Teamsters who attended the 28th convention in Las Vegas last week are clamoring for this youtube video of 10-year-old Christopher Duffley. Well, here it is.
The New Hampshire boy sang "Lean on Me" after General Secretary-Treasurer Tom Keegel, who's retiring, said an emotional farewell to 6,000 Teamsters at the Paris Hotel. Teamsters generally pride themselves on not crying, but Christopher managed to move many to tears.
Brother Sean Murphy, president of Local 25 in Boston, first introduced Christopher earlier that day:
You know, as union leaders, we’re always looking to find inspiration, we’re always looking to find ways to get that fire burning back in our bellies, to make certain that we do what we do best for our members; that’s to protect, preserve and improve working conditions. Recently on May 7th, I found that inspiration.
And that inspiration is a young man who has brought me to another level to think about what’s really important in life. This person, this young man, wasn’t born with the best cards in life. He was born autistic and blind. He’s a ten-year-old warrior in my eyes. Teamsters Local 25 —You can see Christopher tonight sing the National Anthem at Fenway Park. And you can see highlights from the Teamsters convention -- including a performance by Tom Morello and some rock 'em, sock 'em speeches by Vice President Joe Biden and Newark Mayor Cory Booker, here.
(Applause)
Teamsters Local 25, along with Brother Terry Hancock, tirelessly work to make certain that we improve the lives not only of children with autism, but also the families that are affected by autism. You know, it gives me great honor to introduce a young man that has courage, conviction, determination and, most importantly, inspiration.
