Ypsilanti’s Jermaine Dickerson wins the Ann Arbor Arts Alliance’s 2018 Tamara Real Emerging Leader Award

I didn’t know this about myself until just a few evenings ago, but apparently I really enjoy seeing my lovely and brilliant wife, Linette, bestow awards upon our deserving friends… Here, for those of you who would like to see what it was that caused me to learn this about myself, is video of Linette awarding Jermaine Dickerson, the founder of Hero Nation, the 2018 Tamara Real Emerging Leader Award on behalf of the Ann Arbor Arts Alliance. I could ramble on about what makes Jermaine such a terrific young man, and asset to our community, but, really, you should just listen to what Linette says about him, and what he says upon receiving the award. It’s good stuff. I promise.

I know I said above that I wouldn’t ramble on, and that you should just watch the video, but I do have something brief to add… If, like me, you ever find yourself feeling down about the state of our country, there’s really no better cure than finding young people in your community that inspire you. What we’re living through right now, as terrible as it is, won’t last forever. It’ll end. And the future will belong to people like Jermaine, the bright, young folks, who, right now, are doing the hard work in the streets, getting people organized, creatively solving problems, and fighting to make a better, more inclusive America, where every kid has an opportunity to reach their full potential. And that thought makes me happy.

[I apologize for the shaky camera work. I tried my best.]