Monday, June 26, 2006

One by one, sisters earn Harvard honours

Click here to read a cool article about a wonderfully accomplished family and the amazing parents who created a truly nurturing and encouraging environment for their five daughters.

But one thing moved me to tears:

Her late husband's quiet, smiling demeanour masked a fierce will and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, she says. He had a penchant for quoting African proverbs and metaphor-laden parables, which the girls ate up, Ms. Maxwell recounts with a laugh.

"The children were always mesmerized by what he had to say."

Despite his own academic pedigree, Dr. Maxwell's career was stalled by racism, a fate he endured mainly in silence.

"They saw his black face and they'd make up their minds about him," Ms. Maxwell said of her husband's patients and colleagues. "My husband did not get a fair shake in Canada."

Sounds like Canada didn't realize the treasure it had ... I hope his daughters never have to encounter the ignorance their father did.

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