米歇尔在2014迪拉德大学毕业典礼上的演讲

　　See, and the thing is, when our young people fall behind like that in school, they fall behind inlife. Last year, African Americans were more than twice as likely as whites to be unemployed.They were almost three times as likely to live in poverty. And they were far more likely to endup in prison or be the victims of violent crimes.

　　Now, perhaps when you hear these statistics, you might think to yourself, well, those numbersare terrible, but I’m not part of the problem. And you might be thinking that since you’re notone of those statistics, and you’re sitting here wearing that nice black robe today, you can goon your way and never look back.

　　But folks like you and me, we can’t afford to thinklike that -- never. See, because we’re the lucky ones,and we can never forget that we didn’t get where weare today all on our own. We got here today becauseof so many people who toiled and sweat and bledand died for us -- people like our parents andgrandparents and all those who came before them,people who never dreamed of getting a collegeeducation themselves but who worked, and saved,and sacrificed so that we could be here today. Weowe them. (Applause.) We owe them.

　　And the only way to pay back that debt is by making those same kinds of sacrifices andinvestments for the next generation. And I know sitting here right now, that task could seem abit overwhelming. I know it could seem like the deck is stacked way too high against ouryoung people. And the truth is that some of the problems we face -- structural inequality,schools that lag behind, workplace and housing discrimination -- those problems are too bigfor one person to fix on their own.

　　But that’s still no excuse to stand on the sidelines. Because we know that today, education isstill the key to real and lasting freedom -- it is still true today. So it is now up to us tocultivate that hunger for education in our own lives and in those around us. And we know thathunger is still out there -- we know it.

　　We see it in students like DeShawn and Nicole and all of you who scraped and clawed so youcould make it to this day. We see it in the single moms who work three jobs so their kids mighthave a shot at earning a degree like yours. (Applause.) We see that hunger all around the world-- in that young woman named Malala who was shot on her school bus in Pakistan just forspeaking out in support of girls getting an education, and the more than 200 girls kidnappedfrom their own school in Nigeria for wanting an education -- (applause) -- young people whoare knowingly risking their lives every day just to go to school.

　　And in fact, you’ve seen that hunger right here at Dillard: your valedictorian, three salutatoriansare all from Nigeria. (Applause.) They studied hard at an early age, earned scholarships to comehere to this university, achieved 4.0 GPAs. And now they are off pursuing master’s degrees,work in software development, teaching math and science to young people here in the UnitedStates.

　　See, now, that’s the kind of hunger for education that we have to reignite in all of ourcommunities. It’s the same hunger that gave life to this university, the same hunger thatdefined so many of our parents and grandparents -- including my own. You see, my parentsnever went to college, but they were determined to see me and my brother and all the kids inour neighborhood get a good education. (Applause.)

　　So my mother volunteered at my school -- helping out every day in the front office, makingsure our teachers were doing their jobs, holding their feet to the fire if she thought they werefalling short. I’d walk by the office and there she’d be. (Laughter.) I’d leave class to go to thebathroom, there she’d be again, roaming the halls, looking in the classrooms. And of course, asa kid, I have to say, that was a bit mortifying, having your mother at school all the time.

　　But looking back, I have no doubt that my classmates and I got a better education because shewas looking over those teachers’ shoulders. (Applause.) You see, my mom was not a teacher ora principal or a school board member. But when it came to education, she had that hunger. Soshe believed that our education was very much her business.

　　And we need more people who think and act like my mother, and all those mothers out there,because the education of our young people is all of our business. That’s what Emperor Williamsthought. That’s what the folks here in New Orleans thought as they worked to rebuild thiscampus after Katrina. And as graduates of Dillard University, that’s how we need you to thinkevery single day for the rest of your lives.

　　You all have opportunities and skills and education that so many folks who came before younever could have dreamed of. So just imagine the kind of impact that you’re going to make.Imagine how you can inspire those around you to reach higher and complete their owneducation.

　　And you can start small. Start by volunteering at an after-school program, or helping some highschool kids fill out their college applications. Show them the path that you took. Or you canthink a little bigger -- you can get your entire congregation or your community to start amentoring program; maybe convince your new employer to sponsor scholarships forunderprivileged kids. Or maybe you could think a little higher -- maybe you could run for schoolboard or Congress, or, yes, even President of the United States. (Applause.)