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Mary Hoyt's Domestic Trips Files
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Atlanta, Georgia, 6/11/80
Folder Citation: Collection: Records of the First Lady's Office; Series: Mary Hoyt's
Domestic Trip Files; Folder: Atlanta, Georgia, 6/11/80; Container 18
To See Complete Finding Aid:
http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/library/findingaids/First_Lady's_Officepdf
?
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
É
5/1/80
To:
Nancy Jordan
mm
w
From: Cee Cee Jakovich
Presidential Scheduling
E
182 OEOB
As I mentioned on the telephone,
U.S. Parole Commissioner Benjamin
Malcolm, a Morehouse alumnus, will
be in the audience for commencement
next week.
Jo Carpenter from our press office
suggested that Mrs. Carter or the
Pres. (if he had gone) might want
to recognize Mr. Malcolmain the
audience as a Presidential appointee
from Morehouse.
Jo Carpenter has more info on
Mr. Malcolm (x2100) Commissioner
Malcolm is on 724-7325.
Thanks.
Advance
P.S. RSC's usss Lead, is also
a Morehouse alumnus - Maybe
we can recognize him also.
NKJ
7-
THE WHITE HOUSE file simplare
jyI
WASHINGTON
DATE:
5/7/80
TO: FAITH
The only honorary degree RSC has received
SO far is from Tift College. This was a
Doctor of Humanities Degree. The citation
states that she is being honored as First
Lady, a trusted advisor to the President,
a daughter, mother, and grandmother, and
a concerned, compassionate, creative campaigner
for Christian causes.
marchance Regree Car professor
4
th woman
(Lentyne rice
caretta king
first not couple - M.L. first Kings were
FROM: Carol Emig
Room 212
East Wing
Ext. 7136
changing liberal challenge i
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE
4:45
Lh. gloster - Marchouse
1) imphasize P's
Commitment to black colleges
(Louis martin)
all Fed agency - applications - Fed programs
2) Refer to his Hon. climslys
United hegro Calege fund
Campaign - (See is statement)
3) also use Executive
arder to consideration of
applications -(larger of grants? number )
4) Prior to election / P
received Hon Degree - 1974
"First marehouse man Mi the
white House"
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE
Coved also mention (Pt
maynard Jachson hicked
off 20 mullion Campaign
172 - when gonerne. - KSC -
was there (23million raised !)
Contribution of blach enleges
m u U.S.
Closeness of Carter's to
marchause -
-
MOREHOUSE COLLEGE
ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30314 Telephone: Area Code 404/681-2800, Ext. 441
Office of the President
April 21, 1980
houses invitation
Yuonne king
gsf
Mrs. Rosalynn Carter
The White House
Martin Luther King, Jr. Chapel
Washington, D. C.
West View Drive
Dear Mrs. Carter:
off Ashley
I am pleased to inform you that the Board of Trustees of Morehouse College
has approved the awarding of the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane letters
to you during Commencement Exercises at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 11.
I sincerely trust that you will be able to come here to receive the degree,
which may not be conferred in absentia, and also that your husband, President
Jimmy Carter, will be able to serve as our Commencement speaker. If you
can be present, please let us know whether you will bring your own cap and
gown or whether you wish us to order them for you. If you want us to order
them, please send immediately your height and hat sizes.
You and President Carter are invited to attend a Commencement Luncheon at
12 noon on May 11 in honor of honorary degree recipients and faculty members
who have received the Ph. D. degree during the past year and, following the
Commencement Exercises, a reception in honor of graduating seniors and their
families.
Please send a glossy photograph for use in publicity as well as a biographi-
cal sketch with any additional notes that might be useful in your citation.
Feature articles on you would be good sources of information.
The College does not cover travel expenses for recipients of honorary degrees
but does take care of meals, lodging, and hospitality in Atlanta. Mrs. Gloster
and I would be pleased to have you and the President as our house guests
during your stay in Atlanta if this is at all feasible.
