Guest of Honor by Shawn

Guest of Honor by Shawn - May 2017 Scholarship Essay

Segregation was alive and commonplace in 1901, and the dinner table was no exception. However, when Booker T. Washington (Booker T.) accepted an invite to dine with a Caucasian man, and not just any Caucasian man but the president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt (TR), an immediate media firestorm ensued. Although African American’s had visited the White House before, the idea of an African American ‘dining’ with the president was reprehensible. This unprecedented dinner threw a vast majority of Caucasian Americans into a raging fury. Subsequently, the African American communities were distraught and fearful, knowing that a backlash from their Caucasian counterparts would soon follow.
Guest of Honor, by Deborah Davis, chronicles the lives of Booker T. and TR up to this dinner and magnifies the aftershock that hit the nation. However, this book has impacted me from a different perspective. My grandfather - soon after handing me the book - relayed the message that he is the great grandson of Booker T.’s brother. With a direct bloodline to the father of Booker T., I approached my reading with an intention of truly crawling under Booker T.’s skin.
Reading about the struggles Booker T. endured – from slavery to lifelong racial profiling (even at the high of his popularity) - instilled a perspective of perseverance within me. In order to honor those before myself, my accomplishments mustn’t be squandered on selfish acts, but those that reveal opportunities for the next generation. Booker T.’s hurdles to achieve his astounding milestones make my everyday problems seem obsolete. If my tasks don’t go as planned, I feel weary, or doubt creeps in my mind, I recall Booker T. and his sleepless nationwide treks, coupled with deadly scrutiny he faced on an everyday basis. Keeping the perspective of living uncomfortably and persevering no matter the odds, translates directly into my generation, and in perpetuity for anyone who chases dreams. Although my childhood saw its fair share of rough patches, I stand firm on Booker T.’s assertion that “character, not circumstances, make the man.”
Not everyone will have an opportunity to dine with a sitting president, nor found a school such as the historic Tuskegee Institute, but each member of society can take full advantage of the opportunities he or she is presented. I intend to honor those before me by ensuring their sacrifices were not made in vain, by opening doors for those whom lack opportunity. This book has bolstered my intentions to spread positivity and leave this earth substantially better than when I arrived.