Heroes of Global Competency

Great respect is due to the work of Riemers, Gardner, the Council of Chief State School Officers, Finell, and my personal hero, Nelson Mandela.

Jeffrey Finell mentions in his blog, "Students should become lifelong learners who are respectful and caring of the people around them By forming better global citizens, we are trying to create a ripple effect to benefit others outside of our school walls."

BB&N has also made similar efforts like Finell's school. During my twenty-plus year career with BB&N, I have witnessed sincere attempts to embrace multicultural reform through achievement gap studies, diversity education, and training for faculty, board members, the administrative team, and staff. These have all be noble attempts to construct global competency policies. Much credit must go to Lewis Bryant, members of the board, administration, and Diversity Committee, and faculty members who have collectively embraced the on-going challenge of educating our students and families about the importance of this transformative work.

There are many people who can express themselves for more effectively than I about the complexities of global competency. For example, Nelson Mandela may have said it best when he addressed his nation upon being freed from prison:
"Today, all of us do, by our presence here… confer glory and hope to newborn liberty. Out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long, must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud… We, who were outlaws not so long ago, have today been given the rare privilege to be host to the nations of the world on our own soil. We thank all of our distinguished international guests for having come to take possession with the people of our country of what is, after all, a common victory for justice, for peace, for human dignity. We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation. We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the con tuning bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender, and other discrimination.
Never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another… the sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement. Let freedom reign. God bless Africa!"
Nelson Mandela, from his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom

What more can I say when for years we have had such incredible people representing to the world the need for us to get to know each another as one humanity. Nelson Mandela is one of the world's best living examples of global competency in real time.

Peace,

I'man Solomon