We are looking forward to your participating in our Commencement Exercises
and also to having President Carter serve as our principal speaker, and
we sincerely trust that the two of you will be able to be present.
Warmest regards and best wishes.
Sincerely yours,
Augh he. slaster
HMG:yak
Hugh M. Gloster
President
FUND
APR 28 1980
Olivan
OVER A CENTURY OF SERVICE BUILDING MEN
5/9/80
MARY--
MOREHOUSE APPLICATION FOR
LOW-INTEREST HOUSING LOAN
I spoke with Sharon Mizell at HUD about Morehouse's
application for a low-interest loan (3% over 40 years)
to build dormitories. Morehouse filed this application
in 1979 under the College Loan Program and was turned
down. (Thirty schools received funding under this program--
Morehouse ranked about 50th.) It is likely that Morehouse
will resubmit its applicationnthis year.
There is a provision in the College Loan Program
that 10% of the program's money be set aside for historically
black colleges, which is obviously to Morehouse's advantage.
Nevertheless, Ms. Mizell doubted that Morehouse would receive
a loan--there are simply too many other schools (including
black schools) that have a greater need.
Carol
THE PRESIDENT'S CHARGE TO THE SENIOR CLASS
by
Hugh M. Gloster, President of Morehouse College
Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Chapel
3 p.m.
Morehouse College
May 11
Atlanta, Georgia
1980
Members of the Graduating Class:
This is the day when you complete your college studies and
obtain your baccalaureate degrees, but it is not a day of ending.
To the contrary, it is a day of beginning; and therefore it is called
commencement day.
Beginning today, as you enter the world of work or continue
your studies in graduate or professional school, you can make a
fresh start in life. Starting now, you have what the Romans called
a tabula rasa or a clean sheet; and there is not a blemish on your
record. On this occasion, therefore, I challenge each of you to try
to keep your record unmarred by developing yourself and by helping
your fellow man to the limit of your ability.
Morehouse has filled you with the oil of knowledge. What are
you going to do with this oil which your parents have bought with
great sacrifice? Are you going to let this oil leak and waste away?
Are you going to use it to gain wealth and power for yourself? Are
you going to use it to burn and destroy others? Or are you going
to use it to provide light and comfort for humanity? I hope and
pray that each of you will want to give as much as you receive as
a result of obtaining the oil of knowledge from Morehouse College.
As you leave this school, please remember that a Morehouse
Man is expected not only to succeed in his field of specialization
-2-
but also to help the downtrodden of our race, our country, and our
world. You must be more than a successful physician, dentist,
lawyer, businessman, engineer, teacher, or minister: you must also
be a constructive citizen and a dedicated humanitarian. And some of
you, following in the footsteps of Howard Thurman and Martin Luther
King Jr, must be emancipators and even saviors.
The journey from the cradle to the grave is unbelievably
short, and each of us travels this road only once. What kind of a
record will you make? Will you loaf and waste your life away? Will
you let drinks or drugs destroy your parents' dreams and wreck your
family? Will you use your education to exploit the illiterate and
the poor? Or will you use your knowledge to help and lift your
fellow man? I hope and pray that you will live in such a way that
God and humanity will rejoice that you were born.
Always remember that Morehouse goes up or down as you go up
or down. When you succeed, Morehouse triumphs. When you fail,
Morehouse goes down in defeat.
Also bear in mind that Morehouse men always meet challenges,
and therefore I am asking, as you leave your Alma Mater, to repeat
these words after me:
If there's an ocean, we cross it.
If there's a disease, we cure it.
If there's a wrong, we right it.
If there's a record, we break it.
And, finally, if there's a mountain, we climb it.
CITATION TO ROSALYNN SMITH CARTER
as delived
by
Hugh M. Gloster, President of Morehouse College
Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Chapel
3 p.m.
Morehouse College
May 11
Atlanta, Georgia
1980
Rosalynn Smith Carter:
Neither the Constitution nor any other governmental document
defines the duties and responsibilities of the First Lady of the
United States. As a result, each First Lady has been free to
support her husband in the way that she deemed best; and Presidents'
wives have participated in varying degrees in affairs of state
during their residence in the White House.
