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Hello everyone! My name is Lydia Johnson and I will be the Butler Black Student Union blogger for Hot 96.3. I’m from Gary, IN and I am a junior who is majoring English/Creative Writing and minoring in Journalism. It’s my job to talk about my experiences as a black college student and the fun and challenging things I do at Butler. But enough about me, there’s something more exciting, and more important I could talk about.

On Friday, October 29th, 2010—I met John Legend. The exact date is important because this is something I will tell my future children about. As the speaker for Butler’s Celebration of Diversity Distinguished Lecture Series, John was at Clowes Hall to talk about saving America’s public school systems. He spoke about how important it is to have passionate and qualified teachers to close the education gap; teachers who care about their students and do whatever it takes to help them succeed. He called to attention the work the organization Teach For America is doing, which puts teachers in low-income areas to counteract the reality of educational inequities in our country. John said that “a good education is inextricably linked to our rights as American citizens,” and challenged us all to make choices and efforts in our daily lives that would help make our education system far better than it is today. A discussion on education came next in the program and included leaders in the field of education such as Brandon D. Cosby, Principal of Shortridge High School, Dr. Eugene White, superintendent of IPS, and the Dean of Education at Butler to name a few.

And then he sang. Everyone who knows me knows I love REAL singers. Not artists that can hide behind production, synthesizers and a tight beat or a catchy hook. John Legend is definitely not one of those artists. He performed all of his selections with nothing but his voice and a piano. Listening to some of his singles such as “Used to Love You” and “Greenlight” with only a piano made the songs into an entirely different experience. He performed songs from all four of his cds including two songs from his most recent collaboration, Wake Up! With the legendary hip-hop group, The Roots. The performance was phenomenal. I wish I could say that nothing could top his artistry and clear talent, but I can’t. Seeing John Legend after the show and watching him take pictures with fans, talking to students and politicians and educators meant more to me than his excellence on the stage. In meeting him and speaking with him I realized that not only is he John Legend, the Grammy winning superstar, he is also John Stevens, a genuine, regular person who has a vested interest in things outside of the music business that affect us all– rich or poor, famous or not. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to meet him, but I’m even more grateful that he is an artist who uses his celebrity status to worthy causes.