Wes Moore Calls on Attendees to Change the Narrative
The Destinations International Annual Convention opened in Baltimore July 14 with overdue industry recognitions, an update on reopening progress across the industry, and a moving call-to-action by Baltimore native, author and former foundation CEO Wes Moore.
Moore called the day’s gathering “good for the human spirit. Just for us to be out again.” He said Baltimore’s history – including the likes of Billie Holliday, Justice Thurgood Marshall and John Waters – is still being written today. “We understand the fact that 600,000 hands are on the pens. They’re all part of the story.”
Moore centered his keynote - “Why an Inclusive Economy Matters” - around his upbringing in Baltimore and lessons learned from his years in military school. He harkened back to his childhood – growing up with parents and young siblings in a small house. Shortly after his father died, his mother sent him to live with his grandparents in Bronx, NY, until he was sent to military school. “She had threatened me with it since I was eight years old,” he told the hundreds of attendees. “In the first five days, I ran away four times.”
It was his last escape attempt that planted the seeds of understanding about life and importance of working collectively. “The squad leader drew me a map of how to get to the train station. So at 13 years old, I leave in the middle of night,” Moore said. “The entire chain of command followed me and are laughing at me. They brought me back to camp and they said I could make one phone call … So on Day 4 at 1 a.m. in the morning, my mom’s phone rings. When I asked her to come get me she said that ‘too many people had sacrificed in order for you to be there. Too many people are rooting for you.’
“Eventually I began to have a better understanding of what she was talking about. The only way I was going to make it was to do [things] collectively, not individually. Victory is not a victory if you’re standing there by yourself, that you think you did it by yourself.”
Moore said working collectively is how everything gets done. “When I think about the power of this group – the dollars and the influence, yes. But you have the power to change narratives, to be cheerleaders and advocates. To think bigger and broader and to think differently. And with that power, you have the chance to create lasting change. Never underestimate your power.
"We're proud that each and every one of you have a chance now to advocate and fight for lives and for families and for children who you might not even meet on this trip ... They'll have more opportunities because of you," he said. Moore concluded by expressing his thanks to “each and every one of you for being in the best place on the planet. “I am thankful you continue to make it matter that you are here.”
Moore is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, television producer and retired US Army officer. He also served as the CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, one of the largest anti-poverty forces in the nation. His keynote was presented by PCMA. ■