"Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the land."
These words from Matthew 5:4 came to mind during a situation earlier this fall.
A celebrity traveled to Rochester to participate in an event for a service organization. A fellow staff member from El Mensajero Católico covered the event and had plans to interview the person for a video to be posted on our website. The person’s message fit in perfectly with our mission: encouraging young people, particularly those who are minorities, to be the best that they can be.
Unfortunately, for whatever reason, our staff member was informed that the celebrity would not conduct an on-camera interview.
I truly felt this was a lost opportunity. We’ve published articles featuring interviews with other visiting celebrities — including movie star Rosie Perez and Chef Daisy Martínez — who discussed their own work and desire to help Hispanic youths understand that they can overcome the difficult circumstances they may face.
Latino youths — many who must overcome the challenges of poverty, drugs and neighborhoods riddled with crime — need to hear those words over and over. And our society is such that celebrities do possess the caché to make a big difference in a kid’s life. However, celebrities also should remember that expressing empathy and reaching out to all their fans — in media’s variety of outlets — are just as impressive as a big starring role.
The role they could play in changing just one life would be the one God would most want them to play.
