1
0
This is a great time of year because a whole new wave of college commencement addresses come rolling in from around this awesome place – which belongs to all of us — called the United States of America.
Each year I never know what I might find in these oratory attempts, but I’m looking for one that moves me emotionally with more power and impact than all the others, one that is genuine and brings forth a new way to tackle this topic of graduating that is so challenging because it’s been talked about countless times.
This year I found that one – and it’s a treasure and joyride, an oratorical masterpiece delivered with the same power and conviction as Martin Luther King when he gave his “I Have a Dream Speech.”
A few days ago in Atlanta, a professor of African American Studies at Clark Atlanta University, Dr. Daniel Black, roused up the students, faculty, and all others watching with gospel-preaching-like intensity, divine eloquence, melodic cadences, rhymes, repetitions of refrains, and a tone gushing with hope for the graduating class. He let them know he is certain in his belief in the great things they would accomplish in their lives, doubters be damned.
Right from the start he took over the scene with these arresting words of inspiration and excitement I’ve never seen or heard at the start of a speech of any kind.
Here they come, y’all.
Here they come.
Doctors, lawyers, writers, business owners, teachers, psychologists and sociologists.
The crowd roars realizing he started right in with high-octane energy.
Here they come y’all.
Here they come.
Embryologists, computer scientists mechanical engineers.
The list continues with many other “ists.” Behind him on stage faculty members stand and cheer. He kept naming more and more professionals as if they were a cavalcade of horses rolling through a Western town, taking over the place.
Painters, actors dancers…
Here they come.
Having juiced the crowd from the jump, he waved his left arm letting you know he was excited about the inspirational words he was sharing with the Class of 2024. Describing them, he said:
The hope of the angels, the promise of the ancestors.
The answers to grandmomma’s prayers.
Here they come.
The cure to cancer is sitting right here.
The crowd keeps cheering.
The antidote to sickle cell anemia is sitting right here.
More cheers. He works the crowd he now owns. They eagerly await his next line.
The great negotiator of war and peace is sitting right here.
Here they come.
Listen, Clark Atlanta University, home of the Holy Ghost.
People doubted you. But here you are anyway. Somebody said “No way,” but the Holy Ghost said “Hell Yeah.”
Listen, if Harriet Tubman ran to freedom you can run to your destiny
Don’t waste your time comparing yourself to other people when God is your guide and God is your hope.
He shifts gears. Says a bit about other colleges.
There are other schools around.
The crowd knows where he’s going. During a few seconds of quiet, he takes off his glasses, and then smiles.
“But they’re not like us.”
A punch line powerfully delivered.
Good schools. Great schools. But they’re not like us.
Then some playful poetry, red meat thrown to the crowd to devour.
This is CAU, the proud, the few.
The place where excellence debuts.
If you want some knowledge,
Don’t just go to a college.
Get to CAU.
Where ignorance is taboo.
These people don’t know you.
Next the crescendo — an A+ — because it convinces graduates they will achieve greatness no matter who doubts them.
They don’t think you’re going to be a lawyer.
But you are.
They don’t think you’re going to get into medical school.
But you are.
They don’t think you’re going to teach in public schools and change the way black children see themselves.
But you are.
They don’t know you’re going to open a new business that no one has ever heard of.
But you are.
Then he appeals to the inner joy and having fun – regardless of the obstacles they will inevitably face.
Dance references.
When people doubt you, graduates, get up and dance.
When people laugh at you, graduates, get up and dance.
When people don’t believe in you, get up and dance.
When you gotta wash your drawers by hand, get up and dance.
And remember one thing. There are other schools around.
He waves his arms and fingers.
But they’re not like us.
And there’s no commencement speaker like this man.
You can see the whole speech here:
Author Profile
-
Sammy Sportface, a sports blogger, galvanizes, inspires, and amuses The Baby Boomer Brotherhood. And you can learn about his vision and join this group's Facebook page here:
Sammy Sportface Has a Vision -- Check It Out
Sammy Sportface -- The Baby Boomer Brotherhood Blog -- Facebook Page
Latest entries
BonusJune 16, 2024Invitation to My Friend, John Williams: Let’s Talk Again
BonusJune 15, 2024Caitlin Clark’s Mental State: We Should All Be Concerned
BonusJune 14, 2024Unbeatable Theatre: U.S. Olympics Swimming Trials Start in Two Days
BasketballJune 13, 2024Wishing Jerry West Peace: A Troubled Terrific Life