GETTING IN THE WAY Historic civil rights leader speaks to 2008 graduating class
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othing came easily to those who chose to get in the way of the segregated South in the mid-20th century. But nothing would have come at all had the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement chose to stand on the sidelines. The voice of Civil Rights leader Dr. John Lewis thundered through the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center during the 171st Commencement ceremony in mid-May as he encouraged the newest Marietta College graduates to find issues that matter to them and to stand boldly against the stream of apathy deepening those problems. Introduced by Board of Trustee President and friend Patricia Loreno Willis ’70, U.S. Congressman Lewis (D-Ga.) received an honorary doctorate of humane letters from President Jean Scott and Provost Rita Smith Kipp. Once the honorary hooding took place, Lewis delivered an electrifying speech that brought the thousands of people in the DBRC to their feet. “The most pressing challenge in our society today is defined by the methods we use to defend the dignity of humankind,” Lewis said. “Too often we are stuck in the trappings of a comfortable life. If you want a better society, you cannot wait for Marietta College to do it. You cannot wait for the government to do it. You cannot wait for your friends or family to do it.” Lewis spoke of his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement and how during his childhood most young African Americans were encouraged to accept not being able to live in the same free country as their white counterLearn more about the latest donations made to the Anderson Hancock Planetarium on page 10.
parts. On more than one occasion, he had shed blood for the right to vote. He had seen the inside of a jail cell more than 40 times in order to peacefully gain the right to cast a ballot. A defining moment for Lewis came when he was a 15-year-old boy in rural Alabama. He heard the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the radio speak of a woman who stood up for equal rights for African Americans by peacefully sitting in the wrong seat at the right time. “He was talking about the courage of one woman, who was filled with the discipline and philosophy of non-violence. He was talking about Rosa Parks.” King’s message of gaining equality through non-violent means resonated with Lewis and inspired the young man to answer King’s call to action. Lewis believed that change could happen without engaging segregationists in a physical battle, though he had many times “shed blood for the cause.” Lewis told the graduating students that, because of their abilities and opportunities in life, it is their responsibility to push further for change and to make tomorrow’s generations better by what they do today. “You have the power to lead a non-violent revolution of values and ideas in America and around the globe,” Lewis said. “If you use that power, if you continue to pursue a standard of excellence in your daily lives, then a new and better world —a Beloved Community—is yours to build. — GS
Additional 2008 Commencement coverage can be found on page 6. A photo gallery of the day can be seen at www.marietta.edu/news/galleries/commencement_2008/