Life For Me Ain't Been No Chrystal Stair

A British Tabloid ran an article regarding how Trump left his guest suite at Windsor Castle. The royal staff was outraged by what they found. The claim has not been verified. There was no comment from Buckingham Palace which probably means that it is true as they tend to correct issues that are in the press. Other publications have referred to it as an allegation and not proven fact. No member of the staff has been directly interviewed. Our “Sue Them” President has not had a response to the damning description of the room.

According to the report, the staff found empty take-out containers strewed about and traces of tanning products in the room. In fact, the sheets on the bed were covered in orange according to the report. When the staff arrived, the room was filled with the smell of fried chicken. 

There is the aphorism that is an ethics mantra. Always treat the lowest member in a hierarchy, in this case the royal staff, with the same deference and honor that you would treat the Chair of a Board of Trustees or, in this case, the Royal Family.

One of the experiences that I always keep in mind to keep this aphorism alive and well in me is the “first scholarship” that I received to attend college. I graduated valedictorian of my class, but there was no scholarship that was offered by any university in the Ivy League where I knew that I wanted to go. The sticker shock of the ticket to attend any of them was not realistic for me. I attended an affordable state school. It is why I am so positive about Amy Gutman, a former President of Penn, who made it her mission to have first generation students given a special look at Penn.

It is the reason that I firmly believe in affirmative action.  The level playing field requires us to take into consideration where someone starts. Football Coach Bud Wilkinson at the University of Oklahoma said it best. “A captain of industry thinks he hit a triple when he was born on third base.”

My “scholarship” was the opportunity to work as a janitor for the summer after high school where there were few jobs to be found. One day I was called into the Superintendent of Schools office who knew of my financial situation. He knew my father couldn’t work for a year after a stroke and was on disability receiving 60% of a little salary when I was a sophomore. I was to be the Assistant Janitor of our school to Mr. Banks. He was the regular janitor who was black and wore his dignity on his sleeve with his words and actions. We met at 7:30 every morning and he would give me the tasks for the day. I realized that his assignments were divided in half. He did half, and I did the other half. In essence, instead of me cleaning all the toilets, I did half and he the other half. Who does that? I will tell you who, Langston Hughes, my favorite African American Poet.

His poems are about dignity, communal responsibility and finding the beauty and worth in everyday work. There is a story about Langston Hughes that demonstrates ethical action that is the opposite of the way that Trump allegedly left his suite at Windsor Castle. As Hughes became more famous, he was asked to speak and read his poems at various locations. When he arrived at one of these venues, he used the restroom before going to the stage to speak and have a poetry reading.  There was a person who was in attendance and was at the sink next to his. He had not seen a picture of Langston Hughes and did not know what he looked like.

When Hughes finished washing his hands, he took a paper towel and wiped all around the sink where water had splashed. When the other man asked him why he was doing such a thing, Hughes simply said, “I try to leave every place better than how I found it.” The man left the restroom and took his seat in the auditorium waiting to hear the great poet who was part of the Harlem Renaissance speak.

When Hughes entered the stage from behind the curtain, the man was astounded to see this important man and read his poems was the person that he just saw cleaning a sink and making the place better. It had a profound effect on him, and I am sure he couldn’t wait to tell people what he had witnessed. The story spread and became part of the legend that was part of Langston Hughes’ fame. Leaving a place better than you found it is certainly a theme in ethics.

When I first heard the story about Trump leaving a mess, it took me back to my job as a janitor who among other things cleaned toilets. Mr. Banks had the same attitude about his work and life that Hughes did.

That was my first lesson in leadership. Never ask anyone to do something that you wouldn’t do yourself. Please see below a reading of Langston Hughes' poem.

Mother To Son Life Ain't Been No Crystal Stair By Langston Huges