奥巴马麻省大学毕业典礼的演讲

奥巴马麻省大学毕业典礼的演讲 给大学毕业生的三个建议 背景介绍

麻省大学是美国新英格兰地区最多元化的公立大学。2006 年6 月2 日，美国麻省大学波士顿分校授予美国参议员巴拉克•侯赛因•奥巴马该校法学荣誉博士学位，以表彰其为保护弱势群体利益，维护超越党派和种族利益而做出的努 力。当天，还是美国参议员的奥巴马出席了麻省大学第38届学位授予典礼仪式，并发表演讲。他对毕业生们提出自己诚恳的建议：第一，要敢于冒险，坚持理想。 第二，要有全球思想，打破壁垒，不要狭隘。第三，培养人文情怀。最后，对美国这个“一切皆有可能”的地方充满好奇，实际上是对美国发自内心的肯定。

校长威尔逊，副校长柯林斯，校董事会，教职员工们，亲戚朋友们，2006 年毕业班的同学们，

早上好。

祝贺你们毕业，谢谢你们邀请我来参加毕业典礼。

回到波士顿，感觉很好，你们可能听说了，几年前我在这里召开的民主党代表大会上做了重要发言。

对我来说，这次发言是一次美妙的经历，一个使我感到谦逊的殊荣，一次难能可贵的机会。如果你们早几年告诉我去那里演讲，我会礼貌地告诉你，你在异想天开。

我想讲讲上次我去参加民主党代表大会的经历。

那是2000 年。我在国会众议员席位的初选中垫底。也就是说，我没有通过初选。我有些沮丧，觉得很失望。有些朋友建议我去洛杉矶，借此放下包袱。那年的民主党代表大会在洛杉矶召开。

我决定前往那里，飞机降落在洛杉矶后，我取了行李，走到赫兹（Hertz）的租车服务台，填完了所有的租车表格；将我的信用卡递给了服务台后一位面相和善的女士。一会儿，她把信用卡递回给我，说，“奥巴马先生，好像出了点问题。”

你们猜得没错，我的信用卡被拒了。

经过了30 分钟的争论，我最终到达了会场。这时我才知道，我被民主党看得很“高”：我的资历刚刚够格进入洗手间。因此，选举现场的后台情况我一概不知道。像我这样的“重要”人物，没人会注意我会在房间里待上几天。但是，每个人都知道他们不必追随我。

不用多说，四年以后，他们要我在民主党代表大会上发言时，我一定要保证弄到一辆车。

玩笑归玩笑，接受如此的殊荣真是一个让人高兴的变化。万事达信用卡可以证明，想在民主党代表大会上发言有点不太可能。

然而，美国就是一个不太可能的地方。一个建立在挑战命运之上，在不可能中创造可能的国家。我提醒你们这些话，因为在你们即将开始书写你们自己成功和成就的故事时，就该轮到你们去继承这样的精神了。

现在，该你们发扬勇往直前，立于不败之地的美国的座右铭了：不管你在哪里出生，不管你的父母有多少钱；不管你长得什么样，不管你信仰什么，你都能成为你想成为的人；你都能去做伟大的事情，和追求你憧憬的幸福。

今 天，这个梦想听起来很一般，甚至有些陈词滥调。然而，在大多数的人类历史上，这个梦想绝不是可以轻易实现的。不管是古罗马的奴隶，封建中国的佃户，还是乔 治国的臣民，这些人很少有什么未来可供期盼。不管你怎样辛勤劳作和挣扎，你知道你的一辈子都只是建造别人的帝国，或是为别人的事业牺牲。

几个世纪过去了，全世界的人们不再愿意接受命运的安排。他们厌倦了暴君和生活强加于他们的命运。当他们看到商人们涉海远航，探险者们出发去寻找新大陆时，也加入了这一行列。

就在这里，就在环绕我们的海域上，美国人的实践开始了。最早来到波士顿，塞勒姆和普利芧斯的人，梦想着在山丘上建一个城市。世界在关注，在等待，看看这个被称为“美国”的不可能的想法能否成功。

