Metin Bereketli has delivered on April 4, 2003 at the
SWITZER CENTER gala Honoring the SOUTH BAY WOMEN OF THE YEAR:
Good afternoon honorees, ladies and gentlemen; I am delighted to be here
today to celebrate the recognition of these ladies who have made our world a
better place. They have demonstrated the compassion that gives us all hope
for the future of our world. It also gives me great pleasure to be able to
share my art with you and to comment upon the message that it conveys. In
a moment I will announce the winner of my art - "Creation of Love.”
When I created this piece, I was inspired to portray love, friendship, moral
values, and a sense of oneness in the human family. I chose to use bright,
vivid colors and a joyful composition to illustrate that even if we’re from
different countries and periods we can all speak the same language of
oneness. It is in blending these ideas that we voice hope for our own lives.
As you know, art is a mosaic of different colors. If we ignore or eliminate
one color, we ruin the whole mosaic. I believe the human family is also a
palette of colors that is unlimited and all encompassing. If we ignore a part
of that palette we dim and reduce the whole society.
As I have become more involved with Switzer Center I have learned that
while of equal intelligence, these students learn differently. If they do not
receive the help that they need, they can become a reduced color on
the human palette. I can relate to that feeling.
While I have lived in the United States for almost 20 years and have been a
proud citizen for over 13 years, I can remember the early days when it was
easier to ignore me than it was to make the effort to learn about me -- or even
to understand me. I know how it feels to be diminished and to have one’s
"colors" dimmed.
When I came to the United States, I made a choice - one that would mark
me as "different" for a period of time. I knew that when I spoke I would
sounded different to the others, that maybe I would look a little different and
that definitely I would feel different for a period of time. I made a conscious
decision to live with that difference.
The students at Switzer School have made no such decision. They want to
be like their peers. And it hurts them when they are thought of as
"different." They may even begin to believe what other people say about
them. Unfortunately, their colors begin to dim. But they can and do succeed
when given the help they need to overcome any learning challenges they
may have.
I am proud that my art can help Switzer school provide their students with
the ability to regain their dazzling colors in the human mosaic.
The winner of "Creation of Love" is Miss Ann Bauer !
God Bless America !
Peace at Home! Peace on Earth !
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