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President’s Charge to the Graduates DR. JOHN SILVANUS WILSON JR. ’79
Editor’s Note: Because of inclement weather, President John Silvanus Wilson Jr. ’79 was not able to deliver his charge to the class of 2013. We are pleased to publish the President’s Charge so that they, as well as all of our readers, can be inspired by President Wilson’s inaugural charge to the graduating class.
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hroughout Morehouse history, yours will always be a most special class – the class whose Commencement speaker was the first African American president of the United States, Barack Obama. Many did not BeLIeVe that would ever happen! This being the first commencement of my presidency of Morehouse College, I considered very carefully what I might commend to you as my charge to this class. My initial instinct was to share with you how the most sacred and enduring emblems of Morehouse – the candle, the mystique and the crown – have continued to influence my life. I thought I might encourage you to trust all of the ways they might influence your life, as well. But, in the end, I decided to set all of that aside and tell you about a personal experience. And if you can get a tenth of the value I got from this, then my charge to you will have been a success! In 1992, I traveled to Africa four times as a Kellogg fellow. On one of these trips, a colleague, Sulayman Clark, and I visited Johannesburg, South Africa. And while there, we decided to go by the office of the ANC, the African National Congress. This was after Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990, but before he was elected president of South Africa in 1994. A woman on the ANC staff gave
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us a tour. When we returned to her office, I said: “It sure would be nice to meet Mr. Mandela.” Instead of the kind of response one might expect in a situation like this – “I’m sorry, Mr. Mandela is quite busy…” – she said, “Oh, well let me see what he’s doing.” She dialed his number. He answered. She said: “I have a couple of African American educators here on a tour. They’re hungry. If you want, we can go and get some food, come by, and all eat together.” There was a brief silence while she listened to his response. Then she said, “Great! We’re on the way!” She took us to a place that sells fried fish. We bought some food and drove to Nelson Mandela’s house. And there he was – the iconic leader of South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement – opening his front door and inviting us into his home. We spent several hours together
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talking and eating fish. And we took a few pictures with him, which are among the personal items I treasure most. By the time it was clear that our visit was coming to an end, I felt comfortable enough to ask Mr. Mandela the burning question that had been on my mind for years. “How?” I asked him. “After 27 years in prison – and four straight years in solitary confinement – how did you keep from going crazy? How did you stay strong?” Nelson Mandela looked me in the eye and with more conviction than I have ever seen on the face of any man, he said, “I believe.” I started to say exactly what you are thinking right now – “Mr. Mandela, you believe what?” But before I could get that question out, he said, again – simply, firmly – “I believe!” I got it. That was all I really needed. I think that is all you really need, too. And so, my charge to you – the members of the Morehouse College class of 2013 – is this: In order to get great things done in this world, you had better believe! Always believe. BeLIeVe IN GOd! Believe in yourselves. Believe in your intelligence and character. Believe in your vision and values. Believe in your hopes and dreams. Believe you can make a difference in the world. Believe that with the way you live your life, you can light that Morehouse candle, exude that Morehouse mystique, and you can grow tall enough to wear that coveted crown that dear Old Morehouse holds over our heads! n