EATON — Students at Eaton High School were treated to a special inspirational visit from Chris Singleton, a former professional athlete drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2017, on Thursday, Oct. 17.

“I heard Chris Singleton’s story about eight or nine years ago, and it’s not a typical sports story. And it’s very moving,” Superintendent Jeff Parker said in introducing Singleton. “I never forgot about it. Watched it several times, and then with us implementing the R Factor for you this school year, and the opportunity came in June, I believe, that Chris Singleton was willing to come here and some other schools and speak. And I know for me it was, ‘We’ve got to have him.’ Because for me, what came to mind was this gentleman’s response, this gentleman’s ‘R’ to an event that happened to him was the ultimate ‘R.’ And I know for me personally too, it’s an inspiration that any any event that happens, I can have a very disciplined and positive response.”

Singleton became an inspirational speaker after his mother was killed in the racially motivated mass shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, on June 17, 2015. He now shares his message of unity and racial reconciliation with various organizations, including NFL and NBA teams and Fortune 500 companies, reaching over 100 organizations and 50,000 students annually. He emphasizes the importance of positive responses to adversity, drawing from his personal experiences and the teachings of Charles Swindoll. Singleton’s mission is to promote love and unity, urging people to choose their responses wisely and to celebrate diversity and resilience.

Singleton’s presentation was preceded by a short film detailing the mass shooting which took his mother’s life, and the reaction to it.

“What an honor it is to be here. I always play this video because I wanted to bring you back the moment and the reason why I started speaking,” Singleton began. “I think this year so far, I’ve been in 70 or so schools, and every time I share my heart is that when I leave the school, it’s more united and it’s a different mindset. For people that have been through things that are tough, just like me. And if you haven’t been through things that are tough, then hopefully I give you some some tools and some tips that when life hits you, you’ll be ready for it.”

Singleton discussed the importance of words and actions, emphasizing that we can choose our response to events beyond one’s control. He shared a personal story about his father’s struggle with alcohol and how small jokes about his father’s condition hurt him deeply.

He encouraged students to be mindful of their words and actions, as they can have a significant impact on others.

Highlighting the importance of empathy and understanding, he also shared a story of a girl who was joked about before finding out she had cancer, with students in her home room and the entire grade level, saying she wasn’t really hurting.

“Once we went on winter break, I found out I had cancer in my left leg,” Singleton said the girl told him. “Whenever I came back to school, and everybody then knew that I wasn’t pretending to be hurt, but actually was fighting for my life, and I didn’t know this the whole time. I had no idea, even today, they thought it was something small, the same people that were laughing at me, saying I was pretending to be hurt and asking for sympathy, those same people that couldn’t even look me in the face because they felt so ashamed. They were humiliated by the fact that they were being cruel and being mean.”

“I know for a fact that today, in this school, right now, in this high school, there’s some people that are going through things they haven’t told you,” Singleton said. “Even though you’re a friend, on the same team; you guys are in the same band, whatever it is — there’s some things they haven’t told you about. They’re struggling with them, and you can make a joke about it, having absolutely no clue that they’re actually struggling with that very same thing. And my mission is that we realize how important our words are. It can be small to you, but it’s not small to everybody.”

Singleton introduced the concept of unity and response, explaining through a quote from Swindoll that individuals can control only 10 percent of their lives, while the other 90 percent is their response. He emphasized the importance of choosing a positive response to adversity.

“That means that 10 percent of all our lives we simply do not choose. That’s all the events that happen to us or for us. We don’t choose those things.”

Singleton said part of his 10 percent was the shooter who took his mother’s life.

“This guy took nine lives. Six of those bullets entered my mom, my hero, taking her life and her breath away forever. See, that’s my 10 percent — my mom was killed. I have suffered one of life’s curses. If I could go back in time. I would definitely change everything.

“She’s my 10 percent. My 90 percent is promising, my mom, ‘I can’t bring you back, mom,’ nor can I bring back the other eight people that were taken away. What I can be is the opposite of this guy. His mission was to get people to hate each other so much in the celebration on this country. My mission is to unite every single place that I know. I want us to be united regardless of what we look like. That is my response. It chose what happens to me. But I can choose the way that I respond to things I don’t control. That’s why I’m so passionate on this mission of unity,” he said.

“I ask of you all, as I leave your school, that every single morning you can celebrate each other, regardless of what we’re from, regardless of what we look like, and you can teach love,” Singleton advised the students.

Reach Eddie Mowen Jr. at 937-683-4061 and follow on X @emowenjr.