submitted by Linda Hill

On November 30, 2018 Inclusive Leaders who knew and loved Chris Kruger gathered with family, friends, health workers, and members of his Baha’i community to celebrate his life and his spirit from 1975 to November 22, 2018.

Chris is perhaps best known within our Inclusive Leadership community as being the compassionate and creative videographer who helped youth and adults create our ground-breaking What Do You Do? Anti-Discrimination First Aid video in 2016. 

I felt shocked when Chris let me know back in  June of 2017 that he was ill. I had emailed him to see if he had time to help us make another video. In his very matter of fact and always upbeat and generous way, he wrote,  “Thank you for thinking of me, and yes, I’m happy to help.  I have been sick over the past month and in the hospital; though fine and able to help create a video.  I have a re-diagnosis of brain cancer, it’s going to be pretty serious and I start radiotherapy treatment on June 20th….. I hope I’m still helping in a meaningful way, including making sure the footage is as good as can be.”

Although the dream of making another Inclusive Leadership  video together didn’t become a reality, Chris did continue to find many other ways to be “still helping in a meaningful way”, especially helping his family and circles of friends be as good as we all could be. During the celebration of his life and spirit, we watched a few of the many heartwarming video messages he has made over the years. We laughed together while watching a few of his hilarious video-cards that he made for his family. We were moved deeply by the short documentary he made about his bicycle trip to Iran.

Chris loved connecting with the diverse elements of human nature and more than human nature. He connected with water, wind and rock by surfing, cycling and climbing. He constantly explored, shared, and celebrated unity in diversity. His love of intercultural bridge-building fueled:

• his love of travelling
• his dedication to community service
• and his passion for being the changes he wanted to see in the world

Chris has shared leadership in building Inclusive and welcoming communities with many, many other Inclusive Leaders – including his mother Barb Kruger who brings diverse people together through community gardens, through sponsoring families who are refugees from their home countries, and by showing up in welcoming and inclusive ways as she goes about her daily life in the Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada where she lives.

Chris’s What Do You Do? video is living on as a valuable teaching tool for participants in our Discover Your Inclusive Leadership Potential courses.

• “I am impressed by the rhythm of this video and I was touched by the image of Moses surrounded by his friends; how instead of being angry and alone he had the power of the group.” (Claudia Sanchez, Colombia). 
• “I really like the way the video shows it is not about what I Do , but what we can do as a Team to end violence , racism and bullying.” (Sarita Dutt, Fiji).
• “I am seriously touched by this video. In my country just like other developing countries the citizens are angered by lack of basic infrastructure and the massive looting of the common wealth … I am resolved to inspire myself and my students to change our thinking about what others do. What should we do to change the situation?” (Muhammad Almahroof, Nigeria)

You are invited to join me in celebrating Chris’s life and spirit by watching the What Do You Do? video and a few other inspiring videos that Chris shared leadership in creating.