Under the baobab: A true leader unites, not divides, us in times of national grief

Unlike millions of my fellow Americans, I am not a fan of former President Reagan. In 1980 he defeated Jimmy Carter, one of my favorite presidents. However, I was very happy that he was in office in January 1986. The Challenger had crashed killing the seven astronauts aboard, including Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher to go to space. She had been chosen from over 11,000 applicants. Because Christa was on the shuttle, millions of young students were tuned in to watch the launch. Seventy-three seconds after liftoff the shuttle and its booster rocket blew up. It was devastating.

Fortunately, Ronald Reagan was a brilliant communicator, a trained and experienced actor. He began his speech by acknowledging the mutuality of our loss.

“We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss.”

He went on to speak of the heroism of the slain astronauts, the difficult choices they had to make, and the risks they knowingly took. He then addressed the children directly:

“And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle’s takeoff. I know it’s hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It’s all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It’s all part of taking a chance and expanding man’s horizons. The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we’ll continue to follow them.”

President Reagan did not politicize the moment or use the situation to cast blame. Instead, he united us in our time of national grief. Speaking of the astronauts he said, “We mourn their loss as a nation together.”

On that day I was very proud of our president and grateful that he was in office.

Today, we are grieving the tragic loss of 67 of our sisters and brothers who died in a collision between a commercial jet and an army helicopter. This was the first commercial plane disaster with a loss of life in America in over 10 years. President Trump, while speaking to the country, used part of his platform to blame Presidents Biden and Obama along with diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the FAA and the Department of Transportation.

“This shocking event [the crash] follows problematic and likely illegal decisions during the Obama and Biden Administrations that minimized merit and competence in the Federal Aviation Administration.”

No one, including President Trump, knows what caused this disaster.

Ironically the crash took place near Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Around town

The director of the Center for the Performing Arts, Sita Frederick, welcomed a full house to a “Joyful Purple Edition” Program at Heritage Hall. It was the fourth of five “joyful” events. The guests enjoyed a fine dinner and delightful entertainment including: the interim director of the School of Theatre, Kikora Franklin, and her Roots of Life Ensemble along with Silver Spurs. Attendees also enjoyed an immersive experience with Sydnie Mosley’s “Purple” project and a visit from Violence Outreach, Intervention and Community Education Center (VOICE), formerly the Gender Equity Center. The program focused on raising awareness about domestic violence, symbolized by the color purple. It will continue with excerpted performances from Mosley’s “Purple: A Ritual in Nine Spells” at Eisenhower Auditorium from Feb 4-6.

Subu Vedam is seeking a new trial based on newly discovered evidence. A couple of dozen of his supporters came to hear his lawyer, Gopal Balachandran, present some procedural matters before the judge. The actual hearing will commence on Thursday, Feb. 6 at the Centre County Courthouse.

Both the Penn State women’s and men’s basketball teams returned to Rec Hall for what is becoming an annual ritual.

Stay hopeful, spring is coming.