“Shaka Smart is, without question, a difference-maker,” Pliner told the students. “It’s shameful that his high school experience was marred by ignorance, bigotry and hatred. We cannot change the past here. We must look inward to decide if we’ve changed as a community and as a school. We want to celebrate one of our most successful graduates, but we also want to be certain that students, present and future, do not experience what Shaka had to endure.”
Smart spent most of his formative years living in a one-parent home, with no father to turn to when times were difficult, and that only adds another layer to his incredible display of resiliency. All of these experiences have shaped him into who he is today, yes, but none of it was easy.
And yet to those who know him best, Smart had a way of navigating it all while remaining composed, always looking for a way forward, focused on making things right rather than dwelling on what was wrong.
“He had this ability to take on a whole lot,” said Alfie Olson, a friend who is essentially a fourth brother to Smart, “and be able to handle it.”
‘We have to stay and fight this’
Monica King, Smart’s mother, stood before him and Olson one day during their junior year at Oregon.
Credit: Source link