Campbell student quotes today's visiting author: 'If you don't see yourself, be yourself'

CAMPBELL

If he forgets everything else a New York Times best-selling young-adult fiction writer said, Anthony Kantaras likely will remember one of her quotes for a long time: “If you don’t see yourself, be yourself.”

After all, the Campbell Memorial High School junior has those words stored on his iPhone.

“It means that you are different, that your voice has meaning and your words have power,” Kantaras explained after having heard author Nic Stone address him and many of his fellow students during her visit to the school Tuesday.

The two-hour gathering, along with her appearance Tuesday morning at the Newport branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, was part of a celebration of Black History Month.

“The world is always changing, so as people, we must change with it. We have to realize our strength is in our differences,”

Kantaras added.

His observation also echoed a core theme of Stone’s presentation: that it’s vital to take a bold stand against racism, sexism, inequality, hatred, homophobia, misogyny and other societal ills that divide people.

Read more about her visit in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.