I just moved from Laurel, Maryland to Southwest Washington, DC. It’s a great time to live in the city. I was blocks away from President Obama’s Inauguration and now I’m 15 minutes from my office downtown. And for the first time in my life, I decided to join my local neighborhood association. Something stirred deep within me that day on the Capitol listening to our new President asking us to take responsibility for each other. It made me think about what it means to be part of “the community.” I’ve moved around a lot in my life due to my stepdad being in the military and attending several different colleges. And in the five years I’ve lived in the Washington, DC area, I’ve moved every year to a different locale in Maryland or Virginia, searching for a place that “fit”. But now that I live in the city, something has definitely changed for me. This is the city I’ve always worked, played, and volunteered in. And I feel like I’ve come home.
As our country spins in the turmoil of a struggling economy, senseless wars, and extreme poverty, I think we’re all looking for something to hold on to. A place that we can call our own and a community we can make a difference in. Even while the economy means layoffs for so many, Generations X and Y still seek work to do that is meaningful for us. We don’t want to come to work just to get a paycheck, we want to be a part of social change. We believe in “Yes, we can” and seek opportunities to act on the optimism of the Obama campaign. But Trabian Shorters reminds us not to confuse wage-making [in a nonprofit] with changemaking. As you seek ways to serve your community, it’s really not enough to simply land a job at a nonprofit organization. You’ve got to also take personal action and be an advocate to effect the social change you seek beyond the fundraising, communications, program delivery, or whatever it is that you do on a day-to-day basis. I learned that, and a lot more from Dr. Dorothy Height last week.
My neighborhood association invited Dr. Dorothy Height, Chair and President Emerita of the National Council of Negro Women to talk about her life & career as a kick off to Black History Month. I’d never heard Dorothy Height speak before that night. It was absolutely amazing to be in her presence. Dr. Height led the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years, fighting for equality for women and people of color. And she addressed our neighborhood association as her “neighbors” because she lives in Southwest DC, too. She talked about what it meant to have courage as a Black woman during the Civil Rights movement working with Martin Luther King, Jr., Whitney H. Young, John Lewis, etc. She found her purpose early in life & worked tirelessly in pursuit of it, becoming a vital part of the movement at the age of 25. She talked about meeting Martin Luther King. Jr. when he was a teenager trying to decide whether he would study law, medicine, or theology and thinking what a remarkable young man he was. Then to see his short rise to leadership just 10 years later.
Someone asked what advice she had for young people. She said not to go through life trying to figure out what to do, but who you want to be. When asked how she wanted to be remembered, she said simply, “as someone who lived a life of purpose and never gave up.”
For the first time, I understood why it is that older generations get so frustrated with the work ethic of Generations X & Y. So many of my peers talk about our career goals to become a nonprofit CEO, but don’t talk about how we want to serve a particular cause. There’s nothing more powerful than sitting across from Dr. Height, a 96 year old woman who’s given her entire life to change the world and made such an incredible impact through her leadership. Younger generations have the education & the opportunity, but we definitely have to find ways to stay connected to our life’s purpose. It’s not really about aspiring to some bigshot leadership position at the top of a hierarchy, but challenging ourselves to lead from our values and purpose to make a difference.
I’m so grateful to be on this incredible journey to become who I’m meant to be. Thank you Dr. Dorothy Height for giving me a little more wisdom to take with me.
Cozality on 
bsaunders on 
