everyday heroes: courage

Courage.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines 'courage' as the ability to do something that scares you or, alternatively, to exhibit fortitude in the face of pain.

One of my personal heroes is a woman I have never met.  She is not famous, although she should be.  Her name is Keshia Thomas.  

In 1996, at the age of 18, Ms. Thomas was observing a Ku Klux Klan rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  A crowd of protestors had gathered on that day in June, a chase ensued, and members of the crowd began to beat and kick one of the Klansman.  Ms. Thomas, who is black, threw herself on top of the Klansman to protect him from the crowd.  She had been a member of only moments before, but she did not approve of the violence and knew she had to do something.  She made herself into a terrified barrier between the mob and the man.  A photograph of her made the national news at the time --I still think about the image 20 years later.  That was courage captured in a single moment, in a single choice.  Keshia Thomas risked her own physical safety to protect an individual she disagreed with from violence because it was the right thing to do.  Could I have been that courageous under the same circumstances?  Could you?  

As we go through this very strange election year, and as violence erupts from time to time, I hope that we too will have the courage to defend not only those who agree with us, but those who disagree with us as well.  No person deserves to be assaulted, even if our ideas are vastly different.  It is only through courage and thoughtfulness that we move forward.  

In the case of Keshia Thomas, it was reported that a young man approached her and thanked her in a coffee shop several months later.  He was the Klansman's son.

With courage, we move forward.  

For a related article from the BBC, please read here.