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By Andrew Stewart, Class of 2015
“Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway.” –Eleanor Roosevelt
A couple of weeks ago Dr. Robin Gerber came and spoke here at the University of Louisville, through the McConnell Center. She spoke about a very interesting topic on leadership from Eleanor Roosevelt. I was privileged enough to attend Dr. Gerber’s lecture and I was vastly surprised by how interested I was in what she had to say. Mrs. Roosevelt was a fascinating lady. She came from a poor background, and faced many hardships as a child. She married one of the most influential Presidents in the history of the United States and she revamped the office of the First Lady. She held a government position under President Truman, begin appointed as a member of the UN delegation.
What is disappointing is that I never fully recognized, or acknowledged, all of the great things Mrs. Roosevelt did for this country. She fought for women’s rights, for children and for those less fortunate. She stood by African Americans and began human rights initiatives while she was a part of the UN. Her life embodies leadership to the highest degree. I didn’t know she held a press conference, in which only women reports were allowed to attend, before President Roosevelt. Mrs. Roosevelt wasn’t going to take her position as First Lady lightly. She was active. She said what she thought was right, even though she knew she would be criticized for her efforts. She wanted people to know that she was in Washington to help others. She stood for those who could barely stand for themselves. Not to mention she had to deal with an affair that was going on with the President Roosevelt and a former secretary of hers. Mrs. Roosevelt had thick skin, and showed that women are just as capable of leading this nation as men. But I can’t say enough how much I admire her leadership and what she stood for while working alongside President Roosevelt.
But then again, she was her own person. People wanted to see her. They wanted to get to know her. She wasn’t just the President’s wife; she was her own person with her own identity. I truly believe she would have let her voice be heard around the nation regardless if Franklin Roosevelt won the presidency or not. This is what I admire about her the most. She saw an opportunity to make change and took it. She is the example I want to follow as I become a leader. I want to stand up for those who feel the odds are against them. I want to let others know that they are important, and human rights aren’t something to be handled lightly. People deserve to have their voice heard, and even though people may criticize me for my actions, I will always do what I feel if right. Learning of Mrs. Roosevelt reminds me of the character of my mother. Raising three kids on her own, my mother knew that to be successful she had to be a self-starter. She takes the initiative to improve her business every day, and deals with criticism on a daily basis. But my mother stands for what she believes is right. My mother began community outreach on her own. On the weekends she goes and delivered food and clothes to the nearby trailer park because she saw how much in need these people are. She didn’t do it for any kind of recognition, but because she noticed that someone was less fortunate. This correlates to the attitude of Eleanor Roosevelt, and she is definitely a historic figure that I will always admire.
Dr. Gerber may not know this, but her lecture on Eleanor Roosevelt was by far my favorite as a McConnell Scholar. It gave me a new appreciation of who Eleanor Roosevelt really was, and Dr. Gerber did a masterful job of presenting her life to us. I can’t wait to enjoy the pages of Dr. Gerber’s book soon.
Andrew Stewart is a junior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. He is pursuing a major in Political Science.