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The Merciad
Est. 1929 Vol. 88 No. 3
Mercyhurst university
Wednesday, septeMber 24, 2014
Breaking down bad barriers RJ Mitte comes to Mercyhurst as part of speaker series
By Nathan Turner News Editor
“Breaking Bad” star RJ Mitte spoke at Mercyhurst on Tuesday, Sept. 23, about conquering obstacles and overcoming adversity. Mitte, who plays Walter Junior on the hit drama, spoke as part of the Distinguished Speaker series. The event was open only to Mercyhurst students and filled the Performing Arts Center. The actor spoke with students on his own struggle with cerebral palsy, as well as the work he did in advocating for people with disabilities, work which includes collaborations with the Diversity Division of the Equal Employment Opportunity Department of the U.S. government, Shriner’s Hospital for Children, United Cerebral Palsy and Actors Equity. In his 30-minute speech, Mitte’s message was one of service. “You have to be willing to be the first person,” he said. “You have to be willing to make an impact in people’s lives.” Mitte asked students to utilize their ability to make an impact for the better, and not letting the fear of getting involved prevent from helping someone who needs it. He gave the example of his own life, growing up in Louisiana and receiving occupational therapy and speech therapy to help treat his cerebral palsy. The treatment included bending tendons to repair the deformities in his feet, which required extensive casting and re-casting over a period of six months.
Sami Rapp photo
RJ Mitte, famous for his role on television show “Breaking Bad” as Walter White Jr., came to Mercyhurst on Tuesday as part of the Distinguished Speaker series.
“I got really good at cutting them off,” said Mitte. “I learned at a very young age that if you happen to fall into a pool, they just kind of unravel. I was a very clumsy child.” Mitte said he grew up thinking he was the same as everyone else, but later learned this was not the case and eventually came to think of his disability as an “asset,” despite being bullied, one incident going so far
to leave his hand broken. The “asset” forms the basis of many of his roles, including three roles where he successively played characters who had cerebral palsy, paralysis and muscular dystrophy. However, the issue of bullying is one that Mitte still addresses in his work. He works with PACER’s National Center for Bullying Prevention and has stated in previous interviews
that he “pities” the people who bullied him. “I’m pretty good at seeing people for who they are and what they are,” said Mitte. “I learned that they’re not bullying me because of my differences. They’re bullying me because of their differences and because of who they are and what they’re dealing with.” Over the course of the lecture, he gave advice to those
who are being bullied, regardless of whether it’s due to disability, sexual orientation, race or any reason. “It’s the same advice. Take that negative energy that they’re sending you and use it as fuel against them. Because your success will only irritate them more. You can’t grow without a little bit of suffering. You will never learn if you don’t have conflict,” he said.
After his 30-minute speech, Mitte took questions from the audience. When asked what he would be doing if he wasn’t acting Mitte was direct. “I’d probably be fishing.”
@TheMerciad
Charity sending medical supplies to Ebola-striken Liberia By Catherine Rainey Staff writer
Community of Caring, a local nonprofit, sent medical supplies to the victims of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia. The organization is dedicated to meeting the physical and spiritual needs of impoverished people throughout the world, focusing specifically on issues of hunger, homelessness and illness. For two weeks starting Sept. 8, the organization col-
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lected sanitation and medical supplies including gloves, bleaches, disinfectants and other items to prevent contact with infected materials, according to Dr. Grace Kennedy, Executive Director of Community of Caring. The shipment was sent on Sept. 17. “We took them to Cleveland where they were packed into a container where they were shipped,” she said. “The 20-foot container has an estimated value of over $126,000.”
Some of the supplies were donated by an organization called MedWish in Cleveland. The shipment is due to arrive in Liberia on Oct. 7. Community of Caring made the decision to send supplies to Liberia because of their connections to the country. The Rev. Charles Kennedy and Mother Mary Beth Kennedy, founders of Community of Caring, were missionaries there, and that is where Kennedy was born. “We have a long history of involvement with Liberia so
when this came out we felt we needed to do something to help,” Kennedy said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is a total count of 2,710 cases and 1,459 total deaths in Liberia due to Ebola as of Sept. 14. Ebola is a deadly hemorrhagic fever that is contracted from animals and spread via human bodily fluids. “I think people have no clue about the severity of the situation and severity of the need. Liberia’s heath care system
was already deteriorating,” said Kennedy. “Hunger is becoming an issue, prices and everything have gone up. It’s a very difficult situation.” The biggest challenge in Community of Caring’s relief efforts was the cost. Dr. Kennedy said the total cost is going to be about $10,000. So far about $3,000 has been donated. No one from their organization has been to Liberia recently, but they do keep in contact with people who are there.
Right now no future shipments are planned, Kennedy said. “This one was all medical supplies. We may send another one in the future with food and clothing but right now we don’t have plans for that,” said Kennedy. She did, however, stress the importance of helping people abroad in these types of situations. “The world is becoming a smaller place and it really does matter.” @TheMerciad
Online Poll Results Will you be attending the RJ Mitte lecture? 36% Yes, I support his drive to raise awareness for cerebral palsy 23% Yes, I love “Breaking Bad” 23% No, I’m not a fan of the show and what it stands for 18% Where is Walter White, Sr.? Be sure to vote in this week’s online poll: Are you planning on getting one of this year’s free flu shots?
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