Conversation with former Congressman Ron Dellums

The Director of our program has set up something called The Writing Circle for us PhD students. The circle is a series of writing and professional development sessions that covers a range of topics. The last session we had a pretty amazing guest speaker.

That morning, I walked into the Health Sciences library just about two minutes before the meeting was scheduled to start. At the head of the conference table was a slender gentleman with a powder white, full afro. His energy screamed the 60s, his story boasted of civil rights-esque activism and leadership.

Former Congressman Ron Dellums was lined up to speak with us that day. He was extremely warm personality and had a vibrant life story of political activism mixed with personal tales of growing up under the wisdom of strong women. The part of his message that most stood out to me were his authentic leadership and fearlessness. There were many, many aha moments in his sharing. I took the following notes to try and capture some of the conversation:

Celebrate all of who you are. We are not one-dimensional beings.
Assume the responsibility of whatever role you take.
There's nothing wrong with people who are poor, but there's problem with a society that perpetuates poverty
The role of a scholar: 1) inform the debate; 2) encourage ideas, engagement, participation; 3)inspire leadership
Always be in the process of self-evaluation and self-renewal
Don't make the mistake of thinking you have the luxury of times; there is an urgency
Engage in this work because it is imperative, because our survival is at stake. We can't afford not to
When confronted with a common threat, your differences disappear
As long as we engage in sectarian battles we diminish the energy of the universal struggle
If you want to bring change, go forth assertively and establish your citizenship. I HAVE A RIGHT TO BE HERE.
Bend the political process to the will of the people
Free yourself from the fear of defeat and you will maximize your potential for victory
Live your life fully, minimize the compromises. BE.
Step up into things feeling and knowing your strength


Two pieces of advice that really stood out to me from his presentation are mantras that I will take with me as I move forward through this process:

I will show up as who I am.
I just decided NOT to be afraid.