Brugge Blog

Eunice Shriver, founder of the Special Olympics, turned 85 last week, and as it should, it made the news. The centerpiece of the coverage was a White House dinner in her honor. Not surprisingly, she gave a very eloquent invitation and challenge to us all. (excerpt from PBS):

Let us not forget that we have miles to go to overturn the prejudice and oppression facing the world’s 180 million citizens with intellectual disability.

But for what joy, for together as we go forward, all of us, may you each continue to spend your lives in this noble battle. May you overturn ignorance; may you challenge indifference at every turn; and may you find great joy in the new daylight of the great athletes of the Special Olympics.

Thank you, and God bless us all.

She also has spunk, and tact. According to someone who was at the dinner, she also included a reminder of another sadness of our race.

Tonight as we celebrate, we know beyond us lies a dangerous world. And sadly, throughout my lifetime, it has been so. World Wars, regional wars, ethnic wars, religious wars. Oh, that they would cease! Oh, that we could do better than war!

While the first challenge is directly at each of us as individuals, I think the second challenge can be given to each of us too. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the fruits of the first turn out to help the goals of the second.

But back to the point, Eunice’s son, Tim, who now runs the Special Olympics organization, reminds us that as far as the organization and public acceptance has come, we are far from saying that we have overcome. Perhaps in the scope of history it’s been a very short time, and things have changed dramatically, but in the scope of a person’s lifetime who struggles with acceptance in society, the impact of prejudice is a lot more immediate. Eunice Shriver hasn’t stopped working, and neither can we.

[Update: One of the dinner attendees has the full text of the speech available.]