在过去200 多年里，它成功了。不是因为我们的梦想取得了完美的进步，实际上它还没有。它在对待土著民族时留下伤痕，在实行奴隶制时背信弃义，在征服女性时蒙羞，在种族歧视时受伤，在战争与经济萧条中震荡。

然而，真正检验我们国家的不是它是否完善，而是我们是否去完善它，是否承认我们的失败，发现我们的不足，然后奋力去迎接时代的挑战。

民权的胜利，妇女以及非裔民众投票权的胜利，以及欢迎新移民来到我们的国家的政策，扩大了美利坚这一大家庭。

为我们的孩子提供免费教育，为我们的老人和穷人实行免费医疗，我们一步步拓展着机会。我们还赢得了讨价还价的权利，为工人增加了工资和退休保障金。

所有这些都不是自然而然发生的。很多在当时看来是不可能实现的事情，后来都成为了现实，因为美国普通老百姓坚信，我们可以将不完善的梦想变得完善起来。

今天，可能有一些人怀疑我们是否改变了很多，他们怀疑今天是否真的比昨天更好。我想，他们应该看看2006 年的毕业生。

你 们当中超过一半的人是家里的第一个大学生。在整个新英格兰地区最具多元化的大学里，我看到各个族裔学生面孔的海洋：非裔学生，西语裔学生，亚裔学生。这里 的学生来自一百多个国家，相信他们能像第一批定居者一样，在这座山丘上的城市中找到自己的家；他们也能够在这个曾经对他们来说最不可能成功的地方，拥有一 份属于自己的成功。

而许多年前，就是在这里：商店里曾经挂着“爱尔兰人不得申请”的牌子；30年前，载着黑人学生的校车在波士顿南部的学校遭到石块的袭击；波士顿的棒球队还拒绝招收杰基•罗宾逊①。

问题不在于我们已经取得了成绩，而是成绩还不够好。我们仍然有更多的工作要做，更多的正义要伸张，更多的障碍要扫除。现在，轮到你们这代人来进行新的变革。

过去一个世纪无疑是美国的世纪。我们战胜了法西斯主义，使数以万计的人获得自由。在国内，我们分享了繁荣，造就了历史上最庞大的中产阶级。我们是解放者的国家，自由的国家，繁荣的国家——这一点举世瞩目。

今天，刚刚进入21 世纪的头几年，我们发现自己已经处在一个不同于以前的不稳定的位置。因为通讯技术革命扫除了全球的障碍，给我们的竞争者和敌人更大的力量。

① 杰基•罗宾逊(1919—1972)，他是美国职棒大联盟现代史上第一位非裔美国人球员。在1947

年4 月15 日, 罗宾逊穿着42 号球衣以先发一垒手的身份代表布鲁克林道奇队上场比赛之前，黑人球员只被允许在黑人联盟打球。虽然美国种族隔离制度废除已久，但无所不在的种族偏见仍强烈 地左右着社会各个阶层，因此杰基踏上职棒大联盟的这段时日，被公认为美国民权运动最重要的事件之一。—— 编者注

我们不再认为波士顿的一个持有高中学历的人，可以在印度班加罗尔市或者中国北京找到一份当地大学毕业生胜任的工作。我们不再指望雇主在不知道底线的情况下提供健康保险、退休金和职业培训。我们也不能期望美国的海域能保证我们的安全，使我们在本土不受到攻击。

这对你们意味着什么呢？你们在迎接这样的挑战中扮演什么角色呢？

我不想假装知道答案。你们每一个人需要找到你们自己的答案。也许，我可以提几条建议供你们参考。

第一，要敢于冒险。我在快要大学毕业时，萌发了这个不可思议的想法——我想做一个社区的组织者，在低收入街区工作。

我的母亲和外祖父母希望我进法学院，我的同学都在忙于申请华尔街的工作，而我却径直给所有的社区组织写信，想去给低收入街区的人们增加力量。终于，芝加哥南面的一个小小的教会组织给我回信，让我帮助他们去管理一个钢厂倒闭，几千人失业的社区。

