Small Differences

1/22/14

"Too many people are waiting for a big difference - it's the small differences that make a big difference." -  Dr. Sybil Hampton

Dr. Hampton was the first African-American student to graduate from Little Rock Central High School who spent their entire high school career at Central High. I was very touched by her her intellect and the enlightened retrospect with which she looked back on the years from 1959 to 1962, the years in which she was at the school. She explained that it was the small acts of kindness that got her through high school. For example, the white girl that shared her textbook with Sybil when she had forgotten hers consequently suffered death threats to her and her family from avid segregationists at the school. I've seen this type of advice before, but it's often difficult to relate quotes like this, no matter how inspirational, to concrete circumstances in our own lives. However, I responded to her advice more than I ever have before with similar quotes because she told us about the details of her struggle. It was inspirational to get advice from someone whose life we learned about and who has undergone more pain and exclusion than I ever will simply because of her race. "I pledged that I would not be in the world and not acknowledge people," she said. "Be courageous, my dear, and plan with people who are not like you." I recognized that even though I may not always feel the same same level of motivation and awareness that Sybil Hampton conveyed to me today, I know that if I make an effort to do small acts of support in whatever community I end up in, the empathy and understanding that I've learned so far on this trip will show through.

Eve, Park School