MOST Many informed observers feel that you are the most varsatile
(age.)
and supportive First Lady in the history of this country. Like
Martha Washington, you are a devoted wife and mother. Like Abigail
Adams, you are an informed and intelligent advisor. Like Dolly
Madison, you are a gracious and charming hostess. Like Eleanor
Roosevelt, you are a valuable participant in election campaigns
and an effective emissary to foreign countries. As a personal
representative of the President, you have already visited Europe,
Asia, and Latin America. During the 1976 campaign you worked in
41 states, and you will probably surpass this record in the current
drive
Like Eleanor Roosevelt again, you have shown deep concern for
earnearly
the disadvantaged and have tried to improve their lot in life. As
First Lady of Georgia, you served as a member of the Governor's
Commission to Improve Services for the Mentally and Emotionally
Handicapped. As First Lady of the United States, you have been
concerned with problems of mental health and needs of the elderly.
You have served as a member of the Board of Directors of the
-2-
National Association for Mental Health and as Honorary Chairperson
of the Presidential Commission on Mental Health,
which made a report
containing recommendations included in the Mental Health Systems
Relatik
Act presented to Congress last May.
In an address to the World
Health Organization in 1979 you urged all countries to make an
international approach to the solution of health problems. In the
atlanta and
United States- and especially in Washington-- you have worked in
programs for the ill, the aged, and the underprivileged. You have
backed the Equal Rights Amendment, and you have assisted in the
close with drind
development of the Martin Luther King Center for Social Change. CS King
Since the time when you were First Lady of Georgia, you have
shown deep interest in black colleges and especially in Morehouse.
Along with your husband, you were on hand for the launching of our
we hadgoal of so m Ransed 25m,
Second-Century Development Campaign in 1972. n You have supported
the President in his capacity as Honorary Chairman of the current
United Negro College Fund Capital Campaign and in his executive
order requiring federal agencies to grant more awards and contracts
black
to deserving black colleges. You have also supported our successful
efforts to start the third predominantly black medical school at
this institution.
In recognition of your many talents as a First Lady and your
sincere concern for the disabled and disadvantaged, we are pleased
to honor you today. Therefore, upon the recommendation of the
Faculty and by virtue of the authority vested in me as President
by the Board of Trustees of Morehouse College, I hereby confer
upon you the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, with all
the rights, privileges, and responsibilities thereunto appertaining.
Executive Summary: Report on the President's Black College Initiative
On January 17, 1979, President Carter issued a memorandum to 52 federal
departments and agencies directing them to explore ways to increase the
participation of historically black institutions in federal programs. The
departments and agencies were directed, where appropriate, to establish goals
which would increase black college participation in federal programs over
1978 levels.
This report represents an analysis of federal support to historically
black institutions from twenty-three federal departments and agencies for
Fiscal Years 1978 and 1979 and projected support to these institutions
for Fiscal Year 1980. All departments and agencies which committed sig-
nificant levels of support to colleges and universities during the years
covered in the report were examined. The pattern of agency support to
historically black institutions is compared to the pattern of agency support
to all other colleges and universities.
Support is examined in the context of funding to historically black
institutions. Historically Black Institutions are a group of about 105
public and private institutions which were established in 17 states to
provide educational opportunities for black citizens in segregated systems
of higher education. While the history of these institutions is often
widely recognized, contemporary educational analysis seldom acknowledges
that these small institutions continue to provide almost half the baccalau-
reate degrees recieved by black Americans. That is, about 90 four-year,
historically black institutions award approximately the same number of
baccalaureate degrees to black Americans as the number awarded by about 1500
predominantly white institutions.
Page 2
The government-wide response to President Carter's memorandum was mixed.
