More than 300 Nebraska Medicine and UNMC colleagues gathered virtually Monday to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., while considering how they can live life "between the commas."
Cheryl Logan, EdD, superintendent of Omaha Public Schools, gave the keynote address, speaking about exceptionalism and living between the commas — the added descriptors of a person. She spoke about her own life and family and answered questions about her career as an educator and leader in the Omaha community.
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Dr. Logan said Dr. King was born an ordinary person but did extraordinary things in his life. She gave an example of how the "commas" around Dr. King added to his description, saying he could be called "Dr. King" or "Dr. King, human rights activist".
Dr. Logan challenged people to "punctuate your life with as many commas as it takes to leave your own personal legacy of exceptionalism." But she stressed that exceptionality cannot happen "in one’s comfort zone" and often will come about without fanfare or recognition.
"The world needs you to be comfortable with your God-given exceptionality. The world needs your life, your body of work, your efforts to be more than a declarative sentence."
Watch a recording of the event below.
What a wonderful program! Thank you to everyone who helped make it possible and thank you to all of the attendees.