Translator: Ishani Rege Reviewer: Denise RQ
Use your imagination and travel with me
to what I call the "Reflection Zone,"
and the way you're going to do this is you're going to put your hand up
- Come on! Put that hand up. -
and I want you to look into your hand like it's a mirror.
I want you to repeat these words after me,
DM-W: "Mirror, mirror," (Audience) Mirror, mirror--
DM-W: ... in my hand, (Audience) ... in my hand,
DM-W: ... who is powerful in this land? (Audience) who is powerful in this land?
DM-W: I am learning that it is me! (Audience) I am learning that it is me!
DM-W: Thank you mirror for helping me see me.
(Audience) hank you mirror for helping me see me.
DM-W: And I want you to do that one more time.
DM-W: "Mirror, mirror in my hand... (Audience) Mirror, mirror in my hand...
DM-W:... who is powerful in this land? (Audience) who is powerful in this land?
DM-W: I am learning that it is me! (Audience) I am learning that it is me!
DM-W: Thank you mirror for helping me see me.
(Audience) Thank you mirror for helping me see me.
DM-W: Now put your mirror down, and I want you to listen.
When you look in a mirror, how do you see yourself?
Do you like what you see?
When you look in a mirror,
do you really care about who and what you see?
When you look in a mirror,
do you realize
how important, precious,
special, and valuable you are?
Many of us do.
But I believe there are lots of people out there that don't.
They don't see themselves as important, precious, special, or valuable,
and therefore, they begin to deal with low self-esteem issues
that affect their relationships in all areas.
I remember a time in my life
when I didn't see myself as nice looking.
I thought I was the ugly, different one
among my childhood friends in Oakland, California.
It was me myself and I
that focused on negativity due to negative words
that so-called friends used against me.
In junior high school
for having bumpy, blemished skin, I wore braces,
and they thought I had a big nose.
(Laughter)
It was me myself and I that started doubting
the beauty of the reflection in the mirror.
It was me myself and I that began to have low self-esteem.
In a study carried out by selfesteem.com
among female students, listen to this,
80% of them linked their negative body image
to negative comments
given to them by family and friends.
I knew the findings of this study firsthand;
it was me myself and I who would dwell on all this negative stuff
in junior high school.
My high school self-esteem experiences
were more positive than those junior high experiences.
But it wasn't until my college journey
at the historical college campus of Tennessee State University,
here in Nashville, Tennessee
that I began to recognize my value and the value of others.
It was in big blue tiger country
that I recognized and started thinking about
what is my purpose in life.
Why am I here? What am I supposed to be doing?
Well, my college instructors encouraged me to use academic excellence
as a stepping stone to provide, and make a difference,
a positive difference in my community,
while my Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority sisters encouraged me to learn about
team-building, sisterhood, and being of service to mankind.
Little did I know that my college experience was going to have
such an impact on my life on how I related to others.
And so what happened was I began, as I started teaching,
I've been teaching for 36 years now; I'm retired.
I began to take my own personal roller coaster of how I saw myself
and became more sensitive to my parents and my students
What I began to do,
since my passion was putting creativity on everything that I did
- that was like my signature -
what I began to do was make up these raps,
and songs, and poems, and things
that I would share with my students
and so we would encourage each other
by using music and movement in the classroom.
And I found that this would make the shy students
come out of their shell and begin to have more confidence.
And so, we would begin singing songs like
(singing) Every child can learn, every child can learn
Every single child can learn
So into this special place
to look, listen
remember, and discover
what learning is all about
DM-W: And then we would do things with our hands, for example:
(singing) My hands are very special
my hands are very special
just like me, just like me
Your hands are very special, your hands are very special
unique as can be, unique as can be
DM-W: And so I saw my students start gaining confidence.
And anytime a kid comes up to you and says,
"Hey, mamma" instead of your name,
you know you've made an impact.
You know for sure
that you've got a real, strong connection going.
And what I realized
is that the power of us using our words can be a remarkable thing.
And today I want you all to remember and start right now
utilizing your words in a more positive fashion.
Another thing that I decided to do was to utilize drama, role-playing,
and what was called
the Paideia approach, a seminar approach
to thoughtful dialogue.
So because my students could come into class
and share their ideas, thoughts, and values
without feeling inhibited,
not wanting to express themselves,
it made things a lot better in the classroom.
I'm telling you, my attendance was sky-high,
and every now and then, I was like,
"I wish this student would be absent, and maybe I would have a little break."
But you know, my attendance was sky-high,
so students were not being absent from school.
And so, now what I want to do is I just want to remind you all
to really try starting today
to utilize your words in a more positive fashion.
Because what you have to share with people through your words is like a paintbrush,
it's like you're painting a picture,
and you can design a self-portrait
of confidence, self-esteem, positive self-esteem.
You can maybe even stop someone from committing suicide
or going off on their neighbor, or their mom, or something.
Our words are powerful tools,
and I want you to realize just how much, right here in Antioch,
if we begin speaking more positive, and being more encouraging,
using that tongue to promote
goodness and love instead of hate;
encouraging people with our mouth and our words
instead of discouraging them.
And being kind.
Stop being so mean to yourself and to everybody else.
We've really got to work on that.
I just want you to remember today, if you don't leave with anything else
remember that you have a mirror in your hand,
and you need to be saying, "Mirror mirror in my hand,
who is powerful in this land?
I am learning that it is me!
Thank you mirror for helping me see others and me."
Thank you.
(Applause)