Twelve departments and agencies increased their obligations in Fiscal Year
1979 by 20% or more over the previous year with the most notable increases
occurring at the Departments of Commerce and Labor. Significant increases
were also noted at the Justice Department and the Department of Housing
and Urban Development. The Environmental Protection Agency, the Department
of Transportation, the National Science Foundation, and the Agency for
International Development reported significant decreases.
The twenty-three departments and agencies examined in this report
obligated $379 million to historically black institutions or 4.9% of
$7.7 billion obligated to all colleges and universities in Fiscal Year 1978.
The same departments and agencies obligated $394.4 million or 4.4% of $8.9
billion obligated in Fiscal Year 1979. The amount obligated to historically
black institutions increased by $15 million between Fiscal Years 1978 and 1979,
but black college participation declined as a percentage of federal support
to all colleges and universities.
Departments and agencies project obligations of $9.8 billion to all
colleges and universities and $472.9 million or 4.8% of total obligations
to historically black institutions in Fiscal Year 1980. Of the projected
$78.5 million increase however, 96% is an anticipated $75 million increase
in student financial aid projected by the Department of Health, Education,
and Welfare. Discussions with student financial assistance officials
suggest that the projected increase is unrealistic. Without the projected
increase in student financial assistance, departments and agencies project
a total increase of $3.5 million, or less than a 1% increase to historically
black colleges in Fiscal Year 1980.
The President's memorandum should be reissued. This new memorandum should
designate the Secretary of Education as the federal official responsible for
providing administrative support to a government-wide initiative, and require all
Page 3
federal departments and agencies with obligations of $1 million or more to colleges
and universities to establish appropriate funding goals for Fiscal Years 1980,
1981, and 1982. The memorandum should mandate the appointment of a liaison in
each department and agency with authority to initiate and oversee departmental
activity designed to increase the participation of Historically Black Institutions
in federal programs.
In addition to reissuing of the memorandum, the government-wide response
could be significantly improved if:
0
Federal program managers become familiar with the different capabilities
and interests of the historically black institutions;
O
Departments and agencies are encouraged to undertake joint activities
where they share similar programmatic objectives;
o
Program managers are encouraged to make grants large enough to support
significant activity at the institutions rather than small, limited
purpose grants;
Program regulations and requirements are reviewed to assure that smaller
institutions are not arbitrarily excluded from program activities;
o
The peer review process at departments and agencies includes individuals
who are sensitive to the capabilities and needs of historically black
institutions.
In the transition from a Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to
a Department of Education, particular attention should be paid to assuring that
the historic commitment to black colleges is retained within certain programs.
Programs of particular sensitivity during the transition are:
0
The Student Financial Assistance Programs
0
The Developing Institutions Program
0
The Housing Loan Program
0
The Minority Institutions Science Improvement Program
Page 4
There are a number of barriers to increasing black college participation
in federal programs. One such barrier is lack of regular or past contact be-
tween the institutions and many of the federal agencies. The varied size,
location, and capabilities among the institutions require that federal officials
increase contact with the institutions in order to understand the wide range
of approaches which must be taken in order to assist as many institutions as
possible. The number and effectiveness of minority focused programs within
the agencies should be reviewed. Agencies should also increase communica-
tions between themselves, and where possible, undertake interagency efforts.
More than half of federal assistance to historically black institutions
is in the form of financial assistance to low income students. Federal financial
assistance policies have a greater impact upon enrollment and operation at
historically black institutions than at institutions generally. Federal
financial aid policies should be reviewed to determine whether or not accom-
panying regulations and requirements place a disproportionate burden upon
small institutions with large percentages of low-income students.
Historically black institutions do not participate in federal research and
development activities to any significant degree. This is important because
federal expenditures to colleges and universities continue to show significant
increases in the research and development sector. About 10% of the histori-
cally black institutions already possess the necessary infrastructure to
significantly increase their participation in federal research and development
programs. Other institutions have unique capabilities to evaluate the impact
of federal policies upon specific domestic and foreign communities. An effort
to strengthen historically black colleges must include a directed effort to
increase their participation in the research, development, and evaluation
programs of the federal agencies.
