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President, Dr. Tim Hall, Provost, Dr. Jose Herrera, Dean for the School of
Social and Behavioral Science – Dr. Karol Dean, Board Members, Faculty,
students, guest and graduates. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to
make the world a better place and you have the courage to take on this
challenge.
sciences, you will enter a field that is extremely difficult to navigate but
the problems we are asked to solve. Let me give you an example. Today’s
the history of The Children’s Village. The Children’s Village was founded
in 1851 to care for children who were legally separated from their parents.
Who were these children? They were New York City’s poor. In 1851 they
were poor, white and mostly, Ashkenazi Jews and non-English speaking
placed at The Children’s Village were Irish Catholic. No, they were not
Today, the children legally separated from their parents in New York City
are still poor but disproportionately black and increasingly, they are brown.
York City. In New York City and across our nation, Black children are
separated from their families faster, they stay longer in the system - -
sometimes their entire childhood, and they often exit with the worst
possible outcomes. Here is a fact you must remember. Almost 75% of the
children separated from parents each year are separated for neglect. Less
than 15% are separated for abuse. Neglect is a condition most closely
related to poverty. Neglect is not abuse, but most people want to believe
that we work with children who have been abused. This false assumption
Village can be a family to a child. At The Children’s Village, we say that all
Let me leave you with one more thought that I am keenly attuned to.
Today we speak about race, inclusion and equity in ways that I could not
person of color like me, does not mean that we have moved beyond our
native tribes. Too many among the historically disadvantage are still
excluded and not chosen. We must change this behavior. Don’t get me
wrong, I want to be chosen, but everyone deserves the privilege of being
chosen. Like all of you, I worked very hard, and I was prepared, but my
The battle for equity will be long and it will take all of us of all colors, all
faiths and all backgrounds working together to win it. It will demand that
we push past the racial anxiety that too often prevents us from engaging
the democracy that we all want, rather than the one we were given. Don’t
let the haters scare and divide us. Speak-up! I know that freedom of
greatest strength and our best protection. Listen and engage. Help others
diversity, you will find allies of all colors, all faiths and all backgrounds.
Here is a fact that you already know - we can’t change history, but every
most strength is the great American Paradox. Despite all that I have said
about our history and our pervasive social injustice. Here in this great
nation, poverty and rejection does not have to limit us. Sure, it makes the
journey harder, but here in these United States, people still achieve their
dreams every day. Any one of us in this room can be anything that we want
to be. Never forget this and never let the optimism you experience today
leave you.
Thank you. I hope to meet some of you in your journey as you make our