“It has definitely inspired me from a stand point of, the word I’ve been using, Willie, is ‘proximity.’ Proximity allows me to move from passive sympathy to active empathy.”
This is one of the ways in which Montell Jordan has changed since becoming a Special Olympics Champion Ambassador. During an interview on 23 July, 2021 on the Willie Moore Jr Show, the singer also discussed surprising Special Olympics New York athlete Aziza Speight with the news that she would be competing in powerlifting at the Special Olympics USA Games Orlando 2022.
Montell Jordan became a Champion Ambassador in late 2020 but has already worked closely with many athletes and athlete leaders. He told Willie the experience has been a wonderful journey of learning. “There was a time when our world would see people as ‘us’ and ‘them.’ This has opened my eyes that it’s not an ‘us’ and ‘them,’ it’s ‘we.’ I feel that Special Olympics has given me a glimpse into the world of what ‘we’ looks like. [It’s] better when we are in proximity to each other and each other’s stories and each other’s lives.”
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