Muncie needs to 'dream without limitations' as it transitions into the future
MUNCIE, Ind. — An urban transplant from the West Coast urged Muncie to "dream without limitations" Monday during the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Breakfast at Ball State University.
Dr. John Anderson, director of the Ryan Family Navigators program at Ball State, was the keynote speaker at the well-attended annual event in spite of frigid weather. The Navigators assist students from diverse and economically challenged backgrounds by providing comprehensive student support services on campus.
Anderson came to Muncie from San Francisco. He admitted the adjustment to Muncie was a challenge, but he discovered a community with many treasures. His topic was "Unity in Times Like These."
He earned a doctorate in adult and community education from Ball State.
More: Reflections on MLK: This could happen to you
"Muncie has a magnetic pull," Anderson said. "Muncie has a lot of nestled treasures."
But he said that some people who were here didn't recognize the great things Muncie had to offer. They need to take the time to look and see the community from the point of view of an outsider and "appreciate your locality."
Basketball in Muncie was among the treasures Anderson found in Muncie.
At the age of 15, while in San Francisco, Anderson became a basketball coach. He now serves as a coach at Northside Middle School and visited the Indiana High School Basketball Hall of fame in New Castle, where he discovered Muncie Central High School's basketball legacy. He is using that history to inspire his team at Northside.
More: MLK Dream Team essay: Making new friends can change your community
Anderson took the team to the Hall of Fame and also took them to Indianapolis where he showed the boys Gainbridge Fieldhouse and the home court where the Indiana Pacers play.
"I want you to see yourselves on this floor," Anderson said he told the youths. The dream is a step toward reality.
"There is a special group of boys at Northside who could bring back a state championship to Muncie," Anderson said.
He said that Muncie is a city in transition, still moving from the industrial city it was to a city that prizes talent and people.
"It is becoming a place where people say, 'I want to live there,'" Anderson said.
More: How do we learn to walk together? Steps toward reconciliation
Anderson said the only thing missing is the plan to the dream. Muncie is moving in the right direction but it needs to learn to dream without limitation.
"Unity does not mean uniformity," Anderson said of the need for tolerance and respect for people who don't see the world exactly the same as others.
"We should all have the space to express our humanity," Anderson said. "... Dream, dream big, and dream without limitations."
In addition to Anderson's speech, the event featured the recognition of academic achievement by students throughout Delaware County. Mayor Dan Ridenour rose to read a proclamation declaring the day "Unity in Times Like These Day."
Also, Rev. Larry Emmons from Marion ended the event by delivering a rendition of King's "I have a Dream Speech" that was delivered in 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
David Penticuff is a reporter with The Star Press. He can be contacted at dpenticuff@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Keynoter tells group honoring MLK: 'Unity does not mean uniformity'
