by Charles H. Crawford
Since humans gazed upon the first forests and found the tall trees towering in majesty and beauty above them, we have always revered and taken a degree of comfort from their reassuring presence. Our poetry, our music and our legends are filled with allusions to the graceful giants of the woods, and in their essence lies a powerful lesson for all of us in ACB.
Just as the mighty oak grows strong and tall with its roots planted in fertile ground, so too has ACB reached skyward, stretching its branches to all from a foundation nourished by our democracy, our values and our ideals. Like the mighty oaks, so too have we become a symbol of strength and reassurance for those who seek shelter from the storms of injustice and marginalization.
Truly our founders gave of themselves when they broke the ground and with loving hands planted the seeds of what we would become. Even though they could not be with us as we turn toward the half-century of our growth, we treasure their courageous dedication to freedom and democracy and their belief in the value of every member's contribution, as we struggle to spread our roots and uplift the spirit of our community as high as our talents and dreams could go.
For whom does the tall oak stand? It is for us and all who treasure liberty and justice. It is for the most humble and for the greatest among us. For we are the organization that has emerged from those seeds planted so long ago, and our challenge is to honor our roots, to live our democracy, and to make sure that all who come to visit this tall oak are welcomed and invited to find rest in our shade, take strength from our presence and know that we are always there for them just as every person knows the tall oak trees of the forest are a place of tranquility and inspiration for all who seek them out and cherish their meaning.