‘We are called a nation of inventors. And we are. We could still claim that title and wear its loftiest honors if we had stopped with the first thing we ever invented, which was human liberty.” – Mark Twain
On the April 18, 1775, Paul Revere and other riders set out to warn American farmers and villagers that the time had come to fight for freedom. As individuals, these riders combined to help launch our country’s quest for independence – an independence that gave each of us the opportunity and freedom to engage our own individual “rides” that can make a difference.
So on April 18th, we salute Paul Revere and the others who fought for our freedom. They demonstrated the power and potential of a single individual.Since 1997, on April 18th, people all over the country and around the world have celebrated Paul Revere’s ride by wearing the KEEP THE RIDE ALIVE T-shirt. On April 18, 2010 look for people wearing shirts with “KEEP THE RIDE ALIVE ALIVE” in black letters on the front and “X YEARS” on the back – and remember to keep your own ride alive.
When my family started this symbolic shirt-wearing tradition in 1997, we made and distributed only 9 shirts with iron-on letters. From that day onward, the tradition has been growing. My family now makes and distributes over 300 free shirts to willing participants each year. Shirts run out quickly, and often folks in our high schools and colleges have made their own shirts with fabric markers to celebrate the day when supplies ran low.
During my college years, a majority of the shirts were worn on The University of Chicago campus with large amounts often found at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Wisconsin-Madison campuses (where my brother and sister attend(ed) school). Since our college friends have dispersed, the tradition has made even wider impact, with shirts being worn in nearly every state in the U.S. (including Paul Revere’s House in Boston) and beyond to Canada, Scotland, Japan, Dubai, and other countries.
The tradition is not meant to be political, but rather patriotic and a collective celebration of the important role that each individual plays in the world. I want to share it with my readers here at Know Your Own Bone because I believe that in order for people to be their best and contribute to the evolving world, they must understand and celebrate their individual worth.
Happy Paul Revere Day, readers! Please take a moment today to think about how you have contributed, not only to moving along the nonprofit and museum worlds, but about the impact you make every day in the lives of loved ones, and the greater context of your community.
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