Page 5
A coordinated effort which targets specific departments and agencies for
action in Fiscal Years 1980 and 1981 is needed to improve the government-wide
response to the President's memorandum. As part of this effort, an overall
fiscal goal should be set for a government-wide response to the President's
memorandum.
This report identifies twelve departments and agencies for specific
attention in Fiscal Years 1980 and 1981. More aggressive attention to the
objectives of the President's memorandum within these agencies would result
in a significant increase in support to the historically black institutions.
In suggesting specific goals for the identified departments and agencies,
care was taken to project levels of support which could be attained within
current resource levels. Support to historically black institutions, accord-
ing to these projections, could be increased by $50 to $60 million without
distorting the budgets or program objectives of the agencies.
MAY 11, 1980
AS DELIVERED
MOREHOUSE COLLEGE - - ATLANTA, GEORGIA
RSC's REMARKS
THANK YOU, DR. GLOSTER. IT IS AN HONOR FOR ME TO BE HERE
TODAY, AND IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK HOME, TOO, THE PRESIDENT AND I FEEL
VERY CLOSE TO THE MOREHOUSE FAMILY.
WE ESPECIALLY REMEMBER THE HONORARY DEGREE YOU BESTOWED UPON
MY HUSBAND IN 1975. You SAID THEN, "THE ROAD FROM PLAINS TO THE
WHITE HOUSE IS LONG, ROCKY AND UPHILL ALL THE WAY; YOU ARE TRAVELING
THIS ROAD WITH INTELLIGENCE, COMMITMENT, COURAGE AND DETERMINATION."
WE REMEMBER YOUR WORDS AND YOUR CONFIDENCE.
WE REMEMBER ALSO WORKING TOGETHER TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THIS
GREAT COLLEGE WHEN JIMMY WAS GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA. HE SPEAKS OFTEN
ABOUT THE IMPACT ON OUR NATION OF THE COURAGEOUS BLACK COLLEGES, AND HE
LENDS HIS UNSWERVING SUPPORT AS PRESIDENT TO THE UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE
FUND.
HE ALSO HAS ISSUED ORDERS TO ALL DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES OF
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO INCREASE BLACK COLLEGE PARTICIPATION IN
ALL FEDERAL PROGRAMS, AND I WOULD LIKE TO QUOTE HOM ON THAT SUBJECT:
"BLACK COLLEGES HAVE NEVER BEEN WEAK," HE HAS SAID. "THEY'VE
NEVER BEEN UNCERTAIN. THEY'VE NEVER BEEN DOUBTFUL. THEIR ACCOMPLISH-
MENTS HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED BY ALL WHO HAVE OBSERVED THEM. THEY HAVE
COME TO REPRESENT A UNIQUE SYMBOL OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN ALL ITS BROAD
CATEGORIES."
-2-
THE CARTERS HAVE HAD WONDERFUL TIMES TOGETHER WITH MOREHOUSE
COLLEGE FACULTY AND STUDENTS OVER THE YEARS. You HELPED US TO CELEBRATE
OUR INAUGURATION BY SENDING THE GLEE CLUB TO WASHINGTON IN 1976; AND
THEY CAME AGAIN IN 1978 FOR A RECEPTION AT THE WHITE HOUSE FOR THE
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. CENTER FOR SOCIAL CHANGE.
AND MY HUSBAND IS PROUD TO BE "THE FIRST MOREHOUSE MAN IN THE
WHITE HOUSE." AND I AM SURE HE WILL NOT BE THE LAST ONE!
THIS IS A BITTERSWEET TIME FOR THE PRESIDENT. HE HAS so MANY
PLANS FOR OUR COUNTRY, BUT DIFFICULT AND PROFOUND ISSUES CRY FOR
ATTENTION IF WE ARE TO ACHIEVE OUR DREAMS. THESE ARE HOURS IN OUR
NATIONAL HISTORY FOR MAKING PAINFUL DECISIONS ABOUT COMPLEX ISSUES --
ISSUES THAT GO TO THE HEART OF THE FREEDOM, EQUALITY, JUSTICE AND
SECURITY WHICH ARE THE BASIC RIGHTS OF EVERY PERSON ON THIS EARTH.
