Dr. King was an outstanding orator. And if you read his speeches in full, you will see that they are also timeless. Though created for the Civil Rights Movement, the teachings can apply to our everyday lives. One of my favorite quotes: “The time is always right, to do what it right.”
As I reflect on Dr. King’s work, encouraging each of us to make a difference everyday, I’d like to honor him by thanking one of my own personal heroes who’s done just that…
As a kid back in the 70′s (yes, I admit it), I asked a friend why she was wearing a t-shirt bearing the name of a clothing detergent.
Of course she enlightened me.
Soon after I met her mother, Charlene Ventura. She was in the process of establishing the first shelter for battered women in Cincinnati, the YWCA Alica Paul House. I was completely unaware there was a need for such a shelter until I walked into her office at the YWCA where they were filming a TV commercial for it. Sitting in the window of her office was an actress with a jarring black-eye. That was the day my eyes were opened to a new world.
Today Charlene Ventura, President and CEO of the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati, continues to help women in that area and beyond. She was hailed in Redbook Magazine as “One of Ohio’s Ten Outstanding Young Women” in 1978 and most recently as one of the region’s “100 Most Powerful Leaders” (2009, 2010, 2011). Today, she is an inductee in the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame.
For her tireless vigilance and selfless devotion, she will always be on my hero list. Thank you Charlene (A.K.A Michelle & Gretchen’s Mom) for showing me that an individual can make a difference. And thank you for everything you have done to help so many women and families.
This Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, I celebrate the gift of empowerment that individuals like Dr. King and Ms. Ventura give us.
The path is not always easy. But, as we say in Inlu-land… It’s wEarth it.
Submitted by: Monica Ostby
