An Experience I Will Never Forget
The pictures that show me speaking with the President of the United States still seem somewhat surreal. It’s difficult for me to express the significance of this moment. When I think of the very humble beginnings of my life, where I grew up and the very limited resources that were available to my family, the chance of this happening in my lifetime, was, in my opinion, slim to none.
But it’s the humble beginnings that have brought me to the moment you see in these pictures. The thing that makes this moment significant has everything to do with the way I was raised and the family and friends who have touched my life.
Everything is about people
They were the people who never told me I was poor. They taught me how to look a person straight in the eye and speak to them with respect. They never told me I wasn’t good enough. In fact, they always told me that I could do and be anything that I put my mind to. They loved me unconditionally and were always there for me even when I was going out into the world backwards.
In these pictures, I can see my dad and my mom so clearly. But I also see my siblings, my wife and children, my extended family, teachers, coaches, mentors, and neighbors, who, in their own ways, pushed me into this moment. Finally, I see the people of Greater Hazelwood. I see the sacrifices they’ve made down through the years and their commitment to provide for each other and keep the lights on in our community despite having to endure generational economic and racial discrimination.
So, what do you say to the President of the United States if you ever have an opportunity to get this close? I didn’t really know until the morning I was set to speak with him. We were all told that we’d have one minute to speak to the President, so we needed to be quick and clear about what we wanted to say.
That morning I woke up very early and opened the scriptures to Jeremiah chapter 22, verses 1 through 4. It reads as follows:
“This is what the Lord says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this message there: 2‘Hear the word of the Lord to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s throne—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates. 3This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. 4For if you are careful to carry out these commands, then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people.”
After reading these verses of scripture, it became crystal clear to me what I needed to say. The script was written in my heart and soul and was like fire shoot up in my bones. Here’s what I said:
“Good afternoon, Mr. President. My name is Tim Smith. I’m the Pastor of the Keystone church of Hazelwood and the founder and CEO of Center of Life. Center of Life is a community empowerment organization that has provided programs and services to families, children, and youth in Greater Hazelwood for over twenty years. We provide music and arts, education, athletics, family strengthening and community partnerships. COL is part of a larger community-led organization called the Greater Hazelwood Community Collaborative. The GHCC was established to ensure that development doesn’t happen to us, but with us and through us. Through the GHCC we authored our Greater Hazelwood Neighborhood Plan, and the North-star of that plan is Development without displacement. Before any of the things you see here on Hazelwood Green ever happened, it was the people in our community who, in the face of being underserved, kept the lights on in our community and, working together, used what resources were available to provide for our residents. When my father was in his early twenties, he came to Hazelwood and stood at the front gate that led into the Steel Mill. He had his hard-hat, his work gloves, his boots, and his toolbox. As an African/Native American in those days it wasn’t easy to get a job in America. But because he looked like he was ready to work, he was picked to be a laborer. He was so good at what he did, he later became an overhead crane operator. Back then there were men, like my father, who had to stand at that gate to get a job. That gate is gone, but there are still train tracks. The amazing technology that you see before you has the potential to change the way we live in our world.
But it’s going to be crucial that we connect the information, education and job opportunities that come with all this great technology to the people who live in the community from the earliest age possible. We must get this across the tracks, so that the tracks don’t become another gate that separates. We sincerely hope you will help us with the resources we need to accomplish this. Thank you, Mr. President.”
After I spoke, the President began to pepper us with questions related to the displacement of people living in the community. That “one minute” they gave us at the beginning quickly became over twenty minutes, as he asked us what we were going to do to keep displacement from happening. He was genuinely concerned about Hazelwood residents and pressed us to give him some assurances that robotics technology wouldn’t replace a person doing a job. This was the most powerful moment in our conversation for me. To hear him express concern for the residents was more than enough for me to know that he heard me. We explained to him that every built robot would need a person to operate it. When he heard that, he was ready to hear more about the technology on display.
How did I get invited?
Relationships. I was told that I was invited by the White House. But I was sure my invitation came because of relationships, because I don’t know anyone who works at the White House. I later discovered that the President of Carnegie Mellon University, Farnam Jahanian, felt that it was crucial for me to be at the event to speak on behalf of our great community. President Jahanian firmly believes that the efficacy of our collaboration is vital, not just for the Mill or Hazelwood, but for Carnegie Mellon University itself. In other words, Carnegie Mellon University is ready and willing to learn from the University of Hazelwood. The men you see in this picture with me are also significant to the work we’re trying to do. They represent Advanced Robotics Manufacturing, Catalyst Connection and RE2. All of them are committed to working with our community to bring information, training, resources, and job opportunities to Hazelwood residents.
Recognition
I simply must say a word about the local foundation community. In my humble opinion, so much of what has the country excited and hopeful about what’s happening in Hazelwood is due to the leadership of the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the Heinz Endowments, the Benedum Foundation, and the McCune Foundation. Together, nearly 25 years ago, these four foundations had the foresight and vision to purchase 178 acres of brownfields that, at the time, no one was interested in or had the resources to develop. And to their credit, they designated representatives from their organizations who began to build relationship with community leadership in Hazelwood. The early actions of these foundations produced funding opportunities for grassroots organizations that resulted in them becoming stronger anchor service providers in the community. Why is this significant? Because this probably wouldn’t have happened through a private for-profit developer. The community would not have been included, no grass-roots funding would have come to our service providers and, quite possibly, the first thing we would have seen go up would have been a gate. The local foundation community also played a role in putting me in front of the POTUS.
The Dream Team
I would be remiss if I neglected to mention the amazing people who work at Center of Life. I have been honored to provide servant leadership to some of the greatest people on planet Earth. THE CENTER OF LIFE DREAM TEAM! I’m encouraged every day when I see how they put 100% into what they do and how serious they are about serving people. I’ve watched as each person on our team stepped up to the plate when the pandemic hit. They gave of themselves in ways that pushed them to the limit because their hearts and minds were determined to provide for the people in our community. Each person on our team is fully committed to seeing social and economic justice, equity and inclusion happen in our community and across the country. Just over twenty years ago, my wife Donna and I launched Center of Life starting with nothing but a desire to empower families, children, and youth. Today we employ over 30 people, and they’ve all played a role in pushing me into this moment with the POTUS.
My Leaders
Our board of directors, my bosses, have been invaluable to this journey. I’ve received more from them than they have from me. They are an amazing group of leaders who have provided wise counsel to me and effective governance to the direction of our organization. I can’t say enough about how each of them brings the best of who they are and their expertise to the work we do and the role they play in connecting us to people and organizations who have been instrumental in helping us get to where we are today. I’ve never had so many bosses to answer to at one time. But they’re the best bosses in the world and they are just another reason why I found myself standing in front of the President of The United States.
The Orchestrator
Ultimately, I’m convinced that the hand of God orchestrated all of this by putting me in the hearts of people who genuinely care about our community. Proverbs 18:16, says, “your gift will make room for you and cause you to stand before great people.” The University of Hazelwood is my gift and the people have been my professors. Over the years I’ve taught in Keystone church and in Center of Life that success is being in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing, the right way, in front of the right people. Everything is about people.
Finally, as you can see from what I have written, it took a village, a city, a state, and people from across the country to get me in front of the POTUS. But when I got there, it took nothing short of God to give me the words that needed to be spoken. I will never forget this experience. To be continued…
Humbly submitted,
Tim Smith