Governor shares message of unity at annual breakfast

By Bryan Marshall

If you peel away all of the differences people have, everyone has a heart and a soul, Gov. Ernie Fletcher said Saturday during the fourth annual Richmond Unity Breakfast at St. Mark Parrish Hall.

“Our history has not been a good history of unity,” he said. “But, it’s been a history that has brought a diverse people together unlike probably any nation that we’ve known. Not only diversity in race, but diversity in faith, diversity in thought, ethnic background and tradition.”

“I think that you’ll find that we all share a common unity of values,” Fletcher said. “That’s that every child should have every opportunity to be all that they can be and access to health care is something that should not be separated because of who you are. Until we move to that, we will not realize the full potential of our communities. But, I think we’re on the road to doing that, and I think breakfasts like this will help lead us there.”

There is a need to continue events that bring a diverse group of people together, said the governor, who said he was pleased with the invitation to be keynote speaker because there are very few communities that host a breakfast focused on unity.

“We each only have so much energy to expend and so much time in a day to do our work and drive toward some purpose or goal,” Fletcher said. “If we’re spending that energy in tension fighting one another in some way or trying to overcome and get an advantage over someone, then we’re not using that energy to come together.”

The concept of unity has to start early in the schools, he said.

“If we teach our children unity, then that will be something they will grow up with,” Fletcher said. “Many of us know the prejudices when we were young. I can remember going to Georgia, and I was surprised when I saw a bathroom say ‘colored bathroom’ and when I saw a fountain say ‘colored fountain.’ We’ve come a long way since that time, but we’ve got a way to go yet.”

Prior to introducing the governor, Mayor Pro-Tem Robert Blythe asked the attendees to look around the room and shake hands with someone they did not know.

“Now, you know someone that you did not know before,” he said. “As our community strives to become more unified and a better community, we now have someone else who’s a part of our neighborhood.”

The Unity Breakfast also provided the opportunity for several community members to be honored for their volunteerism and work toward bettering Richmond.

Mayor Connie Lawson presented Jo Margaret Durham, volunteer secretary for Richmond Human Rights Commission, Phillis Adams, coordinator for Head Start and Be a Children’s Champion, and Brenda Blankenship, a leader in the Richmond Kiwanis Club, with City Champion awards.

“It was the hardest decision that I had to make as to how many volunteers we could honor each year,” the mayor said. “Maybe, if I just had plaques to pass out to everybody.”

For their first time, the Richmond Human Rights Commission also handed out a Unity Award.

“‘Unity to be real must stand a severe strain without breaking,’” Karen Wright, chair of the Richmond Human Rights Commission said, quoting Ghandi. “Just because things sometimes may seem a little difficult and tense, that doesn’t mean we’re not working together toward a common goal of being a unified community.”

Diana Ackerman, program manager for Home Meals Delivery, and Scotty Saltzman, who works with the Native American Council and the Fairness Alliance, were recognized for being two of the three nominees for the award.

Owen Chandler, associate minister at First Christian Church and a member of the Unity Award selection committee, announced Sandra Anez Powell, the Hispanic outreach coordinator for Foothills Community Action Partnership and vice chairperson for Richmond’s Human Rights Commission, as the Unity Award winner.

“Sandra embodies all that this award hopes to capsulate,” he said. “This honor would almost be forlorn, if she was not its first recipient.”

Wiping tears from her eyes, the Venezuelan native called the award very humbling.

“We came to Kentucky as an opportunity to visit our friends,” she said. “I didn’t know where Kentucky was, and coming from Venezuela, Kentucky Fried Chicken sounded pretty good. People smile here.”

“It doesn’t matter what you are as long you are the best,” Powell told the crowd. “If you are a shoemaker, try to be the best shoemaker. If you’re a cleaning lady, try to be the best cleaning lady. Even if you’re a president, if you’re not proud and do not embody what you do, you will never make a difference.”

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