Our country lost a great man this week — a man respected by the countless… men, women, varied ethnicity and partisan leaning. Hear the wisdom embedded in some of his most poignant remarks, made at the spring of 1994 commencement address at Howard University. Hear the words of Gen. Colin Powell [all emphasis mine]:
“… I believe with all my heart that Howard must continue to serve as an institution of learning excellence where freedom of speech is strongly encouraged and rigorously protected. That is at the very essence of a great university and Howard is a great university. And freedom of speech means permitting the widest range of views to be presented for debate, however controversial those views may be. The first amendment right of free speech is intended to protect the controversial and even outrageous word, and not just comforting platitudes, too mundane to need protection… I also have complete confidence in the students of Howard to make informed, educated judgments about what they hear. But for this freedom to hear all views, you bear a burden to sort out wisdom from foolishness.
There is great wisdom in the message of self-reliance, of education, of hard work, and of the need to raise strong families. There is utter foolishness, evil and danger in the message of hatred, or of condoning violence, however cleverly the message is packaged or entertainingly it is presented. We must find nothing to stand up and cheer about or applaud in a message of racial or ethnic hatred.
I was at the inauguration of President Mandela in South Africa earlier this week… Together, we saw what can happen when people stop hating and begin reconciling… Last week you also saw Prime Minister Rabin and PLO Chairman Arafat sign another agreement on their still difficult, long road to peace, trying to end hundreds of years of hatred and two generations of violence…
In these two historic events, intractable enemies of the past have shown how you can join hands to create a force of moral authority more powerful than any army and which can change the world. Although there are still places of darkness in the world where the light of reconciliation has not penetrated, these two beacons of hope show what can be done when men and women of good will work together for peace and for progress.
There is a message in these two historic events for us assembled here today. As the world goes forward, we cannot start going backward. African-Americans have come too far and we have too far yet to go to take a detour into the swamp of hatred. We, as a people who have suffered so much from the hatred of others, must not now show tolerance for any movement or
philosophy that has at its core the hatred of Jews or of anyone else. Our future lies in the philosophy of love and understanding and caring and building. Not of hatred and tearing down…
… You have been given citizenship in a country like none other on Earth; with opportunities available to you like nowhere else on Earth; beyond anything available to me when I sat in a place similar to this 36 years ago. What will be asked of you is hard work. Nothing will be handed to you. You are entering a life of continuous study and struggle to achieve your goals. A life of searching to find that which you do well and love doing. Never stop seeking.
I want you to have faith in yourselves. I want you to believe to the depth of your soul that you can accomplish any task that you set your mind and energy to. I want you to be proud of your heritage. Study your origins. Teach your children racial pride and draw strength and inspiration from the cultures of our forbearers. Not as a way of drawing back from American society and its European roots. But as a way of showing that there are other roots as well.
African and Caribbean roots that are also a source of nourishment for the American family tree. To show that African-Americans are more than a product of our slave experience. To show that our varied backgrounds are as rich as that of any other American; not better or greater, but every bit as equal. Our black heritage must be a foundation stone we can build on, not a place to withdraw into. I want you to fight racism. But remember, as Doctor King and Doctor Mandela have taught us, racism is a disease of the racist. Never let it become yours…
Racism is a disease you can help cure here by standing up for your rights and by your commitment to excellence and to performance. By being ready to take advantage of your rights and the opportunities that will come from those rights. Never let the dying hand of racism rest on your shoulder, weighing you down. Let racism always be someone else’s burden to carry.
As you seek your way in the world, never fail to find a way to serve your community. Use your education and your success in life to help those still trapped in cycles of poverty and violence.
Above all, never lose faith in America. Its faults are yours to fix, not to curse. America is a family. There may be differences and disputes in the family but we must not allow the family to be broken into warring factions. From the diversity of our people, let us draw strength and not cause weakness.
Believe in America with all your heart and soul and mind. It remains the `last best hope of Earth.’ You are its inheritors and its future is today placed in your hands. Go forth from this place today inspired by those who went before you. Go forth with the love of your families and the blessings of your teachers. Go forth to make this a better country and society. Prosper, raise strong families, remembering that all you will leave behind is your good works and your children. Go forth with my humble congratulations. And let your dreams be your only limitations…”
No doubt a great man. A wise one, too.
Respectfully…
AR