Three Hearts of the World

26 Aug Three Hearts of the World

A decade ago, when we discovered Sir Ken Robinson’s TED Talk, “Do Schools Kill Creativity?”, we found a kindred spirit for our community’s work in schooling (Schools for Growth) and afterschool development (allstars.org). We were buoyed by his enormous popularity in passionately addressing the necessity of transforming schools. Over the years, we continued to follow and promote his work as author, speaker and champion of the need to be creative about creativity (and we love the animated “Changing Educational Paradigms”). We traveled in some of the same circles and, while we were not colleagues, we did meet once or twice. Ken Robinson passed away on August 21. Along with many millions of others around the world, we will miss this visionary cultural leader and what he can teach us.

The development community lost a creative and loving builder this summer as well. Rakeen (Kevin) Dow died on the evening of August 12. Rakeen spent his professional life working with young people caught up in the criminal justice system. When he retired, he embraced and threw himself into the learning-and-development work of our development community. Rakeen was a volunteer and builder of the All Stars Project and an enthusiastic student at the East Side Institute. He was a poet, performer, teacher and community organizer. In a world dominated by getting everything you can, Rakeen gave and gave. His heart was open.

Actor Allan Rich, who had a long career in film and television, died on August 22. While most of us had seen him on the big screen—he was a character actor in hundreds of films and is best known for his work Serpico and Quiz Show—we came to know Allan and who he was through his daughter Marian: actress, improvisor, member of the East Side Institute faculty, activist with the Global Play Brigade, and a 40-year-builder of the All Stars Project. Allan was a talented actor who was blacklisted by Hollywood for his progressive politics in the 1950s. While he returned to the screen, he never returned to activism. But he  loved and supported all of Marian’s activism. Through her work, his decency and talent continue to build our development community.

The passing of these three good hearts reminds me of the long haul we’re on. It’s a multi-generational effort we’re engaged in and all of us—young, old, in between, and those who have passed on—are contributing to it. Ken, Rakeen and Allan, we will miss you, and you live on in our work and play!