Good
morning.
Buenos dias.
And welcome.
Bienvenidos.
On behalf of
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, Montgomery County Council President
Nancy Navarro, and all who live, work, visit, pray, and play in our community:
WELCOME!
It is with a
deep sense of gratitude we welcome WAMU, NPR, and the StoryCorps team to Silver
Spring.
Thank you –
gracias – for choosing our community for this amazing month long project… And
thank you to your wonderful staff that has so diligently worked with our team
here in the Silver Spring Civic Building and Veterans Plaza to make this event
a possibility.
And on a
personal note: As an avid NPR listener – and annual contributor: It is simply
awesome to have you here!
Our Silver
Spring stories will not disappoint.
We who call
Silver Spring – and Montgomery County and our DMV area – home are one feisty,
inventive, loud, and opinionated bunch – as I am sure you will hear.… Thank you
for giving us a space to share our stories.
We have a
complicated, incomplete, and imperfect history here in Silver Spring. Some of
us have been around for a while; others arrived only yesterday… We come truly
from all walks of life, all economic strata, social class, and backgrounds.
Some of us
are home grown, with deep roots in the rich local tradition, heritage, and privileges…
Others are from all corners of the world, bringing with us our own tradition
and heritage to form this quilt of a community that we call Silver Spring.
Together we
are trying to make of this vibrant, thriving, intensely diverse community a
place we can all call home… Silver Spring: A place with spice, soul, salsa, and
spirit… A place where we can share equitably, be just with each other, and build
what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., called “a beloved community”.
We get that some
would say that creating a beloved community can only be aspirational and not
realistically achievable – we have too many problems, too many dysfunctions,
too many deep hurts.… Yet, for many of us here the process of creating a
beloved community is a real, achievable, practical – if difficult - journey… We
are committed to this journey together, discussing, conversing, arguing,
laughing, dancing, and dialoguing the best we can; not trying to convince each other
so much as trying to understand each other… Trying to identify those points
where our stories intersect; where we can build on common interests, hopes, and
dreams.
- It is through sharing our stories that we accompany each other.
- It is through sharing our stories that we strengthen our relationships; for relationships are built on shared experiences.
- Our personal stories define us.
- Respectfully listening to each other’s stories honors us.
- Celebrating and rejoicing in each other’s stories brings us together.
- And weaving all these personal stories into our collective giant story is the foundation of our “beloved community.”
So, thank
you – gracias – WAMU, NPR, and StoryCorps for making it possible for us to take
this journey with you.
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