To the super-bad Dr. Breaux, to your faculty, staff, family, and friends of the Class of 2025, thank you for what you have done to teach, inspire and love this year's graduating class.
And I'd like to congratulate you, the Class of 2025. You have done the hard work, and today is your reward. You’re prepared to take on the world with your trademark Bowie Boldness.
And we’re celebrating you. And we need you and what you’ll offer the world more than ever. You’re ready for what’s next and guess what—the world is ready for you. I know you’re stepping out into a world that feels cold. Maybe it feels harsh … maybe it feels uncertain.
But education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Those were the words of a brave and principled leader, President Nelson Mandela.
It was Nelson Mandela who was a young revolutionary. And he had a burning inside of him to correct the mistreatment of his people. It was his closely-held beliefs that kept him steady.
He believed in a constitutional democracy. He believed in equality for all people. He believed every adult should have the right to vote. And every action he took was guided by the belief in human dignity and peace and the power of reconciliation.
And it was those beliefs that caused him to spend 27 years in prison.
Now can you imagine becoming the most wanted fugitive in South Africa for simply supporting human dignity. Envision facing a courtroom that threatened life imprisonment because he fought for justice against government-sanctioned hate.
He didn’t back down. It takes boldness to hold on to your principles in the depths of a South African prison for 27 years when simply renouncing those principles would have immediately relieved his suffering.
But those years, the fire still burned – and not for himself. Because of the countless letters that he wrote while in prison, many pleaded for better treatment of his fellow inmates. Others advocated for the families of political prisoners. And they all proclaimed his unwavering faith that justice would prevail. And when it did, because it always does, he became president of the very country that oppressed and jailed him. And he also became a beacon of hope for not only his country but people all around the world.
To Mandela, true leadership stands on principle, not popularity – because times change. And what’s popular today might not be popular tomorrow. True leadership sets the example, and others follow.
It’s a similar boldness that your founders showed when they pressed through resistance and doubt to start what is now Bowie State University.
And because they led, generations have had their lives changed by the promise of education. Because they pushed forward, now others follow behind what is the oldest historically Black college in the state of Maryland.
Because they had the courage of their convictions, Bowie State celebrates 160 years this year and is only growing stronger in reputation as a research institution.
Because they did the right thing and didn’t wait to see what the polling said, Bowie State has produced freedom fighters, civil servants, and creative giants.
Because they stood strong on the right side of history, you’re here this morning, Class of 2025. You are born to be bold and you are ready to graduate. You have a mission to fulfill.
Every single one of you has prepared yourselves for your various professions. Some of you will heal. Some of you will teach. Some of you will discover. Some of you will reform broken systems.
You have a destiny, a purpose to make this world better. But reaching it won’t be easy.
The truth of the matter is that, no matter how talented you are, no one will hand you the success that you deserve. You’re going to have to work for it. And in spite of the incredible legacy and success of Bowie State graduates, you’re going to face at times the absolute ignorance of those who will question your qualifications and competencies. But be clear — you belong in every room you step in. And believe me when I say that your very presence will change the room. So be present. Be bold. Be confident.
Sometimes, being true to yourself and standing firm on your principles will lead you to face some uncomfortable moments.
They will be moments that challenge who you are and what you believe in. They’ll challenge your faith that you can reach the goals you set out to accomplish.
And I know you’ve already discovered this. Discomfort is a reality in this life. You could run from it. You could try to avoid it.
But boldness doesn’t hide from a little hard work and it doesn’t run from challenges. This university has prepared you to overcome those moments.
And in my experience, I’ve learned that in order to be great you have to withstand some discomfort. In fact, you should know that just when you’re on the precipice of greatness, you’ll start to feel some discomfort.
I’ve become familiar with discomfort. I’ve sat with it, stayed up through sleepless nights. I’ve pushed my way through uncertain moments, like the ones that have surely visited you during the course of this journey.