AND THE PRESIDENT IS MAKING THESE PAINFUL DECISIONS. HE IS
TAKING ACTION TO ALLEVIATE A BROAD RANGE OF PROBLEMS THAT CHALLENGE
OUR VERY WAY OF LIFE. FOR EXAMPLE:
-- ACTIONS THAT WILL BRING ABOUT THE FREEDOM OF 53 AMERICAN
CITIZENS HELD HOSTAGE IN IRAN;
-- ACTIONS THAT WILL WARN THE RUSSIANS THAT BRUTAL AGGRESSION
IN AFGHANISTAN -- OR IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY -- WILL NEVER
BE TOLERATED BY THE FREE WORLD;
-- ACTIONS THAT WILL INSURE A BEACON OF LIBERTY IN OUR LAND
FOR ALL STARVING OR OPPRESSED OR HOMELESS PEOPLE SEEKING
OUR SHORES;
-3-
-- ACTIONS THAT WILL EASE SUFFERING AND GIVE HOPE TO THE
POOR, THE WEAK, THE NEEDY, THE HANDICAPPED, THE ELDERLY,
THE MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY AFFLICTED,
EVEN IN THIS TIME OF SPENDING RESTRAINTS, HE IS WORKING
VERY HARD TO BE SURE THAT THOSE WHO NEED GOVERNMENT SERVICES MOST
DO NOT SUFFER UNFAIRLY. THERE HAVE BEEN NO CUTS IN: SOCIAL SECURITY,
MEDICARE AND MEDICAID, SSI, AFDC, BLACK COLLEGES PROGRAMS -- 27%
INCREASE -- HEAD START, MEALS ON WHEELS, MINORITY BUSINESS ASSISTANCE,
ELDERLY HOUSING PROGRAMS, ELDERLY NUTRITION PROGRAMS, CIVIL RIGHTS
ENFORCEMENT, SUMMER YOUTH JOBS PROGRAMS -- ONE NEW PROGRAM, TRAINING
AND EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO NEED HELP
AND A JOB,
WE LIVE TODAY IN A WORLD OF CONSTRUCTIVE REVOLUTION, A MAJOR
PART OF WHICH HAD ITS BIRTH HERE AT MOREHOUSE. YOUR PERSISTENT AND
COURAGEOUS DEMAND THAT RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION BE ENDED IN OUR LAND
HAS NOT ONLY TRANSFORMED AMERICAN SOCIETAL STRUCTURES, BUT HAS INSPIRED
MANY OTHERS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD TO SEEK THE ESTABLISHMENT AND PRO-
TECTION OF THEIR BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS, THE STRUGGLE IS NOT OVER EITHER
HERE OR OVERSEAS, FOR WE CAN NEVER BE SATISFIED WHEN HUMAN BEINGS ARE
DEPRIVED OF ADEQUATE FOOD, HOUSING, MEDICAL CARE, EMPLOYMENT AND
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY, POLITICAL INFLUENCE, SOCIAL JUSTICE OR SELF
RESPECT.
BUT BECAUSE OF MOREHOUSE MEN LIKE DR. BENJAMIN MAYS, DR. GLOSTER,
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., JULIAN BOND, MAYNARD JACKSON, AND OTHERS WHOM
THEM HAVE INFLUENCED -- LIKE ANDREW YOUNG -- AND JIMMY CARTER -- WE
HAVE MADE GOOD PROGRESS, MOST LEGAL IMPEDIMENTS TO EQUALITY HAVE BEEN
REMOVED, AND MANY FORMER ACTIVISTS WHO WERE JAILED BECAUSE OF THEIR
STRUGGLE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS ARE NOW ADMINISTERING PROGRAMS TO INSURE
OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE SUFFERED FROM DISCRIMINATION.
