(Originally written as a birthday wish for my friend Mindy by stacey james mcadoo)
I’m not a big candle person. I used to love putting them on candle warmers, but somewhere along the years I stopped—probably when that candle’s scent ran out or out just plain laziness. But when I visited Chicago for the first time a few months ago and went to the Obama Presidential Center,I couldn’t not get this candle. And when I woke up early this morning I decided to light it…and when I did I thought of you.
A lot of people remember the “Fired up, ready to go” campaign slogan, or maybe even the first one, “Yes, we can.” But there are a cluster of other words associated with his campaign and core themes. Words such as Hope, Change (or more precisely Change We Can Believe In), and Progress are the primary ones. And then there are other words that were the building blocks and foundation of his civic action and community building: Connect, Empower, Inspire, and Organize.
Standing in the gift shop, the candle section was built around those civic action and community building words. I intentionally selected this candle not just because of its smell but also for the powerful word Connect. Anyone who knows me knows that I am very relationship-oriented, and when I connect with people—I mean really connect—I’m pretty much locked in for life.
My wish for you today and every day forward, is that the rest of your journey on this side of the earth are filled with all the campaign, core themes, civic action, and community building words associated with MY president… plus two more that I’m borrowing from Al Green: Love & Happiness!
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Stacey McAdoo, the 2019 Arkansas Teacher of the Year, has dedicated over twenty years to advocating for traditionally underrepresented students and educators. Her relationship-based approach to education is featured in the award-winning Arkansas PBS docuseries Closing the Opportunity Gap and her specialized course, Coaching Self-Expression: Go-In Poet.
As the founder of the Writeous Poets (a spoken word and youth advocacy collective) and an expert professional development facilitator, Stacey designs transformative sessions centered on arts integration, equity, and empowerment. She currently serves as a professor at Reach University and the national Managing Director of Learning & Development for Teach Plus. Additionally, she is the host of the A Mile In My Shoes: The Walk & Talk Podcast and the founder of Still Standing: The Practice, a community for resilient women who, to the world’s astonishment and surprise, continue to stand and thrive despite life’s most unimaginable challenges. She also host weekly free grief circles for the community through the Central Arkansas Library System.
