On Monday, February 13, the St. Rose High School community gathered for an
assembly called “You Don’t Know Me Until You Know Me” staged by Dr. Mykee Fowlin. Dr.
Fowlin, both an actor and a psychologist, opened his presentation with the idea that his goal
was to make the audience uncomfortable. He claimed that he could never change anything in his life without feeling uncomfortable, and in order to obtain his goal of total inclusion, his aim was to put the students and faculty in awkward situations. With his intention clearly stated, Mykee Fowlin had St. Rose intrigued from the very beginning of his performance.

As a way to connect with the audience, Dr. Fowlin captured the personas of multiple
distinct characters. The characters included a young boy in first grade, a college football player, a biracial teenage girl, and a boy with cerebral palsy. Fowlin revealed to his listeners that he had hidden himself within each of these personalities and that he related most closely with the teenage girl who was insecure about her anxiety and racial differences. “It was really interesting how he linked all the different stories together,” said sophomore Fiona Cinquegrana. “I appreciated how unique, yet how realistic each person was.” These divergent characters offered the high school community valuable insight to what Dr. Fowlin meant about not knowing someone until one actually does know them.

Besides giving perspective through the eyes of various individuals, Mykee Fowlin also incorporated his own personal experiences into the performance. He gave the analogy of oysters and pearls. He stated that an oyster must go through some type of pain in order to
signal the process that creates a pearl. Fowlin then talked about his own pain, telling the
audience about the abuse he received when he was younger, his realization about the past, and what happened when he talked to his youth pastor. After he had called his youth pastor, Charlie had told him that he was destined to take his pain and use it to help other people. Mykee revealed that Charlie’s comment had saved his life and now he wants people of all ages to understand that it is okay to be hurting.

Dr. Fowlin next explained that everyone, especially those who are not affected by
prejudice and bias, must speak up for those who are currently tormented. He emphasized that is everyone’s responsibility to be uncomfortable with present standards and stereotypes and to change these attitudes in the world. He also stressed that one person can make the critical difference in another individual’s life. To elaborate on this claim, Fowlin told a story about a man who committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The man’s psychologist found a note in his apartment saying that if one person smiles at him on the way to the bridge he would not jump. The audience contemplated the thought that not one person bothered to acknowledge or smile at the man, making Mykee’s message truly resonate with students and faculty members.

To close his presentation, Mykee Fowlin reiterated the major themes of total inclusion,
accepting that pain is okay, and taking an interactive role in transforming the attitude of the
world. He then recited the poem “Still Here” by Langston Hughes, which encompassed the
essence of the performance. When asked about his overall impression of the assembly, Mr.
Thompson, a history teacher, said, “It was really well put together. I was really impressed at how powerful his message was and I even got teary-eyed at moments.” Principal Sr. Kathy thanked Dr. Fowlin for his wonderful presentation and message and the St. Rose students honored his performance with well-deserved applause. Overall, the assembly was marked as unforgettable and as a truly significant day during this school year. Below is a copy of Langston Hughes’s poem “Still Here.”

been scarred and battered.
My hopes the wind done scattered.
Snow has friz me,
Sun has baked me,
Looks like between ’em they done
Tried to make me
Stop laughin’, stop lovin’, stop livin’-
But I don’t care!
I’m still here!

By: Caroline Lowry ’17, Staff Writer