-4-
THE MAYORS OF Los ANGELES, NEW ORLEANS, ATLANTA, GARY, NEWARK,
DETROIT AND MANY OTHER CITIES HAVE OVERCOME THE FORMER EXCLUSION FROM
POLITICAL LEADERSHIP. DURING THE LAST 3 YEARS, WE HAVE SEEN MORE BLACK
JUDGES SEATED IN THE U.S. FEDERAL COURTS THAN IN ALL THE PREVIOUS
HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY,
IN HIGH POSITIONS IN THIS ADMINISTRATION, IN THE CONGRESS, IN
BUSINESS, IN EDUCATION AND IN OTHER PROFESSIONS, OUR COUNTRY IS
BENEFITING FROM THIS NEW LEADERSHIP, BUT WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY
TO GO, IT WOULD BE A TRAGEDY IF YOU -- IF ALL OF US -- DID NOT
CONTINUE THIS PROGRESS.
As GRADUATES THIS YEAR, YOU ARE PROBABLY BETTER PREPARED TO
TAKE ACTION IN A COMPLEX WORLD THAN ANY OTHER GENERATION IN HISTORY,
YOUR LEGACY IS ACTIVISM. You KNOW THE NECESSITY FOR SETTING
PRIORITIES IN AN AGE OF TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION EXPLOSION. You
HAVE BEEN TAUGHT THE VALUE OF SOUND JUDGMENT AND PERSPECTIVE IN AN
AGE OF VIRTUALLY INSTANT COMMUNICATIONS. You KNOW MORE. You HAVE
SEEN MORE.
You HAVE ACCUMULATED AN AWESOME RESERVOIR OF IDEAS AND IMAGES
AND PERCEPTIONS,
You, TOO, HAVE EXPERIENCED THE BURDEN OF MAKING CHOICES THAT
COUNT WHEN THINGS SEEM TO BE so VERY COMPLICATED!
WE ARE ALL COMING TO UNDERSTAND THAT SIMPLISTIC ANSWERS WON'T
DO IN THE 80's. SUPERFICIAL SOLUTIONS ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR OUR
PEOPLE,
AND THUS IT FALLS ON EACH OF US TO ACT COURAGEOUSLY AND
DECISIVELY -- FOR THE GOOD OF OUR OWN COUNTRY,
-5-
AND SURELY THE FINEST GUIDELINE YOU CAN FOLLOW IS YOUR OWN
COLLEGE MOTTO -- TO "STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE AND LEADERSHIP IN WORLD
AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS."
YOUR SUCCESS WILL BE LIMITED ONLY BY YOUR OWN AMBITION AS
INDIVIDUALS. AND YOU CAN BE CONFIDENT. THE CIRCLE OF LOVE AND
TRUST AND FRIENDSHIP HERE TODAY AND THE VALUES THAT YOU HAVE EVOLVED
DURING YOUR YEARS AT MOREHOUSE COLLEGE WILL HELP YOU DEAL NOT ONLY
WITH YOUR PERSONAL LIVES, BUT WITH OUR GREAT, BUT IMPERFECT SOCIETY,
MANY YEARS AGO, WILLIAM JAMES SAID, "OUR COLLEGES OUGHT TO
HAVE LIT UP IN US A LASTING RELISH FOR THE BETTER KIND OF MAN, A
LOSS OF APPETITE FOR MEDIOCRITIES." THIS CAMPUS HAS NEVER HAN AN
APPETITE FOR MEDIOCRITY, YOUR PREDECESSORS HELD EXCELLENCE ABOVE
ALL. AND THEY UNDERSTOOD THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THEIR YEARS HERE, THEY
HAD COURAGE. THEY WERE WILLING TO FIGHT FOR JUSTICE.