这个教会没有太多的钱。这份工作的年薪是12000 美元，我又花了2000 美元买了一部很旧很旧的车。我收拾好行李，拿了一张地图，开着车到西面的芝加哥去，那是一个我从来没有去过的地方，我在那里一个人都不认识。

当我行驶到纽约和芝加哥中间时，我停下来，在宾夕法尼亚州的一个小镇过夜。那个小镇的名字我已不记得了。我找到了一家看起来既便宜又干净的汽车旅馆。我停好车，走到柜台前，有个老人在玩拼字游戏。

我 要他帮我开一个房间。他一边填写我的基本信息，一边问我要去哪儿。我说我去芝加哥，要到那里工作，做一个社区组织者。他打量着我，说：“小伙子，你看起来 非常干净利落，还有一副好嗓子。我给你提个建议，别去做什么社区组织的事儿。你改变不了世界。没有人会感激你的付出和努力的。你该去电视台做播音员。听我 一句话吧，你会前途无量的。”

我可以接受妈妈的劝告，也可以接受外祖父母的建议。我可以走朋友走的路，可以接受宾夕法尼亚州那个 老人的指点——其实，我觉得他说的完全正确。但我的身上有一种想要做更伟大的事情的东西。所以，不要听信人们告诉你去做稳妥的事情。倾听你自己的心，判断 出你最想而且愿意做的事情是什么。

我的第二条建议是培养全球化思维。世界不断变化，人们的联系变得更加紧密。全球化带给我们的有利有弊。不管是利还是弊，全球化已经来临，而且不会消失。

我们可以在周围筑起墙壁，眼睛只向内看，对全球化带来的干扰感到恐惧和愤怒。

但 那不是我们该有的态度，我们是一个自信而不是懦弱的国家。我们能够迎接这些挑战。这意味着我们每一个人需要学得更多，才能有更强的竞争力；意味着我们要用 能源政策创造新的工作机会，结束对中东石油的依赖；意味着我们要改进社会福利，确保人们有健康保险，退休金和培训，而不管他们在哪里工作或者换 了几份工作。

这不意味着我们应该撤退。我们应该做得更好。

我的第三个建议是培养同理心：即把自己放在他人的位置，学会从他人的角度看待整个世界。

同理心是种可以改变世界的品质，它会让你明白你对那些与你外貌或行事有差异的远方的人们，所负有的责任。

我知道，在这个校园里，很多人在流浪者的收容所、波士顿的高中、青年中心和职业介绍所服务过。我希望这种服务精神在你们离开这里后也能保持下去。

但 是，随着生活的延续，这样做并不容易，今后的几年里，你们在人文关怀的道路上会遇到各种各样的困难。你们会遇到胆小或贪权的人试图分裂我们，否认我们的相 同点。你们会听到这样的说法：在大街上乞讨的美国人，流落街头是因为懒惰，或者缺乏斗志；那些冒着生命危险穿越沙漠的移民没有什么可以贡献给国家，也不会 和我们有同样的理想；市中心的孩子进了全国最差的学校不能学也不乐意学，所以应该彻底放弃他们；在世界的另一端无辜的人们被杀害和逐出家园是别人的问题， 不关我们的事。

你们会听到这一切。你们要做出选择。你们要决定你们的责任在哪里。

让我告诉你们，世界上最简单的事情就是什么也不做。关掉电视，放下报纸，忘掉正在伊拉克和达尔富尔上演的一切，忘掉贫穷、暴力、失业和绝望，继续忙自己的事，并希望这些问题自行消失。要不，就让别人去管好了。自己和这些事没有关系，对它们漠不关心，这样最安全。

但是我希望你们不要挑简单的事情做。我希望你们能迎难而上。

我常常想像多年前的美国年轻人——全国的中学生和不比你们大多少的大学生从电视上看到民权运动的实况，我想，他们看到了游行的人，也听到了演说，看到了猎狗和消防软管，那些无辜的人被打得奄奄一息。他们也可能听到那一天的新闻，有人将炸弹扔进教堂炸死了四个小女孩。

