Then Scarpo shared a story about his mother giving him a thimble before he left home after college. He said she told him to "fill it to the top with love, care and respect" for himself. He explained how hate can take invisible forms and why having a personal thimble allows someone to stand up to hatred. He gave examples of hidden hate, like a landlord refusing a lease to someone based on race, gender, or sexual orientation.
"The worst form of hate in this world is that which you will never know," he said.
Scarpo gave more insight on hate and his method of counteracting it: one person at a time. "We believe that every one of you can change the world starting yesterday," he said.
A film was shown that depicted the families of hate crime victims as well as a former neo-Nazi skinhead who changed his ways. The documentary not only told of the horrors of the crimes, but also showed ways that communities were ending hatred. Friends of Matthew Shepard stood in silence dressed as angels to "rise above the hate."
At the close of the film, the phrase "the journey begins with me. . ." remained on the screen. Scarpo encouraged the audience to create dialogues amongst diverse groups and throw stones into a pond that "make ripples of love."
Rebecca Roberts (junior-education) had seen Scarpo speak before. He addressed a leadership conference for Alpha Xi Delta sorority, which Roberts and others attended.
"We fell in love with the program this summer," said Roberts, vice president of public relations for Penn State's Alpha Xi Delta chapter, which helped sponsor last night's event. "We came back and were raving about it."
Similar to Scarpo's comment that each audience member was called to the presentation last night, students felt they were in the right place by participating in "Journey."
"There's a lot of be done and I want to learn how to do what's necessary to spread love and get rid of the hate," said Jamie Adgerson (senior-business concepts and cross-cultural communication).
Adgerson, moved by the presentation, asked Scarpo if she could share a song with the audience. She sang part of "The Things We Do" by Yolanda Adams after the program. As people lingered to hear Adgerson sing, many of them clutched the thimbles they had received or placed them in the safety of their pockets. The thimbles made some students want to take action against hatred immediately. "I can't go home and sit around after this," said Nora O'Callaghan (freshman-advertising and public relations). "It was just amazing."
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