Rockford Files star. Oscar nominee. Offbeat leading man. Civil rights fighter?

You may not identify him by the last title, but, as diversity and inclusion speaker Joe Gerstandt notes in a blog post, television and film star James Garner, who died Sunday at age 86, was active in the civil rights movement. In one prime example, Garner took part in the 1963 March on Washington, along with several other celebrities of the time.

It was a bold stance for the self-described “bleeding-heart liberal,” as the march was one of the first political actions many actors took during the post-McCarthyism era. Gerstandt says there’s an important lesson in that.

“It is important to remember those who stood up, spoke up, took risks. It is also important for us to remember that a lot did nothing,” he writes.

Those willing to take risks for diversity deserve credit, he continues: “Being in the fight is hard work. It can be lonely. There is risk involved. It is also pretty easy and safe to not be in the fight…even for good people. But we also cannot lose sight of the fact that the difference is significant.”

A Subreddit for Association Pros

Reddit has a reputation for drawing out the more interesting parts of the internet—and now that includes some smart thoughts on association management.

The AssociationMgt subreddit, organized by Partners in Association Management’s William Lessley, features a wide variety of useful links from the association world,  including voices big and small. Who knows, you might find some strokes of brilliance there that you wouldn’t have expected!

The community is still new, so be sure to give it a look—and upvote something, will ya?

Other good reads

If you use Facebook to find interesting links (like many internet surfers do), you may enjoy its new “save” feature.

Talking about how swamped you are is a self-fulfilling prophecy; LifeHacker explains.

Don’t waste your time focusing on improving your weaknesses, Inc.com columnist Paul B. Brown argues. Instead, concentrate on things you are already good at, trying to excel in these areas to make the most of your potential.

James Garner, right, shown during his "Rockford Files" heyday. (Wikimedia Commons)