Ten Things Tuesday

I've been a fan of Cory Booker (Mayor of Newark, NJ)  for quite some time.  I consistently find myself smiling at something he's done or said.  While I'm aware that he's 1) human and 2) a politician, I get a sense of authenticity from him that is severely lacking in our world.  His intelligence, humor, humility, and honesty are all traits to be admired.  Mayor Booker is often asked, "What are you going to do about X, Y, and Z?"  How does he respond?  "I will do this and that, but I can't do it alone.  What will YOU do to help?"  I could go on and on, but I'll just give you this list of ten things I love about Cory Booker.

1. He’s a real-life hero, saving a neighbor from a burning building.  He also helped out at the scene of a car accident, though that’s probably more common that crawling through flames.

2.  He has publicly refused to perform any marriage ceremonies until everyone has the right to marry.

3. He graduated from Stanford, which is also the alma mater of my super cool sister.  He also gave a pretty cool commencement speech there.

 

 4. When a group wanted to interview him, they offered a $250 donation to Newark schools in exchange for his time.  He agreed to the interview and said that he would match the donation…but he didn’t stop there.  He challenged his Twitter followers to donate to Newark schools and matched them, raising approximately $17,000 in three hours.

5. 

6. He admits that he has an ongoing, passionate love affair with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.  Mmm, ice cream.

7. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, when power had been restored to his home, he invited neighbors without power to use his house for food, warmth, and a place to charge their phones.  He was too busy working to be at home, but figured someone should take advantage of the electricity he had.

8. When a follower recently tweeted about transgender friends who were nervous about moving to Newark, he offered to call them personally in an attempt to assuage their fears.

9. He recently invited a Twitter follower to join him in a food stamp challenge, to encourage better understanding the difficulties of a system criticized by so many.

 

10. “Go out there and swear to this world your oath, not with your words, but with what you do. Not with your hand over your heart, but with your hand outstretched to a world that desperately needs your hand, your help, your insights, your creativity, your honor, your courage. It needs you.”