从 本能来说，他们知道躲在家里，从远处观望这个运动是更安全、更聪明的做法。但是，在他们内心深处，他们也知道在佐治亚州，阿拉巴马州和密西西比州的这些人 是他们的兄弟姐妹，镇压他们是错误的。他们有责任矫正它。所以，当自由之车停下人的时候，人们上去了。他们乘车南下，汇集了几千人。他们改变了世界。

我们需要你们做同样的事情。正如罗伯特•肯尼迪告诉南非一群并不比你们大多少的年轻人那样，“世界需要青春的品质，不是指实际年龄而是我们的心态。意志的禀性、想像的本质、突出的勇气要战胜怯懦成为主宰，冒险的态度要战胜贪图安逸。”

我最后的建议是，要有惊奇的发现，要对我们被称为“美国”这样一个不可能的地方充满期待。我想，有的人把我们所面临的挑战看得很简单。他们看到贫穷、战争、种族歧视、不平等、憎恨和无助，就对这个国家产生厌恶感，认为是我们自身出了毛病，并且看不到好转的希望。

如 果你们也有这样的想法，我想让你们记住在这个国家所发生的奇妙的、不可思议的一切。在这个国家，一个伊利诺伊州的年轻人在多次的商业和政治历险失败后，仍 然成为了总统，让一个民族获得了自由，挽救了一个国家。从佐治亚州来的一位黑人牧师一无所有，但是他怀着一个梦想，带领他的人民走向民权与

选举权的希望之地。在这个国家，许多生活在世界各地的父母自己没有机会深造，却能看见他们的孩子成为家里的第一个大学生，在波士顿充满希望的六月获得学位。

这就是美国，一个世界上许多人想来探险的地方。那些人为了改变命运，为了寻求美好生活，为了寻找机会，长途跋涉，历尽艰辛，最终踏上我们这块土地。

我的父亲就是其中的一个。他生长在殖民时期的肯尼亚，他帮他的父亲放羊，所以学习一直是断断续续。

但是，他想要更多。他想到美国来继续深造，提高技能，然后回到肯尼亚，帮助下一代新独立的肯尼亚人。

我过去不十分了解我的父亲。我很小的时候，我的父母就分开了。在我上法学院之前，我回到肯尼亚去追寻他的故事，就是在那里，我见到了那些亲戚。我到了一个叫阿莱格的小村庄，我的祖母住在那里。我去探望了父亲和祖父的坟。我问祖母父亲有没有留下什么东西。

她打开一个箱子，拿出一沓信，交给我。一共三十多封，都是我父亲亲笔写给美国各地的学院和大学的。这些信和我25 年后写的没有什么不同，只不过我写的信是为了找一份有意义的工作。

我读着这些信，听到一个单纯的，有时是糟糕的声音，绝望地等待一个机会，实现他不可能的梦想。而正是有人回应了那个梦想，今天我才会站在你们面前，对我们集体的未来充满希望，对你们的个人追求兴奋不已。真切地希望，你们能在今后把这个国家的传统保持下去。

你们会接受考验。你们不会总是成功。但是我知道，你们有动力去尝试。我们的前辈在他们的时代遇到过和我们一样的困难。通过我们的齐心协力，上帝的远见和我们愿意承担彼此的重担的意志，美国将会继续走向远处的地平线，走向更美好的一天。

非常感谢你们，2006届的同学们。祝贺你们毕业。

University of Massachusetts at Boston Commencement Address

Boston，MA |June 2，2006

Good morning President Wilson，Chancellor Collins，the Board of Trustees，faculty，parents，family，friends，and the Class of 2006. Congratulations on your graduation，and thank you for allowing me the honor to be a part of it.

It’s always great to be back in Boston. As some of you may have heard， I was here a few years ago to

give the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic Convention.

It was an amazing experience for me. A humbling honor. A tremendous opportunity. And if you had come up to me a few years earlier and told me I’d be there，I would’ve politely told you that you were out of your mind.

Let me tell you what happened at the last convention I had been to.

