Power of Good

Brighter Minds Brighter Minds W WhEn Eric MotlEy bEgan his keynote address at the Brighter Minds conference talking about a Montgomery community founded by slaves after the Civil War, the audience must have wondered what this had to do with the educational theme of the conference. That community was Madison Park, the place where Motley grew up and got his first taste of support from others. It was in connecting Madison Park with his own story where Motley's mosaic came into view. Those roots took him to Samford University, a key role in the White House and now executive director of national programs and vice president at the influential Aspen Institute. While Motley's extensive accomplishments are due to his own hard work and desire to learn, he is quick to recognize those who went out of their way to believe in him, assist him and were devoted to helping him succeed. He desires the same for all youths in Alabama. "If a whole community could embrace me, and teachers and high school and university could support me and I could pursue my dreams and aspirations as a citizen as I have – confidently and proudly – then the role that all of us have in encouraging others, and making sure those opportunities are not lost on poor kids in our communities, is of foremost importance and should be at the forefront of our minds and our work every day," Motley said in an interview. For Motley, it began when his aunt became upset with a report from school that put Motley in the "turtles" group instead of the "rabbits" group of readers. She went out of her way to create a library in Motley's Madison Park home to elevate his reading level. It led to a lifetime of loving to read and learn. The capacity to learn caught the attention of others who saw to it that he got an education at Samford and sent him to the University of St. Andrews in Scotland as a Rotary International Ambassador to further his education. He would go to work for President George W. Bush as the special assistant for presidential personnel and he now helps solve big problems from across the country and around the world at Aspen Institute. Years later, Motley visited his elderly aunt at Madison Park. Even though she had a diminished capacity to understand what was happening around her, she recognized him and what he had accomplished. In her last days, she would spontaneously yell out, "Where is Eric Motley? Is he a rabbit?" Motley said it's just as important to be a helper as it is to be helped. It's a system that can forge change as everyone plays an active role. "Everyone has the capacity, given their platform, to help move the conversation forward regarding education in the state of Alabama – pre-school, K through 12, higher education," Motley said. "We all represent industries and communities that realize the importance of getting it right and we have to continue to work together and not tire." Motley said people know the questions that must be answered in Alabama to make such changes happen. "What I hoped to engage people in was a conversation about how can we do that collectively," he said. "How 4 STORy By MICHAEl TOMBERlIN PHOTO By WyNTER ByRd Motley: Changing the trajectory of education in Alabama requires engagement Eric Motley, the Brighter Minds keynote speaker, shares his inspiring story during lunch.

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