Interrupt! Ken Bedell, PhD

Dr, Ken Bedell is a longtime activist, fighting for racial equality and social justice who worked for the Obama administration as a Senior Advisor in the Department of Education. He is currently board president of Ending Racism USA.

What is your advice to your younger self?

I am 77 years old, quite healthy, and blessed with two daughters and five grandchildren. I met my wife, Kathie, when I was a sophomore in college. Now we have been married for 53 years. I’ve had a pretty good life. A few months ago, I was asked, “What regrets do you have? Career choices? Who you married? Where you lived?” Nothing came to mind immediately.

As I thought about it over the next few days, I remembered when I witnessed a child being beaten and I didn’t intervene. Another time an acquaintance told me that her husband was beating her and again I did nothing to help her. I also saw cases of racism and sexism where I didn’t intervene.

If I could have a conversation with myself as a young person I would say, “Ken, when you are put into a situation where you see a woman, child, or even a man is being mistreated, your presence makes it your business to respond. To pretend that it is none of your business is to abandon your shared humanity with that woman, child or man. The same is true when you observe racism and sexism. You need to be an interrupter. The alternative is to abandon your own humanity.”

My younger self was self-assured. I thought I had an answer for everything. I probably would have argued back, “What if people don’t want me butting into their business? Isn’t it better to just ignore when a friend makes a nasty comment about someone?” I’d probably walk away thinking how hard it can be to take risks that claim a common humanity. Even at my age, there is a constant temptation to think that the suffering of someone else is not my concern.

What wisdom would you share with a younger person about aging and what it means?

American culture teaches that we have three stages of life. First, we are young and learning. Second, we have a career or maybe more than one career. Then, third, in our old age we retire. Don’t believe a word of it. You don’t have three lives; you only have one life. And that one life should be based on the same, sometimes evolving, values.

As a young person, engage your life as if you have something to offer others. Believe that you can have an impact–make the world a better place. Learn all you can.

There will be a time when you notice that you probably won’t live forever. That just means that what you do every day and every year is important. Keep engaging life as if you have something to offer others. Then when people tell you that you are close to retirement age, forget the word “retire.” Do a little refocus, support others and learn new things. Most importantly, as you encounter inequities and people claiming privileges, be an interrupter.

What is important to you looking ahead?

At 77 I want to support others and learn new things. And most importantly. I want to take my advice to heart and never stop being an interrupter.