By Daniel Johnson-Kim, Editor in Chief
Dr. Joe Shirley Jr., president of the Navajo Nation and a 1973 graduate of ACU, shared a lesson his grandmother taught him to a room full of more than 400 people.
While standing on the stage in the McCaleb Conference Center during a Chapel forum Monday, Shirley told the crowd of students, faculty and staff how the woman who raised him explained to him the universal truth of acceptance.
“We all have five fingers and we are all intelligent – that makes us family,” Shirley said. “We should not be warring with each other.we must make war against the real monsters – thirst, hunger, greed, jealousy, apathy, ignorance – these are the things that prey on all mankind.”
Shirley told his audience his faith in God’s power, his devotion to service and the quality education and spiritual guidance he received at ACU helped him succeed in life and be chosen as the leader of the Navajo Nation.
The Native American leader, members of his staff and First Lady Vikki Shirley visited campus Monday and capped off the evening with the Chapel forum. Shirley came to campus after he was invited by the Office of Multicultural Enrichment to speak at ACU, a school he attended more than three decades ago.
During his speech, Shirley frequently quoted the Bible, citing Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” as proof that faith in God will produce the fruits of success. He praised ACU for its devotion to educating students with a Christian focus.
He also described to his audience his vision for the Navajo Nation to become an independent people, not reliant on governmental support. The Navajo Nation contains more than 27,000 miles of land that extends into Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. With a population of more than 250,000, the Navajo nation is the largest of the 562 federally recognized tribes of Native Americans in the country.
“We’re starting to put a dent in that, and give us another 20 or 30 years, and we’ll be back to where we were: independent and proud,” Shirley said on stage.
Dr. Chris Willerton, professor of English and dean of the Honors College, and his wife Sharon Willerton (’64) heard Shirley’s message at the Chapel forum. Willerton said he and his wife learned about the Navajo Nation’s rich history and culture, and they were excited when they found out Shirley was coming to campus.
He said he was struck by Shirley’s calm stage presence and message, and it was important for the ACU community to hear speakers like Shirley, who come from cultures that one may never experience in West Texas.
George Pendergrass, director of the Office of Multicultural Enrichment, was pleased with the message Shirley delivered and said it was an opportunity to experience another culture.
Will Reid, sophomore art major from Abilene, said he knew little about the Navajo people before hearing Shirley speak. After the speech, he thanked Shirley for sharing his message and was pleased to have spoken with a man from another culture.
“I think this is extremely beneficial,” Reid said of speakers from different cultures coming to campus. “I feel like a lot of times people get locked up in their own culture.”
