Former Pioneer Harpreet Singh

This video was forwarded to me recently and I had to share it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=pNf9ZPa6QbQ&app=desktop

Harpreet was a member of the class of 2012 and played slot receiver for us.  It's difficult to put into words just what Harpreet meant to the teams of that era, but he was always a positive force and a positive energy, and he was always excited to be a part of it all.  Knowing Harpreet's background, and where he came from, it is borderline unbelievable that he's going to be a doctor.  But knowing Harpreet himself, I wouldn't have expected anything less.

Harpreet with the Service Award at the Honor G Banquet in 2012

I'm happy for your Harpreet, and I'm so proud of you man.  GC Pride all the way!!

Link to Hapreet's senior profile in Nov. of 2011:
http://grinnellcollegefootball.blogspot.com/2011/11/2011-senior-profiles-harpreet-singh.html

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day

In 2015 former Pioneer Charles Blake was elected to the State House of Representatives in Arkansas, representing District 36 in his hometown of Little Rock.  Charles and I were teammates for one year and I coached him for two seasons.  Always a great talker, when Blake was elected I figured the political arena would be a perfect for him.  Having gotten stuck next to him on a long bus trip to Ripon, WI, I can certainly attest to his willingness to share an opinion and to his abilities in a debate!  Charles enjoyed a fine career at Grinnell, both on the field and off, and has done well in his professional life thus far. 

I’m introducing you to Charles now because today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and for the first time the State of Arkansas will be celebrating only King today.  Since the ‘40’s, Arkansas has observed Robert E Lee Day in mid-January, and they began observing MLK Day as well.  In 1985 the state combined the two holidays, and they have observed them together since.  When Blake was elected as Representative in 2015, one of the first changes he pushed for was separating the two holidays.  It’s been a long battle, and at times he’s faced some serious opposition, but last March Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson signed legislation that ended the practice of honoring both on the same day.  According to AP reports, Hutchinson said the following, "I expected this debate would divide us, but instead during the debate we listened to each other and the conversation brought us together.  This is an education bill in which the discussion educated each of us, and we learned that history needs to be viewed not just from our own lens, but through the eyes and experiences of others."

I'm sure I'm not doing the story justice, but I'm excited for Blake's victory and for the shifting attitudes that it highlights.  Better days are ahead.  I'm proud to call Charles my teammate and I'm proud of the work he's doing.  We need more Pioneers like him!  Congrats Chuck!

Pioneers in the News

It's been a few weeks, but I'd like to return to the theme of Pioneers in the News.  It's an exciting, but volatile time in America, something new and big seems to happen on a daily basis, or even multiple times on the same day.  It can be confusing to sort through all of it, but one journalist helping us weed through it all is 2006 Grinnell grad, and fellow History major Ben Jacobs.

Ben first became a household name in late May when, working as a reporter for The Guardian, he was body slammed by then Montana House candidate Greg Gianforte (Gianforte has since plead guilty to misdemeanor assault).  Though I'm sure he would rather not have been cast into the spotlight in this manner, I hope people will now take time to notice Jacobs' reporting.  He's done a fine job in his role with the Guardian, and remains a consistent voice in these wild political times.

Keep up the great work Ben!

Pioneers in the News

It has been an eventful past week or two, both nationally and here at Grinnell, and our alumni have been at the forefront of a lot of it.  Over the next week or so I'll be profiling some of the highlights.

To kick things off, Grinnell's commencement speaker this year was comedian and 2001 grad Kumail Nanjiani.  Kumail's fame has steadily grown, likely boosted by his role on HBO's Silicon Valley.  This summer he'll be starring in The Big Sick, a semi-autobiographical story he and his wife wrote together.

Kumail covered a wide range of topics in his address, both serious and hilarious.  The line that got the best reaction was his take on how to ensure you'll be on the right side of history when it comes to the immigration debate in this country, and is at the beginning of this clip: https://www.facebook.com/NowThisPolitics/videos/1566920553339429/?pnref=story  Again, Kumail covered a lot of topics in his address, and my personal favorite was cut out of this highlight.  I don't have it word for word, but it went something like this, "so I encourage you to seek out people, thoughts, and opinions different from yours.  Listen to it, absorb it, oppose it if you feel it's wrong, but let it affect you."

Great call Kumail!  That's a Grinnell experience summed up in one line.  Thanks for a great address to our graduating class of 2017, and to all of us Pioneers!  #GCPride