The Way a Speech Should Be Delivered

I swore that tonight I would get a post up about Arcade Fire I was working on (a rainy day had me back at it) and ultimately, I will. But today I watched this speech by Cecil Roberts, President of the United Mineworkers of America. He was addressing the New York State United Teachers, which happens to be the state affiliate of the union I work for--that would be the American Federation of Teachers for any rare, random stranger who ends up on this blog. Now I don't blog a lot about work stuff here--perhaps I should--but this speech deserves a listen.

What is amazing about this speech to me is Roberts' ability to take the recent mine tragedies and treat them with amazing respect, making the miners' stories and lives as personal as you can and bringing them straight to you in everyday terms so you understand who these men were. But he does more than that. He takes on the sadness of the experience and turns it into an impassioned called to action but without the misusing the memories of the miners or their families.

I could go into all the rhetorical reasons this speech moved me, but ultimately I just wanted to add to the possibility that others would see this speech as I wish more people in this country got to hear this narrative, delivered this way. So here you go--and please, watch both parts and then pass it on.