University hosts reknown speaker Noah Griffin
Date: 2/22/2013
By Carley Dangona
carley@thereminder.comWESTFIELD — As part of its celebration of Black History Month, Western State University (WSU) will host inspirational speaker Noah Griffin on Feb. 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. in Wilson Auditorium C.
Griffin, also a writer, singer and actor, will discuss the United States Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and its influence on African-American troops, voting and President Barack Obama.
In an interview with
Reminder Publications, Griffin stated that the topics he will discuss are a life-long interest of his.
"There's been a movement in the Black community to deprecate President Abraham Lincoln's contribution to our freedom, supporting the idea that he was 'forced into glory,'" Griffin explained. "We have to look at the overall contribution he made. Lincoln was a martyr for the cause. When he mentioned the idea of Black voting rights, John Wilkes Booth said, 'I'll run him through.'"
Griffin also discussed the contribution of Black soldiers to the U.S. Civil War.
"Approximately 187,000 Black soldiers fought in the war — truly 10 percent of the Union Army. That fact was completely ignored until the movie 'Glory' came out. I still don't think it's been adequately portrayed."
He continued, "Overall, we've made tremendous strides in the past 50 years, but there is still work to be done. A person needs ambition to climb the entire ladder to make a rung of difference."
He stated, "Being Black is always at the top of my mind. Equality should be its own demand. With a reasonable approach and a passionate heart, you can reach anybody. When two people establish a bond, it's an opportunity for growth on both parts. Nobody knows how tight the shoe is until you wear it."
Griffin shared an anecdote of his meeting with Obama while he was a candidate for presidency.
"I wasted my time with him," Griffin admitted. "Rather than talk about his plans if he was elected president, we shared stories about our Harvard Law School experiences."
Griffin, 67, recounted advice from a college professor that made a lasting impact, "Be the best possible person you can." He said that this is how he tries to live. Griffin defined success as having values and living by them.
"I'm loving what I'm doing now — I feel it's a calling," he said. "I have worked with Routes to Peace for the past seven months. [The mission of the organization] is the elimination of landmines around the world."
Griffin continued, "My faith has come full-circle in the last three years or so. I believe that life is a journey from God, back to God."
He likened himself to that of the Jack pine seed, which lies dormant in the ground until an extreme source of heat, usually from a forest fire, activates it. He cited his past issues with alcohol, weight gain, a divorce and a stroke as "fires" that he's endured.
"Each crisis brought me closer to Him," Griffin said. "It's a question of cosmic timing. Nothing comes before or after it should."
Griffin's goal for the WSU presentation is to "open the students' minds."
The event is free and open to the public. For more information about the WSU Black History Month events, visit
www.westfield.ma.edu/bhm or contact Waleska Lugo-DeJesus at 572-8836.