You ARE GRADUATING IN A NEW DECADE, WHICH IS TRADITIONALLY
A TIME OF FRESH BEGINNINGS. AND IN SPITE OF OUR PROBLEMS, THESE
CAN BE VERY GOOD YEARS -- YEARS OF OPPORTUNITY AND GREAT CHALLENGE.
WE MUST MEET THE PROMISE OF THE 1980's AND NOT BE so MYOPIC
ABOUT OUR PROBLEMS THAT WE FAIL TO SEE OUR OPPORTUNITIES:
CAN WE HAVE A FUTURE WITH OUR COUNTRY STRONG AND AT PEACE?
CAN WE HAVE A FUTURE FUELED BY ENERGY FROM OUR OWN NATURAL
RESOURCES SUCH AS THE SUN?
CAN WE HAE A FUTURE IN WHICH EVERY CHILD IS WELL NOURISHED,
HEALTHY, AND EDUCATED TO FULLY USE ALL OF HIS OR HER GOD-GIVEN TALENTS?
A FUTURE FREE FROM WANT AND DISCRIMINATION AND FEAR?
-6-
CAN WE HAVE A FUTURE IN WHICH EVERY PERSON IN OUR COUNTRY
HAS THE FREEDOM OF A FULL, CONTRIBUTING, SATISFYING AND HAPPY LIFE?
ONE IN WHICH THE PEOPLE OF OUR COUNTRY CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER --
CARE ABOUT THE HAPPINESS AND WELL BEING OF OUR FELLOW MAN,
AND CAN WE REACH BEYOND OURSELVES -- TO MAKE OUR COUNTRY A
SYMBOL FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE OF WHAT IS GOOD AND RIGHT -- BASED
ON OUR MORALITY AND COMPASSION AND CONCERN FOR HUMAN RIGHTS FOR ALL
PEOPLE?
THE ANSWER TO ALL THESE QUESTIONS CAN BE "YES." THE OPPORTUNITY
IS HERE. WE CAN HAVE THAT FUTURE WE ALL DREAM ABOUT. AND YOU, THE
GRADUATING CLASS OF 1980, HAVE -- NOT ONLY THE OPPORTUNITY, BUT ALSO
THE OBLIGATION -- TO HELP SHAPE THAT FUTURE. THROUGH YOUR WORDS,
YOUR ACTIONS -- YES, THROUGH YOUR DEMANDS, YOU CAN HELP ASSURE FOR
GENERATIONS TO COME "FREEDOM" IN ALL ASPECTS OF THE WORD.
FOR WE ALL KNOW THAT THE ULTIMATE TEST OF OUR LIVES IS NOT
JUST FAME OR WEALTH, BUT IN HOW WE SERVE God AND -- IN so DOING -- HOW
WE SERVE OUR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS IN THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM,
AND so AS YOU GRADUATE TODAY, I REMIND YOU THAT YOUR EDUCATION
HAS FAR-REACHING IMPLICATIONS FOR THIS NATION, You ARE BLESSED
BECAUSE YOU LIVE IN A COUNTRY THAT IS STRONG, DYNAMIC, CHANGING,
UNITED AND FREE. You ARE BLESSED BECAUSE YOU LIVE IN A NATION THAT
RECOGNIZES THE WORTH OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL AND BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN
EDUCATED TO BE AMBITIOUS, HOPEFUL AND COURAGEOUS PERSONS.
I HOPE YOU SHARE MY CONFIDENCE TODAY -- BECAUSE YOU HOLD
THE POWER TO MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE. WORKING TOGETHER, YOU CAN HONOR
MOREHOUSE AS IT HAS HONORED YOU -- AND, EXPANDING YOUR OWN LIVES,
YOU CAN HELP MAKE THIS COUNTRY EVEN GREATER IN THE FUTURE.
COMMENCEMENT
Morehouse College
1980
* ET FACTA THE GEORGIA FACTA EST COLLEGE LUX
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. MEMORIAL CHAPEL
SUNDAY, MAY 11, 1980
3:00 P.M.
1867
One Hundred and Thirteenth Anniversary
1980