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This speech was given in the wake of the killing of
nine-year-old James Darby who had heroically written a letter to President Clinton asking
him to stop the violence in our neighborhoods. He was killed by random gunfire. These
Delgado graduates also epitomized a struggle - the struggle against seemingly
insurmountable odds, some working one or two jobs, some taking care of families. These are
also our heroes -Mayor Marc H. Morial Commencement Dr. Elioff, reverend clergy, distinguished graduates, honored guests, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honor indeed for me to be here at this wonderful event, the commencement ceremonies of Delgado Community College, the second largest institution of higher education in Louisiana and the largest in metro New Orleans. It's the fastest growing institution of higher education in Louisiana, the finest community college in the Gulf South and one of the best in the nation. Delgado is an institution of higher learning very well suited to the needs of our economy, which has finally begun to register positive annual growth after nearly a decade of recession brought on by the oil bust of 1983. Before I begin heaping praise on the graduates who are rightly enjoying this spectacular event for which they have labored long and hard, there are some other plaudits that are also well deserved. I want to congratulate Dr. Ione Elioff on the superb job she has done at this great institution: Besides coming here today to share in the joys of this commencement, I come to make a commitment. Dr. Elioff, when you go to Baton Rouge to fight for an increased budget or for capital funds to expand Delgado Community College, please call me. I want to be there, at your side, fighting with you. The well-being of Delgado is in the best interest of the city of New Orleans. I look forward to the day when Delgado's graduating classes are doubled in size, both in the fall and the spring. I look forward to the day when the New Orleans economy is annually expanded doubly by the drive, enthusiasm and entrepreneurial push of this alumni who complete their education here and either put that knowledge to work or seek even higher degrees. So Dr. Elioff, when you go to Baton Rouge to make the case for Delgado Community College, for so long as I am Mayor of New Orleans, you won't have to wonder where is Marc Morial. I will be there with you, using all the influence, all the enthusiasm and all the energy I can muster to help this school grow. You have my commitment on that. I admire what you and your faculty and staff are doing. I want to help you in any way that I can. The lobbying staff of the city of New Orleans will work with you. We want Delgado Community College to be a growth industry in our economy. We want this great community college to grow, to get bigger and better and to create more jobs in our economy both through its own growth and through its graduates. Please keep up the good work. We're indebted to you. Let me now turn my attention to the stars of this evening's festivities - the graduates and their proud families and friends. I know that many of you have come to this wonderful occasion the hard way, going to school while holding down a full-time job either in the work place or in the home raising a family; or several part-time jobs; or a full-time job in the workplace and a full-time job in the home and a full-time job in the classroom. I know that many of you took out loans to go to school. I know that many of you came back to school after being many years out of the classroom. I know that all of you had moments when you had to drive yourselves to this day, to this achievement, when you wondered if the effort was worth it, until finally reaching this moment when you are rightfully and honorably recognized for all your hard work, determination and your passion to succeed. Graduates, I feel a special bond with you. The bond between us is beyond remembering how hard I worked when I was getting my education; beyond frantic preparation for the exams and the worry and stress that went with it; beyond wondering if some members of the faculty were screened for sadism before they were allowed to teach; beyond the very pleasant memories of my own days on the campuses of the University of Pennsylvania and the Georgetown Law School. I remember how fortunate I was to grow up in a home where both my parents loved and valued education. I was especially fortunate that they were both college graduates who had wonderful experiences getting their education and believed deeply that education is the key to America's success. They believed deeply that whatever may be wrong with America, that whatever our problems may be, those with an education have the tools to do well and change our system for the better. As African-American parents who were raising their children in the depths of segregation and Jim Crow, they never lost faith in the value of education and its ability to be a catalyst for positive change in America. It was a wonderful gift they gave me, my brother and my three sisters. Education shaped my life, it helped me rise above racism and discrimination and gave me the tools, God willing, to make a positive difference for the great city of New Orleans. Even today, as my mother goes to work as a vice president at another great institution of higher learning in New Orleans, and one of my sisters works her way through law school, the value of education is never far from my thoughts. Another memory brought by this special occasion is of my late father, Mayor Dutch Morial, and the love he had of talking to young children about the value of education. As you may have heard, Dutch loved to lecture. And any occasion in the company of children