It was the year 2000，and I had just gotten my rear-end handed to me in my very first race for Congress. Didn’t even make it past the primary. I was a little depressed，and more than a little broke，but some friends suggested that I get my mind off it by going to Los Angeles，where that year’s Democratic Convention was being held.

So I decided to go. And when my plane landed in LA，I got my luggage， walked on over to the Hertz counter，filled out all the forms to rent a car，gave my credit card to the nice woman behind the counter who，moments later， handed it back to me and said，“Mr. Obama，it seems we have a problem.”

That’s right，my credit card was denied.

After thirty more minutes of haggling，I finally made it to the convention， only to learn that I was thought of so highly by the Democratic Party that my credentials barely granted me access to the men’s room-let alone backstage where all the action was. And so，being the VIP that I was，I spent the rest of the week as the guy in the room who nobody knew，but everyone knew didn’t belong.

Needless to say，when they asked me to be the convention’s keynote speaker just four years later，I made sure I was getting a car.

All joking aside，receiving that honor was a welcome change-and，as MasterCard could attest，more than a little unlikely.

But of course，America is an unlikely place-a country built on defiance of the odds；on a belief in the impossible. And I remind you of this because as you set out to live your own stories of success and achievement，it’s now your turn to help keep it this way.

It’s your turn to keep this daringly radical but unfailingly simple notion of America alive - that no matter where you’re born or how much your parents have；no matter what you look like or what you believe in，you can still rise to become whatever you want；still go on to achieve great things；still pursue the happiness you hope for.

Today，this dream sounds common-perhaps even cliche-yet for most of human history it’s been anything but. As a servant of Rome，a peasant in China，or a subject of King George，there were very few unlikely futures.

No matter how hard you worked or struggled for something better，you knew you’d spend your life forced to build somebody else’s empire；to sacrifice for someone else’s cause.

But as the centuries passed，the people of the world grew restless. They were tired of tyranny and weary of their lot in life. And as they saw merchants start to sail across oceans and explorers set off in search of new worlds，they followed.

It was right here，in the waters around us，where the American experiment began. As the earliest settlers arrived on the shores of Boston and Salem and Plymouth，they dreamed of building a City upon a Hill. And the world watched，waiting to see if this improbable idea called America would succeed.

For over two hundred years，it has. Not because our dream has progressed perfectly. It hasn’t. It has been scarred by our treatment of native peoples， betrayed by slavery，clouded by the subjugation of women，wounded by racism，shaken by war and depression.

Yet，the true test of our union is not whether it’s perfect，but whether we work to perfect it. Whether we recognize our failings，identify our shortcomings，and then rise to meet the challenges of our time.

And so we’ve broadened the American family by winning civil rights and voting rights for women and then African Americans；by choosing to welcome waves of new immigrants to our shores.

We’ve pushed the boundaries of opportunity by providing free education for our children and health care for our seniors and our poor；and we’ve won bargaining rightsand wage hikes and retirement

security for our workers.

None of this progress happened on its own. Much of it seemed impossible at the time. But all of it came about because ordinary men and women had faith that here in America，our imperfect dream could be perfected.

Now，there may be some who doubt that much has changed - those who doubt that things are better today than they were yesterday. To them I say take a look at this class of 2006.

More than half of you represent the very first member of your family to ever attend college. In the most diverse university in all of New England，I look out at a sea of faces that are African-AmericanandHispanic-American and Asian-American and Arab-American. I see students that have come here from over 100 different countries，believing like those first settlers that they too could find a home in this City on a Hill - that they too could find success in this unlikeliest of places.

All of this has occurred in the midst of a city where No Irish Need Apply signs once hung from stores. All of this in a city where，just thirty years ago， buses of black students were pelted with rocks as they pulled into schools in South Boston；where the Red Sox were once the team who refused to sign the great Jackie Robinson.

But the problem isn’t that we’ve made progress. The problem is that progress isn’t good enough. There is more work to be done，more justice to be had，more barriers to break. And now it’s your generation’s turn to bring these changes about.

The last century was undoubtedly an American century. Our victory over fascism liberated millions. At home，we built a shared prosperity that created the largest middle-class inhistory. Ours was a nation of liberators；of free people；of prosperous people - and the world took notice.

