Local student's speech highlights real problem with society

Respect is a word that has been lectured about, sung about and preached about, but as one student noted, the world seems to have to forgotten what this word really means.

Tyra Medicine Bear of Harlem High School wrote a speech last year, her freshman year, as an assignment for Erik Murri's English class. The theme, she said, was to write something akin to the Gettysburg Address, in content and social impact.

"So I just thought, 'What's a big problem in our society and our nation that could be somewhat impacted by a good speech?'" Medicine Bear said.

That problem, Medicine Bear said, is respect.

"Respect is probably one of the biggest problems in today's society," she said. "I feel like the more society expands, the worse it gets because people just don't teach their kids or their relatives how to respect people like they should. I feel like that's the reason our society is so bad as it is because there's no respect like there used to be."

She said she researched statistics on crimes that were motivated by race and sexual orientation. These statistics are included in her speech as well.

The speech took about two weeks for her to write and she had three people proofread it, she added.

She turned the speech in last year but renewed interest has brought her speech to the forefront again.

Her mother, Lynette Medicine Bear, said she read the final draft for the first time about a month ago.

"We discussed it," her mother said. "These are things we talk about at our home. I was impressed."

Tyra Medicine Bear said Murri had asked her to present the speech to the school during an assembly but she was apprehensive about reading the speech because she felt the speech wasn't good enough. However, several people did tell her how good her speech was, she added.

Her mother thought she should give the speech in front of the school, she said, although she has not.

Despite her talent for writing speeches, Medicine Bear said, she is considering a career in medicine as a pediatric oncologist.

Medicine Bear said she hopes that by getting her speech out there, people will try to remember what it means to respect one another.

"I feel like it would impact some lives," she added. "At least some people who are willing to listen."