I want to express my deep appreciation to Bernie Hayes for including me in his article about white heroes in our community. Although I have devoted a large part of my life to service in our community and the fight for equal justice for all, I did so out of gratitude to the community that embraced me when I first moved here from New York to avoid the Vietnam draft and as a continuation of the ‘60s civil rights struggle, which has given my life and so many others such a wonderful sense of purpose.
I was moved as I was reading this issue of the American – which I do each week from cover to cover, to keep abreast of the important people and issues affecting our community – to discover my name included in this very distinguished group of people. I rushed to show my wife and sons, so that they could see that all the time dad spends away form home in service to others was recognized by a man whom our entire community respects as a wise and outspoken elder.
While I do not feel I deserve such recognition, I will use it as an inspiration and challenge to work harder to justify inclusion in such a distinguished group and in such an outstanding publication.
J. Justin Meehan
St. Louis