But today，just a few years into the twenty-first century，we already find ourselves in a different and precarious position. As revolutions in communications and technology have broken down barriers across the world， it has given more power to both our competitors and our enemies.

No longer can we assume that a high-school education in Boston is enough to compete for a job that could easily go to a college-educated student in Bangalore or Beijing. No more can we count on

employers to provide health care and pensions and job training when their bottom-lines know no borders.

Never again can we expect the oceans that surround America to keep us safe from attacks on our own soil.

So what does this mean for you？What role will you play in meeting these challenges ？

I do not pretend to have the answers. Each of you will have to discover your own. But perhaps I can offer a few suggestions that may be useful along the way.

First，take risks. When I was on the brink of graduating from college，I had this crazy idea that I wanted to be a community organizer and work in low-income neighborhoods.

My mother and grandparents thought I should go to law school，and my friends were all busy applying for jobs on Wall Street. But I went ahead and wrote letters to every organization in the country that I thought was working to empower low-income people. And finally，this small group of churches on the south side of Chicago wrote back and offered me a job helping them deal with the consequences of steel plants that had closed and put thousands out of work.

The churches didn’t have much money -so they offered me a grand sum of $12，000 a year plus $2，000 to buy a car. So I bought a beat up old car，packed up my belongings，got out a map，and started driving west to Chicago - a place I had never been and where I didn’t know a living soul.

About halfway between New York City and Chicago，I stopped for the night in a small town in Pennsylvania whose name I no longer remember. I found a motel that looked cheap and clean，I pulled into the driveway，and went to the counter，where there was an old guy doing crossword puzzles.

I asked him for a room，and as he was filling out my information，heasked me where I was headed. I said I was going to Chicago，and I told him I was going there to work as a community organizer. And he looked at me and he said，“You know，you look like a nice clean-cut young man，and you’ve got a nice voice. So let me give you a piece of advice - forget this community organizing business. You can’t change the world，and people won’t appreciate you trying. What you should do is go into television broadcasting. I’m telling you，you’ve got a future.”

I could’ve taken my mother’s advice and I could’ve taken my grandparents advice. I could’ve taken the path my friends traveled. And I could’ve taken the words of wisdom from that old man in Pennsylvania. And，objectively speaking，I’m sure he was right. But I knew there was something in me that wanted to try for something bigger. So don’t let people talk you into doing the safe thing. Listen to what’s in you and decide what it is that you care so much about that you’re willing to take a chance.

My second piece of advice is to stay global. As the world continues to change and we become more connected to each other，globalization will bring both benefits and disruptions to our lives. But either way，it’s here，and it’s not going away.

We can try to build walls around us，and we can look inward，and we can respond by being frightened and angry about those disruptions.

But that’s not what we’re about. We are a confident country，not a fearful one. We can meet these challenges. And that means every single one of us needs to learn more so we can compete more. It means we need an energy policy that will create new jobs in this country and end our dependence on oil from the Middle East. And it means we need to update our social contract to make sure that people have health care and pensions and training no matter where they work or how many times they switch jobs.

But it doesn’t mean we should ever withdrawal. We are better than that.

My third piece of advice is to cultivate a sense of empathy -to put yourself in other people’s shoes - to see the world from their eyes.

Empathy is a quality of character that can change the world -one that makes you understand that your obligations to others extend beyond people who look like you and act like you and live in your neighborhood.

I know that，especially on this campus，so many of you have been serving at homeless shelters and high schools and youth centers and job placement organizations all over the Boston area. And I hope this spirit of service lives on long after you leave here.

But as you continue on in life，it’s not always easy. In the years to come，

you will encounter all kinds of obstacles in the way of empathy. You will find people who，out of fear or need for power，try to divide us and deny what we have in common. You’ll hear that the Americans who sleep in the streets and beg for food got there because they’re all lazy or weak of spirit. That the immigrants who risk their lives to cross a desert have nothing to contribute to this country and no desire to embrace our ideals. That the inner-city children who are trapped in the nation’s mostdilapidated schools can’t learn and won’t learn and so we should just give up on them entirely. That the innocent people being slaughtered and expelled from their homes half a world away are somebody else’s problem to take care of.

