Conversations Magazine, March/April 2024

Conversations Magazine, March/April 2024

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Take Pleasure in Learning: Actor/Producer/TV Personality and Author LeVar Burton

by Cyrus Webb

I have been a fan of LeVar Burton since I was a kid. For me before he was a part of Star Trek he was the host of Reading Rainbow, the show that made me want to have a platform to encourage reading and meaningful conversations. To talk with him about life, his impact on others and the possibilities for us all was not just inspiring but something that I know will remind you that your life can have an impact on others.

 LeVar, you have been able to touch so many lives through your work, especially through the platform that is Reading Rainbow. What has it been like for you to use your life as an example as to what is possible?
It has been truly remarkable. My mom was an English teacher, and she always had several books for her own personal pleasure. Reading for me was like breathing. It is a natural part of the human experience. All the work is because of the woman my mother is, and that has allowed me to humbly have the impact that I have.

I can definitely agree with that. Part of the great thing is that books can connect us all and share life lessons that can change our lives. Have you always understood that impact?
You know I have! Some people say you are what you eat. I genuinely believe you are what you read. I am aware of how my life has been enhanced by being a lifelong reader. I genuinely believe if you are literate in at least one language you are my definition of free. A lifelong reader has the ability to be a lifelong learner. If you are a learner for life then you are a dangerous individual, because you don’t have to take anyone’s word for anything. You can read and learn for yourself.

I know there is a link between that which we imagine and that which we manifest in this realm. It is the imagination that connects us all. It’s also our imagination that connects us to our birth right that is storytelling.

Stay connected with Levar on social media: www.facebook.com/levarburton www.twitter.com/levarburton

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