, focusing on the interrelation of the problems facing America today. He offered advice to the youth who would join the realm of "culture work" and service. He cautioned students not to isolate themselves from the needs of the local community.
A recurring theme in Glover's answers was the interconnectedness among many of the problems facing modern America such as substance abuse, racism and inadequate education. He also repeatedly emphasized that these problems, as well as their origins and solutions, are not limited to the United States. He explained a unilateral viewpoint is not an option if change is to be initiated. Glover asked the audience, "What are the relationships, what are the stories I see … How do our stories intersect?"
Glover defended his and others' use of fame as a soapbox for activism, highlighting the responsibility of all citizens as individuals to meet the needs of society.
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