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Bronx, NY - Congressman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) had a clear message for the Lehman College Class of 2007: America needs their talents now, more than ever.
"We need your minds, we need your excitement. We need your voices to get America out of Iraq and on the road to peace," Rangel as he delivered the 39th Annual Herbert H. Lehman College Commencement Address on May 31. "We need your minds to be able to say that a country as great as the United States of America should not be locking up our youngsters but opening up their minds to education so that they can produce.
Over 2,000 graduates of the City University of New York (CUNY) system school and their families welcomed Rangel as he congratulated them for their achievements and the courage to dream in the face of adversity.
"You could have given up .You could have said 'What difference does it make?' You could have listened to so many people who said 'I told you not to get started with that," said the Congressman, who also chairs the House of Representatives powerful Ways and Means Committee." But you knew that at the end of that rainbow of hard work and sacrifice, there would be an opportunity for you and your family to be able to say 'Yes, notwithstanding the odds, in this country, I can make it, I will make it and I ain't stopping now.'
Rangel reflected on his own journey from the streets of Lenox Avenue to the halls of Congress, stressing that that it was the education he received through the G.I. bill that bridged the gap between his days as a high school dropout and life as an elected official. It’s a lesson that he expected them to share with anyone who would listen.
"You found your dream and now you can go out there and like the Cavalry, help us save this wonderful country of ours," said Rangel. "You can talk to a youngster and let him know. He may not have anyone in the schools to give him guidance he may not have anyone at home or in the community, but let him know that you, like Charlie Rangel, found that key to education."
Rangel thanked Lehman President Ricardo R. Fernández and the college's student body for honoring longtime friend, community leader and scholar Dr. Roscoe Brown with the school's President's Medal. Brown, a decorated World War II veteran and a commander in the famed African American unit, the Tuskegee Airmen, echoed Rangel's remarks, telling the graduates that they should be proud of who they are and where they graduated from.
"Our activities and record as Tuskegee Airman showed the world that people of color can do anything, provided they are given the opportunity," said Brown, the former president of Bronx Community College and currently the Director of the Center for Urban Education Policy at the CUNY Graduate Center.
Also honored with honorary degrees were Tony Award-winning composer Adam Guettel; poet, actor, and founder of the world-famous Living Theater Judith Malina; celebrated author and educator Judith Ortiz Cofer; and veteran civil rights attorney Peter D. Roos.
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