For the quotes of my two chosen contributors form their commencement speeches given for graduate level grads
The first lesson is there is no free lunch in life. Don't feel entitled to anything you don't sweat and struggle for. Help our nation that it's not entitled to world leadership based on the past, or on what we say rather than how well we perform and meet changing world needs.
For those who are minority in this college class, I hope you will never take anything for granted in America, even with a Muhlenberg degree. And, we need to all be concerned as racial intolerance resurges across our land. It may be wrapped up in new euphemisms, and in better etiquette, but as Frederick Douglass warned us earlier it's the "same old snake."
And for any graduates who feel entitled to leadership by accidental birth or color of skin, let me remind that you that the world that you already live in is two-thirds non-white and poor. And that our nation is becoming a mosaic of greater diversity that you are going to have to understand and respect and work with.
I hope each of you will struggle to continue to achieve and not think for a moment that you've got it made. I know you won't ever be lazy. Do your homework. Pay attention to detail. Take care and pride in your work and take the initiative in creating your own opportunity. And don't wait around for other people to discover you, or do you a favor. Don't assume a door is closed…and if it is closed today, don't assume it's closed tomorrow. Keep pushing on it. Don't ever stop learning and improving your mind, because if you do you are going to be left behind. ~Marian Wright Edelman, Founder and President, Children's Defense Fund
"We see children for who they are; remarkable human beings who are just beginning to discover the world in all it contains and provide adults with dilemmas, challenges, joys, and heartaches, as we try to make sense of how they see the world, why they do what they do, and what we should do in response." ~Dr. Samuel Miesels, Ed.D, President Emeritus of Erikson Institute, a graduate educational institution preparing child development professionals
My most memorable quotes about passion, motivation, and wisdom from the professionals in the media segment week 2 are from Ray Hernandez, "As a professional in early childhood we have the unique opportunity to work with children." The final quote was from Renatta M. Cooper, "All education is a civil rights issue. This is equity work."
Monique,
ReplyDeleteI love this quote...
"For those who are minority in this college class, I hope you will never take anything for granted in America, even with a Muhlenberg degree. And, we need to all be concerned as racial intolerance resurges across our land. It may be wrapped up in new euphemisms, and in better etiquette, but as Frederick Douglass warned us earlier it's the "same old snake."
So true, and as a woman of color, I often say that I have two strikes against me...I am African American...and I am a woman. Prejudice is in no way limited to the color of our skin....it includes gender as well. While we as a nation have come a long way from days of old, we still have a long way to go. My goal as an educator is to build up the children I educate regardless of race religion gender or economic standing...for we all may be victims of some type of prejudice, but that doesn't have to define who we are or what we do with our lives.