It hasn’t been easy. But those moments have driven you to get up every day and work towards your goals. You’ve learned, I’m sure by now, to lean in, because you know that when you lean in and when the discomfort comes, that means you’re almost there. And once you get to the other side, I can assure you, it’s always worth it. Success feels so much sweeter after the struggle.
You’ve experienced it already. You’re all here this morning excited for the days to come because you’ve gotten through some struggles that the world will never see. You’ve pushed through … you’ve kept the faith … and now you can celebrate.
Now we all want the comfort that comes with convenience. But real convenience comes after you’ve worked and done the hard part. I have come to understand and to accept that convenience is on the other side of inconvenience.
So, in those moments of discomfort, remember the reward that’s on the other side. And remember you’re prepared for this moment.
And when you push through, because we know that you will, it will empower you to face the next test. And the great beauty is that your boldness and your discipline will provide opportunities for others as well as yourself. You will not only create great prosperity for yourself but we expect that you will create great prosperity for our communities and for generations to come.
Creating opportunities for others will be the most rewarding part of your journey, but it will take endurance to get there.
Nelson Mandela’s story endures through history because he endured. He never let the conditions of this world or the world around him determine what he believed in.
Class of 2025, you know who you are. You know what you believe. And today’s commencement is proof positive that you have what it takes to succeed.
Now, you might look around at the current state of the world and wonder if I know at all what I’m talking about. Because it seems like all the good things are happening for the worst people. It looks as if the cruelest and most selfish characters are getting the furthest ahead.
My response to that is to just live a little longer. Hold on for a little while. The callous and self-centered personalities may seem popular now. But trust me. They will not be forever.
And even in his letters to his adversaries detailing his unwavering demands for justice, Mandela remained dignified. The fire in him burned, but it didn’t turn him bitter or spiteful. The decency he showed while in solitary confinement was the same grace the world saw when he took his place as president of the very nation that imprisoned him.
And that’s your charge – to stand forever and always on principle and remember what you believe and resist letting the circumstances of the moment push you off your game.
Know that the moral arc of the universe is long but it bends towards justice. And the truth is that it can’t move towards justice without you.
The world needs justice, and it looks to you to demand it.
The world needs peace, and it looks to you to spread it.
The world needs hope, and it will look to you to build it.
The world needs prosperity, and it will look to you to create it.
The world needs equity, and we’re going to look to you to fight for it.
And the world needs love, and we’re going to look to you to give it.
Class of 2025, you’ll change the world if you keep your faith. It’s the greatest strength you will know in this life. It takes the most courage to believe that something good will happen when hopelessness and despair are all around. But it will. Your faith will see you through.
As I close, I ask that no matter what comes your way, please guard your soul. Don’t let public opinion, toxic people, or moments of discomfort change who you are.
The danger, I submit to you, is laid out in a poem called “The Cold Within,” and it reads like this:
Six humans trapped by happenstance, in bleak and bitter cold.
Each one possessed a stick of wood, or so the story’s told.
Their dying fire in need of logs, the first man held his back.
For of the faces round the fire, he noticed one was Black.
The next man looking ‘cross the way, saw one not of his church,
And couldn’t bring himself to give, the fire his stick of birch.
The third one sat in tattered clothes. He gave his coat a hitch.
Why should his log be put to use, to warm the idle rich?
The rich man just sat back and thought, of the wealth he had in store
And how to keep what he had earned, from the lazy shiftless poor.
The Black man’s face bespoke revenge, as the fire passed from his sight.
For all he saw in his stick of wood, was a chance to spite the white.
The last man of this forlorn group, did nought except for gain.
Giving only to those who gave, was how he played the game.
Their logs held tight in death’s still hands, was proof of human sin.
They didn’t die from the cold without. They died from the cold within.
Your final charge, Class of 2025 – stay bold, and stay warm. God bless you and congratulations.
Neither the Catt Center nor Iowa State University is affiliated with any individual in the Archives or any political party. Inclusion in the Archives is not an endorsement by the center or the university.