Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things youve told him all along
And pray to God he hears you
And I pray to God he hears you
How to Save a Life – The Fray
By far their most successful song, How to Save a Life was recorded by The Fray in late 2004 as the title track for their 2005 album. The single was initially released in March 2006, and it skyrocketed up the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song peaked at No. 3, but it spent 58 weeks on the top-100 chart. The most recent numbers had the song as the fourth most downloaded rock song in digital music history.
The song was originally inspired when Isaac Slade, the lead singer of the band, worked as a mentor at a camp for troubled teens. After a tough discussion with one of the youth at the camp, he wrote the song, considering the different life experiences that the youth had in his life versus Slades background.
Slade stated that the young mans family, friends and counselors at the camp each approached him with what he needed to do rather than offering him support as he processed depression of losing friends – attempting to find solace through drugs and cutting.
When we really think about it, our own support is seldom offered without condition. We will support someone, but if they do it the way we want or fix the things we see wrong. Working in mental health, I saw that plenty – a family member who wanted a certain behavior or thought process fixed by counseling staff.
In reality, the best, most well-sustained recovery for those working through mental health management struggles was achieved not by removing the things that the world saw as wrong with the person, but instead by finding a community and a core group of friends and/or family who supported who the person is and allowing them to err within that framework but to also live their true self. Ive often been blown away how someone who was deep in mental health struggle has found a very normative life through such a support system – not a specific drug or a specific type of therapy, simply finding their core group who supported their full and true self.
Often someone embracing their true identity can lead to reflections on our own handling of situations, and theyre not always positive reflections, but to be a better friend, spouse, sibling, child – heck, a better human, we need to embrace that reflection isnt always going to feel good when reviewing how weve treated others.
However, our own feelings should not intrude on someone elses truth.
Thats a big part of this month, as Black History Month and even the legacy of some of the most prominent Black leaders in our countrys history have been co-opted and downplayed in order to smooth out the rough edges of the countrys history.
I am a baseball fan, and specifically a Braves fan, because I had someone pour her love of the game into me, but beyond that, she told me about her favorite players – and why they were her favorites. Hank Aaron and Ernie Banks were the first two names, with Ron Santo coming quickly after as she was a Cubs fan, but she told me how she admired everything that Hank and Ernie went through just to play the game, simply because of the color of their skin. I dove into books about Aaron and was captivated by his work to push aside those who would devalue him or even hate him because of the color of his skin.
Two years ago, the baseball world remembered the 50th anniversary of the scene on April 8, 1974, when Aaron sent a 1-0 pitch from Dodger left-hander Al Downing into the home bullpen beyond the left field fence. It would be Aarons 715th home run, moving him past Babe Ruth on the all-time list. Unfortunately, two of the vital members of that day had passed in the few years prior to the 50th celebratrion as Aaron passed in 2021 and the man who gave one of the most iconic calls of the moment, Dodgers legendary announcer Vin Scully, had passed in 2022.
Vins call was notable for two main reasons. First, after announcing the home run, he simply sat in silence as the fireworks went off, allowing the sound of the crowd to occupy the airspace until well after Aaron had crossed home plate.
The second part was his astute observation of the moment, especially almost six years to the day after Martin Luther King Jr. had been assassinated, with the United States still reeling from the Civil Rights Movement in many parts of the country.
What a marvelous moment for baseball, Scully began. What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. What a marvelous moment for the country and the world!
He continued, A Black man is getting a standing ovation in the deep South for breaking the record of an all-time baseball idol. And it is a great moment for all of us, and particularly for Henry Aaron
Scullys moment of silence after the home run meant that he did not comment on the two young white men who came out of the crowd to run between second base and third base with Hank, patting him on the back, before being escorted off the field by security. Little did those two men know that they were in the crosshairs of multiple snipers at that very moment, worried that one of the millions of death threat letters that Aaron received in the year-plus since it became clear that he would break Ruths record would come to fruition. Atlantas FBI office was activated for baseball games to ensure the safety of not just Hank, but everyone in the ballpark if someone were to begin randomly shooting.
This is all documented history, not taking place before the Civil Rights Movement, the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968 or the Voting Rights Act of 1965 – the combination of laws that many say solved racism. In fact, it was more than five years after that, and the sentiment was still so strong against someone who was Black that multiple snipers were employed simply to keep order for the community and prevent a race-inspired murder.
Recent movements against recalling reality of history has led to book bannings across the nation, and one of them was a book written Atlanta police officer Calvin Wardlow, who was assigned as Hanks personal security during the home run chase and also had the two young men in his sights from the dugout until he realized that the two meant Aaron no harm.
That book was on a national organizations list to remove from school libraries (the book was often used as part of high school courses regarding the post-Civil Rights era in the South by schools in Georgia and the surrounding area).
In our own state, we had an odd duality recently regarding Indigenous history of the state, as the legislature passed a bill to require any certified educator in the state to take a course in the history of Native Americans within the state but did not pass a bill that would have required a course on Native American history be taught to students. An odd duality, indeed, especially in light of the social studies standards adopted recently in the state that white-washes much of the negative history of Indigenous people in this state.
One common refrain from those who want to remove teaching the negative moments of our countrys history is that it will make our children feel ashamed of their white skin and/or their country at large.
I can tell you from the blessings of my life experience to speak with a Nazi camp survivor, a survivor of Japanese-American internment camps in our own country, someone who walked in Selma, Ala. on Bloody Sunday, and a child of one of the Lakota who was present for Wounded Knee that I have not once been made to feel sad about my own race in learning of those atrocities. On the contrary, I have been entrenched from their stories to do what I can to ensure such things do not happen again.
We recently saw the Huron community come together to support our immigrant population when a legislator in Pierre submitted a bill to defund the Huron School District, because many initially assumed it was due to that particular legislators outspoken past racial statements. That brought an outpouring of support for the non-white students who make up 50% of the Huron District, nearly twice the percentage of any other public district in the state.
However, seeing the financial benefit of someone who has a different skin color, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or social understanding is easy. Its tougher to truly understand their story and their truth and to accept and love them for who they are.
As we embark on the final week of Black History Month, its poignant to consider the stories of all who have helped to make our country, our state, and our community great. Their experiences – positive and negative – allow us to fully support one another to build the best community we can.
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