OAKLEAF – Retired Vice Admiral David Brewer watched the evolution of the civil rights movement from the late 1950s. He lived in an area of central Florida where his parents could vote, although this was not the norm in the south. From a young age, he knew better than to take that freedom for granted.

“My parents could vote. They had a voice,” Brewer said.

Brewer shared his perspective on the civil rights movement, which had economic and political sides. Many of the same struggles from the Civil Rights Era are still felt today. Progress has not been a straight line, he said. Progress is more like a sine wave. Despite our problems – and because we have the freedom to think for ourselves and the ability to stand up for others – we get it right eventually, he said.

As a retired vice admiral, Brewer shared a fitting analogy.

“America is like a ship. We have weathered through many storms in our history,” he said.

Our nation is like a ship and every election allows us, the constituents, to chart the next course. There are many hands on the helm and there will be many more. Despite our nation’s tumultuous history, there is hope.

“The youth will one day lead us,” he said.