Semester 4 Is Off and Running

So I've now made it through my first classes of the semester.

Philosophy was my only class Tuesday, but I was late because I was making a speech at my elementary school.
Theology seems like it will be interesting.
Communications: News Writing (Comm major here) seems like it'll be interesting, and productive I hope.
Communications: Art of Argument is threatening to potentially kick my natural black bleep, my teacher is a very intelligent woman and even though she's a small, and admittedly nice lady she's still very threatening, and a tough grader, someone says she's the grammar queen.
Sociology should be interesting we'll be looking at American Society.

Below is my speech from yesterday, which gave me the late start to my semester.

Good morning to Mrs. Powell, and to the other administrators, to the faculty, to the staff, and to the students of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School. And to any other guests assembled here today I say good morning to you as well. It is indeed an honor and a privilege for me to be here with you today to remember and to honor the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to also recognize those students who are today being inducted into the Gifted and Talented program. It amazes me that nearly nine years has passed since I graduated from this school, and that means nearly eleven years has passed since I myself became a part of the Gifted and Talented program. It freaked me out the other day, when it dawned on me that if my mother is getting older, then so am I. It seems like just yesterday when I walked these halls, when I loved coming to this very library, and when I was a member of the safety patrol. My cousin who is an alumna remarked the other day that she isn’t quite sure it was a good idea for Mrs. Graham and Mr. Spedden to make me a member of the safety patrol, she says that the power may have gone to my head. I don’t think that the power went to my head, but I believe that instead I took my responsibility seriously. Even then I realized that it was up to me to take my academics seriously, and to take my position as a member of the school community very seriously.

Now that I am a college student I make an effort to come back and visit here as often as possible. This is where after all I began my educational journey, a journey which is nearing its completion. Just a few days ago I arrived back on the campus of Loyola College for what will in just a few hours begin the second half of my sophomore year in college. Part of me is happy that I have another semester under my belt, part of me is excited to begin my new classes, and part of me is nervous about what lies ahead. The further along I go, the more I realize that in just a few short years I will be an adult, and that I will be on my own. I will go from a world of schoolwork made easy by the fun times I share with my friends, to a world where I have to work for a living, where I have to pay bills, and where I might very well be responsible for a family. Then I realized that the very fact that I attend such a great school that I can look forward to a good job, and other opportunities, that being able to dream big dreams well it is a luxury that not everyone has. The ability to dream big dreams is something that I could very well be without, had it not been for men like the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and women like the late Rosa Parks. Without the actions of those who came before, my life, your life, all our lives would be so very different. Putting things into perspective makes me grateful for even my toughest of days.

As I watched coverage of the M.L.K. Day ceremonies all across the country yesterday, as I read articles, and participated in discussions about Dr. King’s legacy I did a lot of reflecting. People are now beginning to say that Dr. King may have done some things in his personal life that he shouldn’t have. They are saying quite frankly that he was human, and that he made mistakes, but who among us hasn’t. Who here hasn’t made a mistake? No matter what is said or revealed about Dr. King in the days, weeks, and years to come, no one can take away his dream. No one can say that the man didn’t dream a big dream. No one can say he didn’t try to make his dream a reality. Dr. King is said by many to be among the greatest leaders of our time. He considered himself a "drum major for justice." Anyone who has ever seen a parade, who has ever seen a marching band knows all about the things that a drum major does, they know that a drum major is the person who leads all the others. A drum major is the one who leads the way. It is with that in mind that I read from Dr. King’s speech entitled "The Drum Major Instinct," it is actually a sermon, a sermon which was delivered at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on February 4, 1968, exactly two months before Dr. King was killed.

And he transformed the situation by giving a new definition of greatness. And you know how he said it? He said, "Now brethren, I can't give you greatness. And really, I can't make you first." This is what Jesus said to James and John. "You must earn it. True greatness comes not by favoritism, but by fitness. And the right hand and the left are not mine to give, they belong to those who are prepared." (Amen)

And so Jesus gave us a new norm of greatness. If you want to be important—wonderful. If you want to be recognized—wonderful. If you want to be great—wonderful. But recognize that he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. (Amen) That's a new definition of greatness.
And this morning, the thing that I like about it: by giving that definition of greatness, it means that everybody can be great, (Everybody) because everybody can serve. (Amen) You don't have to have a college degree to serve. (All right) You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. (Amen) You only need a heart full of grace, (Yes, sir, Amen) a soul generated by love. (Yes) And you can be that servant.

It is with that, that I say to everyone sitting in this room that it is our responsibility to live up to the dream of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is our responsibility to treat people with respect because after all it is how we want to be treated. It is our responsibility to work each day to become better people, to make this a better school, and to make our communities better communities. We can all be drum majors, we can all lead the way, and we can all be great.
To the boys and girls who will now be a part of GATE or Gifted and Talented, I again say congratulations. I am proud of you, your teachers are proud of you, and your families are proud of all of you. Continue to work hard, to have fun, and to be good people.

I thank you all so very much for listening, and I wish you all a great rest of your day, and an even greater week ahead.
Thank You.