Speeches

Portia Simpson Miller
Speeches
Address at the Opening Ceremony of the Thirty-Third Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community - July 4, 2012
July 4, 2012
Chairman of the Conference, Prime Minister Kenny Anthony, Colleague Heads of State and Government; Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community; Special Guests; Heads of other Regional organizations and institutions; Distinguished ladies and gentlemen; Good morning. I am delighted to be back at my first Regular Session of the Conference of Heads since 2007. It is good to be back among colleagues and friends. I begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to you, Prime Minister Anthony and to the Government and People of St. Lucia, for the very warm and generous hospitality […]
Carrie Chapman Catt
categories: Radio address, Speeches
Radio Address for the National Council of Women – Jan. 25, 1935
January 25, 1935
The following transcript contains two versions of this address. The National Committee on the Cause and Cure of War, composed of eleven women's national organizations, has been celebrating its tenth anniversary this week in Washington. The Committee's constituents number approximately six millions of women. These women are learning about war: what it means; what starts it; and what it costs. The Committee has held ten annual conferences at which 270 addresses have been made by distinguished students of the war problem, followed by questions and discussions. Two hundred subjects have […]
Carrie Chapman Catt
categories: Radio address, Speeches
Radio Address - December 1930
December 1, 1930
The United States Senate in 1926 applied for membership in the World Court with five reservations. Other nation members of the court have granted these conditions and the President has passed on the protocol of accession to the Senate. No excuse now exists for the United States to remain out of the Court. Millions of American women are urging early and favorable action since they prefer courts and wise judges to battleships and destructive guns when and if a dispute arises. The World Court is an American idea, having been […]
Barbara P Bush
categories: Commencement/Baccalaureate Address, Speeches
Commencement Address at University of Pennsylvania - May 14, 1990
May 14, 1990
Thank you very, very much. Thank you very much, Provost Aiken, President Hackney, my very good friends Walter and Lee Annenberg. You know, like Ben Franklin, both Walter and Lee served as distinguished American Ambassadors. And like Franklin, both are great patrons of Pennsylvania. And like Franklin, half the things on the Penn campus are named after them. I want to congratulate also the families and the friends and the fans of all the students, and most of all, the University of Pennsylvania Class of 1990. I'm thrilled to be […]
Pat Schroeder
categories: Commencement/Baccalaureate Address, Speeches
Commencement Speech at the University of Pennsylvania - May 16, 1988
May 16, 1988
I remember being on the other side of this podium 27 years ago, sure that graduation speeches were though[t] up by the faculty who want you to sit through just one more lecture before getting your diploma. Congratulations to the graduating class of 1988. The diploma you have earned is quite an achievement. But as a parent of a son who is graduating from college this month, I want to also commend your families. They stood by you during your first exams, muffled their complaints when they got that huge […]
Portia Simpson Miller
categories: Acceptance Speech, Speeches
Remarks at the Conferment of the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws - Sept. 30, 2017
September 30, 2017
Simpson Miller gave this address at a special convocation held to confer on her the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws (LLD) from the University of the West Indies. Chancellor Robert Bermudez Vice Chancellor sir Hilary Beckles and Lady Beckles Members of the senior management of the university Members of the faculty And I want to recognize the presence of my colleagues here this evening. I think it would take a long time for me to mention them by name. University stakeholders Members of government Members of the private sector, […]
Portia Simpson Miller
categories: Commencement/Baccalaureate Address, Speeches
“Balancing the Books While Balancing People’s Lives” Commencement Address at Lafayette College - May 24, 2014
May 24, 2014
Honorable Members of the Board of Trustees Madam President, Professor Alison Byerly Ambassador Stephen Vasciannie Distinguished faculty members, honored guests, Fellow recipients of honorary degrees, Members of the graduating Class of 2014, Family and friends… It is my pleasure to be here with you today in the historic and lovely town of Easton. I am proud to be at an institution named in honor of the ideals of the Marquis de Lafayette. Graduates, today is your day! Accept my sincere congratulations on the attainment of this important milestone. Now is […]
Portia Simpson Miller
Speeches
Emancipation Day Message - Aug. 1, 2015
August 1, 2015
O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. My fellow Jamaicans: Today we celebrate One Hundred and Eighty One years of Emancipation. We celebrate today the struggle of our forefathers and mothers who were displaced, mistreated – whipped, chained raped and bludgeoned. Often they screamed out in pain. Yet, year after year their anguish transformed into resolve and their spirits were never broken. These valiant men and women fought to emancipate us, their forbears, from the cruelty of slavery. Their struggles against slavery, […]
Portia Simpson Miller
Speeches
Address to the Special Delegates Conference - March 26, 2017
March 26, 2017
Comrade PJ Patterson Comrade Chairman Comrade Peter Phillips Comrade Vice Presidents Comrade General Secretary and Deputy General Secretaries Other Officers of the Party Delegates Members and Supporters of the People’s National Party My fellow Jamaicans! I speak with pride today as we witness this smooth transition from one leader of our People’s National Party to another. As I exit the stage as your party leader and pass the baton to Comrade Dr Peter Phillips, I know that my party, our party, the greatest party in the Caribbean is in good […]
Portia Simpson Miller
categories: Interview, Speeches
Interview with Janet Silvera - March 8, 2017
March 8, 2017
Simpson Miller gave this interview with Janet Silvera of The Gleaner just before her retirement from the Jamaican Parliament. SILVERA: Mrs. Simpson Miller, you have had quite a journey on the road of time, certainly many lasting memories. What’s that one particular moment that stands out for you? SIMPSON MILLER: My first was the night of the local government elections when I contested for the strongest division for the [?] in the constituency and at the end of the counting I became the winner of the strongest [?] division in […]