In a soft voice, Kabir Sehgal '05 calmly recalled an experience with discrimination when a visiting musician at Dartmouth called him a terrorist. In the aftermath of the remarks and under the advice of his mentor and godfather, renowned civil rights activist Andrew Young, Sehgal began to respond to such comments with kindness, as recollected in the book, "Walk in My Shoes: Conversations Between a Civil Rights Legend and His Godson on the Journey Ahead," co-authored with Young. The book is scheduled for release May 11.
The comment stemmed from the then-recent Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to Sehgal. After hearing the offensive remark, Sehgal phoned Young, and had one of many conversations recorded for the duo's new book.
"It's basically a book of advice," Sehgal said. "It's inspired by [Young] and his stories."
During the civil rights movement, Young protested alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. as a top aide and friend. He also was appointed U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in 1977 and elected mayor of Atlanta in 1981.
"My role in this work gradually changed from being merely a silent stand-in for those of us beginning to find our way to someone who prompts, questions and, at times, challenges," Sehgal said in the book's introduction.
While "Walk in My Shoes" largely consists of Young's insight, Sehgal was the one who wrote the book, he said.
"I wrote the entire thing it's in my voice," he said. "The entire project was probably a two-year project, but it took four months [to write]."
Sehgal wanted to document Young's knowledge to benefit others, he said.
"I felt like that it was important for me to share Andy's wisdom with the world," Sehgal said.
In chapters with unusual titles like, "A Macroeconomist Teaches a Nation to Fish," and "Sleep In, Don't Brush Other People's Teeth and Find Your Own Way," Young's advice to readers includes following intuition, responding to racism with kindness and even working at McDonald's to learn business management.
"It's almost uncomfortable how honest he is," Sehgal said. "But he makes you think, and that's the whole point of the book."
Before writing the work, Young warned Sehgal of his honesty, Sehgal said.
"He said to me, Listen, you ask the questions, and I'll promise you no bullshit,'" Sehgal said.
The book will probably appeal to high school and college graduates, according to Sehgal.
"It's a book that you stick in your back pocket after you hear your commencement address," he said. "Uncle Andy says a lot of things your commencement speaker may not share with you."
While Young did much of his civil rights and diplomatic work decades ago, his advice remains relevant to a younger age group, according to Sehgal.
"It's a book that bridges generations," he said. "We did a book signing the other day in [Washington,] D.C., and some lady picked up 20 copies for her graduating seniors."
The book also communicates the importance of mentoring, according to Sehgal.
"The burden of education is sharing it," he said. "Always mentor those who are coming after you."
To promote the book, Sehgal is scheduled for a book tour, book events and multiple book signings across the nation. Sehgal's tour may also include a signing at the Dartmouth Bookstore during his five-year class reunion, he said.
Sehgal currently works at JPMorgan Chase and is a founding member of Music for Tomorrow, a group that helps event organizers book jazz bands and musicians. MFT donates all of its proceeds to "charitable causes that support the New Orleans creative economy," according to the organization's website.
