Leaders aren't ever born that way

Let me reassure you that my lack of postings to this blog about Justin Dart has absolutely no relationship to what is happening in the small room in the Roberto Clemente Recreation Center where the giant puppet is being created.

I am totally dazzled by what the Matrix artists, Carl and Megan, and the many volunteers have sculpted over the past few weeks. Take a quick glance below to see the evolution in photos.

Like anything of real consequence, persistence is paying off - and having such talented artists helps a lot! Equally exciting to me are the conversations I’ve heard with the young people who come to help. Recently I spoke briefly with a group of high school students from Detroit who volunteer to work on the puppet, they are part of a national nonprofit organization called buildOn. 

Last Saturday, after painting the hands of the puppet, and doing highly intricate shaping of the facial cheek bones, we took a break to talk about Justin Dart and disability issues. Hands were washed and the teens created a circle around Carl as he worked on the clay face.

Justin always wanted the world to know that he was not born a leader of human rights - he was not given a clearly marked path of doing good. On the contrary, he wanted folks to understand that during his youth, many people did not like him, and he did not like himself. In fact he often referred to himself as a “spoiled kid.”

The volunteer teens in the room were surprised at my descriptions of this famous person, especially when I told them that Justin had gone to seven high schools and never graduated from any one of them. Justin also struggled with addiction and other challenges. A few of the teens shifted in their chairs. I can only guess that their image of a “hero” was being slightly disputed. Maybe they were considering that you don’t have to be perfect, just committed and willing to learn and reflect along the way. I explained how Justin searched for his truth and was highly changed after reading Gandhi’s book, My Experiments with Truth and reading the work of Martin Luther King Jr. as well as whole book of the Bible, in particular all what Jesus Christ had said.

When Justin’s wife, Yoshiko gave her full support to have a giant puppet of Justin Dart built, it was with the strict understanding that this project would be an opportunity for others, especially youth to learn about Justin's "whole life's journey" and to inspire them to discover and feel their own potential. Mr. Dart wanted every single person to feel and become empowered and unite with others who love justice to create a world where everyone’s civil and human rights were realized.

I think Justin would have enjoyed being with the young people from buildON on that Saturday afternoon. I could imagine him talking with them, lifting his gentle, yet firm voice to challenge them to stay involved. I can hear him asking each one of them questions about their lives and their dreams. I think he might have said something like, "I like that name of your group: buildOn. I think that is exactly what you have to do with your lives: build on to your dreams, keep building with others." 

And of course he would have added, "Lead On! You have the power."

The creation of the Justin Dart puppet is being documented through this blog by Janice Fialka. Check back through June as she documents the birth of this giant puppet. If you want to come and help with the project, call Ken Srdjak at 313-967-0999.