BEMIDJI — With over 2,000 people standing at attention, waiting for the commencement of the fourth annual Unified basketball game at Bemidji High School, Daniel Norton was given a microphone. The BHS junior joined Unified during the second semester of his freshman year. He had played in the yearly Unified basketball extravaganza before, but he was more of a spectator during the past pregame festivities. But with age comes responsibility, and Norton was tasked with giving a speech about the harmful effects of using the R-word. “Oh, yes,” Norton answered emphatically when asked if he had nerves about addressing the crowd. “There’s no way I can lie and say...