gave him a chance to tell them, as he had told his own children, about the value, the importance and the lasting benefits of education. So, as I look out on the faces of the graduates of this commencement, I am humbled by your achievements. It seems to me there is a double benefit for America in your graduation and hard work. Each of you is now a certified ambassador for education. You are now qualified to tell your children and your cousins, nephews and nieces and the children of your friends all your war stories, about how hard you worked and what it has done for you. Your education has become a legacy for you to pass on to others, and I know that you will. Finally, I would like to ask you to join me in a great, noble and historic adventure. I am determined that my administration is going to turn around the city of New Orleans. We are going to rebuild this city physically and spiritually. We are going to make the streets of New Orleans safe again. We are going to have safe neighborhoods with security and increasing property values. We are going to expand and rejuvenate our economy. We are going to build on the successes of our great tourism industry and the Port of New Orleans. We are going to pour one billion dollars in new investments into our downtown during the next four years. We are going to look beyond tourism and gaming to diversify our economy. We are going to become the gateway to Mexico and Latin America again. We are going to ride the North America Free Trade Agreement like a pony, creating new jobs in our port, our airport and hundreds of businesses. We are going to build a great New Orleans medical complex that will be the envy of the south. We are going to create jobs in New Orleans for all the graduates of the Delgado Charity School of Nursing and make it possible to double the enrollment at that great school. We are going to rebuild our commercial musical industry in New Orleans so that it becomes a career path for our talented musicians. And we are going to provide a growing economy that offers opportunities for all Delgado graduates who yearn to own their own businesses and earn a good living for themselves and their families. I also have a word for the gun-toting thugs, the murderous punks, the drug dealers who deserve to rot in Hell and the robbers who have turned many of our neighborhoods into a prison for the law abiding. There is a new sheriff in town, and we are going to sweep you off the streets of New Orleans like the garbage you are. We are going to show the country that a new, innovative police chief can make a difference, that community policing works, that we can make our streets safe again, and that there will be a time when the law abiding will not take it anymore. I am sure that you are aware of the death last weekend of a nine-year-old child. James Darby was his name. He was killed when a murderous fool fired a shotgun into a crowd of children outside of a playground. I weep for James Darby. I weep for his mother. I weep for his relatives, classmates and teachers. And I weep for New Orleans that any of us should have to bear this. But let me tell you this; I swear to you, I take an oath that we are going to stop this. We are going to end it. We are going to do whatever it takes to bring a halt to this. Let me tell you this. I am a proud African-American. No one has to lecture me on racism or hopelessness or oppression or powerlessness. I know what it's like to be told as a small child that a black kid will never have a successful life because of the color of his skin. I know what it is to have to fight for your honor when you are assailed racially. I know what it's like in the housing projects, and I know how hard it is to get a job without an education. I know that racism still hangs over America like an ugly threadbare blanket But none of that legitimizes murder. None of that justifies trivializing human life. We have a mammoth task ahead of us in America. We have to teach ourselves, from the cradle up, that the violent resolution of conflicts brings tragedy. We have to do more than fill our prisons. We have to change our hearts; we have to change our brains, we have to change our culture. And we will do so, because James Darby and so many like him deserve a better chance in life than to die on a sidewalk, gunned down at nine years old because of a fool's impulse. That is part of our challenge. That is part of restoring New Orleans to its rightful historic greatness. But no mayor and no City Council and no administration, however hard we might work, can bring New Orleans back without your help. If you don't have a job lined up, send us your resume. We want you. And if you have a job lined up, send us your resume and offer to work as a volunteer. We want you. And if you don't currently live in the city of New Orleans, come join us in this great movement to rebuild our city. We want you. And if you want to start a business in New Orleans and you need help getting through the bureaucracy, write to me, and I'll help you get it done. We want you. I make this commitment to you tonight. We will not fail, we will not rest, we will not despair and we will not stop. But I want you to make that same commitment to me and to yourselves. America needs us to be strong. New Orleans and our region and our state needs us to be strong. We can do it. We will do it, you and I. Let's get the job done together. God bless you, each and everyone. Congratulations on a great job. Take all that you have learned here at Delgado and use it to make this world a better place. And please remember, the city of New Orleans wants all your energy, all your commitment and all your creativity. Let's be partners in this great enterprise of ours. Thank you. |
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