Actor, activist facilitates motivational discussion

Hill Harper remembered his third day at Harvard. Wanting to blow off steam, he headed to the gym to shoot hoops. Nobody was there. Although the library was full, the gym was empty. When Harper was about to leave, in walked a tall, skinny man wearing short shorts.

Harper asked him to play, and a game began between the two. 

His opponent’s name was Barack Obama, and it turned out they were in the same class at Harvard Law School. Together, they joined the recreational basketball team and became friends. 

An audience of about 40 came to hear Harper speak about planning one’s own life to mark the closing of the Black Action Society’s annual Indaba week, a series of lectures and ceremonies that touch on topics of importance. Harper, a Harvard Law School graduate, actor and author, spoke in the O’Hara Student Center dining room and ballroom from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Harper began the lecture in Socratic fashion. Rather than just speaking, he began by having the audience members write down their goals and dreams.

According to Harper, building a life is a conscious process. Though describing one’s dream and desires can be easy, the path and steps leading to the end result are often not as clear. Harper used an extended analogy that compared going through life to the process of designing and constructing a building.

He told everyone in the audience to create a blueprint. According to Harper, every member of the audience should write the blueprint down to keep from modifying the goal if things aren’t going as planned.

Next, he discussed how every life must have a foundation. Money and education can both be part of the foundation, but neither guarantees health or happiness. 

“If you build your foundation adequately, you will be able to create the structure you want,” Harper said.

Harper said Obama’s entry into Harvard Law School better solidified the future president’s foundation. Despite an undergraduate degree from Columbia University, Obama needed more education to realize his dreams.

Harper said that everyone should build a framework, which is comprised of one’s personal decisions. 

Lastly, individuals must build doors. They are important because they serve as an entry point for new people, new ideas and new information. But they also serve to let “toxic associates” out. 

William Augustus Griffin, a senior majoring in information sciences, said that Harper’s lecture was “fantastic in the sense that it was very interactive with the call and response method. He was humorous and engaging.”

Griffin said he plans to pursue his goals of becoming a video game designer and founder of a startup company.

Chandel Boozer, president of the Black Action Society, said she and the other officers of the society have been planning Indaba since the summer. This year’s theme was to “enlighten, enrich and enhance the undergraduate community.”

Boozer said that the lecture definitely empowered the organization.

“When we take his words and make a plan, set a foundation, make smart choices and not allow fear to cripple us from growth, we’ll be successful this year,” Boozer said.