Stacey J. Mobley
Senior Vice President and General Counsel
At the Annual Awards Dinner of the
National Conference for Communityand Justice –Delaware Region
First USA Riverfront Arts Center
May 15, 2002

On behalf of Joan and myself, let me say that we are humbled to be honored by the NCCJ tonight – and to be honored along with Lillian and Jack Burris and Julie and Charlie Cawley. Considering their extraordinary contributions to Delaware over the years, it's truly overpowering to be included with them.

The Cawleys and the Burrises have asked me – in the interest of time – to deliver remarks for all six of us. So let me begin by saying that we all extend our thanks not only to the NCCJ – which has so generously honored us – but to our family and our friends who have bolstered us through the years, often served with us, answered our pleas for contributions or support, or just agreed to share their ideas at a focus group. As Dr. King once said: "Our destinies are tied together. None of us can make it alone." We're all part of an extended family – a community of friends – that nurtures each other's dreams and shares each other's happiness. So the six of us would like to take a moment to thank all of you who have been such wonderfully supportive family, and great companions through our lives.

At the first meeting with Muriel Gilman and Barbie Riegel to discuss this award, they explained that the NCCJ was honoring us for what it calls "transformational leadership" in bettering our communities. That seems a most appropriate theme to focus on, considering the work of the NCCJ, itself. For 75 years, the NCCJ has encouraged "transformational leadership" across this nation as the organization has helped fight bias, bigotry and racism, while promoting understanding and respect among all peoples. The work has never been easy – and I might suggest that it has never been more important a task than it is today.

Sadly, understanding and respect among all peoples seem to be dwindling values in our world. Despite the advanced telecommunications devices we invent, and despite the Internet, which puts the wisdom of the greatest minds at our fingertips, we still seem incapable of learning from the past. As we look with empathy and helplessness at the conflicts that tear apart peoples around the world, we wonder why these twin values of understanding and respect for each other's differences are so elusive. People of differing religions, races and ethnicity's have caused each other tremendous pain over centuries of recorded time because fear and hatred have too often been instilled from infancy. And regrettably, nobody seems above it. It has been true of Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Serbs, Croats . . . and the list goes on. In the places where there is no understanding of each other, there is no mutual respect. And as surely as night follows day, distrust and hatred seem to follow.

Conversely, in the places where there is an effort to understand and respect each other's differences, people can live and work side-by-side, gaining strength from their diversity.

As our world struggles with seemingly insoluble problems – in the Middle East, the Balkans, Northern Ireland, India, Africa, and a dozen other global hot spots – we find ourselves praying for an outbreak of peace. We all share such a spectacularly beautiful little island in this massive solar system, you wonder – as Rodney King asked: "Why can't we all just get along?"

And while those of us in the comparatively little outpost called Wilmington, Delaware, are not in the position to solve the world's problems, we give thanks in our own community for an organization such as NCCJ which has – as its reason for existence – the goal of bringing people together. NCCJ helps build "communities of justice" through an array of programs that reach our young people, extend into the workplace, and cross lines of faith. And events, such as this one, tonight, remind us all how important it is for each of us to strengthen our communities by "giving back" in some meaningful way. Some of us "give back" with our time and talents, enlivening Boards and Task Forces with our creative energies. Some of us "give back" by writing generous checks to support capital campaigns to expand our communities. Others of us have chosen to build a business, to pursue public service, or to mentor at-risk kids.

But through our individual actions, we're all saying that we understand the interpersonal bonds implied in the word "community" – and the commitment in the word "friendship." This room is filled with a community of people who are remarkably different from each other – in gender, race, national origin, sexual orientation, age, and religion. Yet we treasure our community so deeply that we have made a commitment to work together to make Delaware the kind of peaceful place in which we'd be proud to raise our children and our grandchildren. ... A place that teaches not hatred or intolerance, but understanding, and respect among all peoples. Our community is not perfect, and our nation is not perfect. But there's virtue in the ongoing commitment to make it so – and the NCCJ is at the heart of that effort.

Speaking for the Cawleys, the Burrises and the Mobleys, I extend a very sincere thank you for honoring us tonight. And we, in turn, salute and thank NCCJ for your tireless efforts at fostering a just and inclusive society, and for enriching the community we all cherish. Thank you.

05/15/02