You’ll hear all of this，and you’ll have to choose. You’ll have to decide where your obligations lie.

And let me tell you - the easiest thing in the world is to do nothing at all. To turn off the TV，put down the paper，and walk away from the stories about Iraq or Darfur or poverty or iolence or joblessness or hopelessness. To go about your busy lives，wishing these problems away but expecting someone else to do it. To remain detached；to remain indifferent；to remain safe.

But I hope you don’t do what’s easy. I hope you do what’s hard.

I often imagine the young Americans -teenagers and college kids not much older than you -from all over the country，watching the Civil Rights

Movement unfold before them on their television sets. I imagine that they would’ve seen the marchers and heard the speeches，but they also probably saw the dogs and the fire hoses，or the footage of innocent people being beaten within an inch of their lives，or maybe they would’ve heard the news the day those four little girls died when someone threw a bomb into their church.

Instinctively，they knew that it was safer and smarter to stay at home； to watch the movement from afar. But somewhere in their hearts，they also understood that these people in Georgia and Alabama and Mississippi were their brothers and sisters；that what was happening was wrong；and that they had an obligation to make it right. And so when the buses pulled up for a Freedom Ride down South，they got on. And they rode. Thousands of them. And they changed the world.

We need you to do the same. As Robert F. Kennedy once told a crowd of South Africans no older than you，“The world demands the qualities of youth；not a time of life but a state of mind，a temper of the will，a quality of the imagination，a predominance of courage over timidity，of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease.”

Finally，my last piece of advice is to stay amazed - to remain in wonder at this unlikely place we call America. I think it’s easy for some people to look at all the challenges we face；to look at poverty and war and racism and inequality and hatred and helplessness，and to get down on this country as a result - to think that there’s something wrong with us - that there is little hope to make things better.

And if you ever feel like that yourselves，I ask you to remember all the amazing and unlikely things that have happened in this country. This country where a young man from Illinois who failed at so many of the business and political ventures he attempted still went on to become the president who freed a people and saved a union. This country where a young black minister from Georgia who had nothing but a dream in his heart went on to lead his people to the promised land of civil rights and voting rights. This country where hundreds of parents all over the world who never had the chance to further their education

could still watch their children become the first in their family to earn a degree on a hopeful Boston day in June.

This is America. A place where millions of restless adventurers from all over the world，still weary of their lot in life - still hoping for something better - have longed to travel great distances and take great risks for a chance to arrive on our shores.

My father was one of them. Born and raised in Kenya before that nation was freed from the shackles of colonialism，he grew up herding his father’s goats and，from time to time，attending local schools.

But he wanted more. He dreamed of coming to America so he could further his education，improve his skills，and then return to help lead the next generation of newly independent Kenyans.

I didn’t know my father very well. My parents separated when I was very young. But before I went to law school，I traveled back to Kenya to learn his story and to meet my relatives there. And I went to a

tiny village called Alego where my grandmother lives. And I visited my father’s grave and my grandfather’s grave. And I asked my grandmother if there was anything left from my father.

She opened a trunk and took out a stack of letters，which she handed to me. There were more than thirty of them，all handwritten by my father，all addressed to colleges and universities all across America. They wereletters not so different than those I would write twenty-five years later，trying to find a job that would give meaning to my life.

And I read these letters，which were in the simple，sometimes awkward，voice of somebody desperate for a chance to come and live his unlikely dream.

It is because someone answered that dream that I stand before you today， hopeful for our collective future，excited for your individual prospects， and eager for you to keep the legacy of this country alive in the years to come.

You will be tested. You won’t always succeed. But I know that you have it within your power to try. That generations who have come before you faced these same fears and uncertainties in their own time. And that through our collective labor，and through God’s providence，and our willingness to shoulder each other’s burdens，America will continue on its journey towards that distant horizon，and a better day.

Thank you so much to the class of 2006，and congratulations on your graduation.