Learn English Chadwick Boseman Howard Forever with BIG Subtitles

the president Wayne Frederick and the

Board of Trustees thank you for bringing

me back here and giving me this

distinguished award it’s overwhelming to

be recognized amongst this year’s other

honorees I can think of no better place

to be right now after the Black Panther

and Avengers campaigns that’s a return

and participating these graduate dry

graduation ceremonies with you it is a

great privilege graduates to address you

on your day a day marking what are the

most important accomplishments of your

life to date this is a magical place a

place where the dynamics of positive and

negative seem to exist in extremes I

remember walking across this yard on

what seemed to be a random day my head

down lost in my own world of issues like

many of you do daily I’m almost at the

center of the yard I raised my head and

Muhammad Ali was walking towards me Tom

seemed to slow down as his eyes locked

on mine and open wide he’s raised his

fist into a quintessential guard

I was game to play along with him to act

as if I was a worthy opponent what an

honor to be challenged by the goat the

greatest of all time for a brief moment

his face was as serious as if our

Frazier in the Thrilla in Manilla his

movements his movements for flashes of a

pass greater than I can imagine

his security let the joke play along for

a second before they ushered him away

and I walked away floating like a

butterfly I walked away amused at him

amused it myself amused at life for this

moment that almost no one would ever

believe I walked away light ready to

take on the world that is the magic of

this place almost anything can happen

here

hu

Howard University I was riding here and

I I heard on the radio somebody called

it what Condon University but it has

many names the mecca the hilltop it only

takes one hour one tour of the physical

campus to understand why we call it the

hilltop every day is leg day here that’s

why some of you have cars during my

junior and senior years I lived in a

house off campus at Bryant Street for

those of you that’s right Brian Street

for those of you who don’t know what

that means that’s at the bottom of the

hill where the incline gets real almost

every day I won’t walk the full length

of the hill to find out where most of my

classes were carrying all of my books

because once you walk that far foot

you’re not walking back home until it’s

time to go home for good but beyond the

physical campus the hilltop represents

the culmination of the intellectual and

spiritual journey you have undergone

while you were here you’ve been climbing

this academic slope for at least three

or four years for some of you maybe even

a little bit more throughout ancient

times institutions of learning have been

built on top of Hills to convey that

great struggle is required to achieve

degrees of enlightenment each of you had

your own unique difficulties with the

hill for some of you the challenge was

actually academics when you hear the

words magna laude cool re

you know that’s that’s not you that’s

not you you you worked hard you you did

your best but you didn’t make a x' or

B’s sometimes C’s you never made the

dean’s list but that’s okay you’re here

on top of the hill

and I want to say something to that you

know sometimes your grades don’t don’t

don’t don’t give a real indication of

what your greatness might be so it

really is okay for others it was

financial you and your family struggle

to make ends meet every semester of your

matriculation you had to stand in one

line to get to another line to get to

another line for somebody that might

help you

you had to broker extra job or two but

you’re here for a lot of you not all but

but a lot of you your hardest struggle

was social some of you never fit in you

were never as cool and as popular as you

wanted to be and it bothers you so your

social struggles here became

psychological even though you made it up

the hill you carry the baggage of

rejection with you but you’re here or

some of you went through something

traumatic you made it to the top of the

hill but but not without scars and

bruises

some of you fit in too much you are on

the yard rapping or your frat block when

you were supposed to be in class or you

got caught up in the DC party life I

know how that is I mean we’re right in

here that Millis mr. the city sometimes

you forgot you in school you probably

could’ve graduated with honors but

instead you are getting a tan all year

degree today oh yeah I have class oh

yeah I have that paper dude oh yeah I

have a final you were literally too cool

for school you waited until the last

minute to do your best work and it’s a

wonder that you made it up the hill at

all because you carry the baggage of too

much acceptance

most of you graduating here today

struggled against one or more of the

impediments of obstacles I mentioned in

order to reach this hilltop when

completing a long climb one first

experiences dizziness distant or

disorientation and shortness of breath

due to the high altitude but once you

become accustomed to the climb your mind

opens up to the tranquility of the

triumph oftentimes the mind is flooded

with realizations that were for some

reason are harder to come to where you

were at a lower elevation at this moment

most of you need some realizations

because right now you have some big

decisions to me right now I urge you in

your breath in your in your eyes in your

in your in your consciousness invest in

the importance of this moment in charity

I know some of you might a party last

night you should you should celebrate

but this moment is also part of that

celebration so savor the taste of your

triumph today don’t just swallow the

moment whole without digesting what has

actually happened here look down over

what you conquered and appreciate what

God has brought you through

some of you here struggled against the

university itself this year students

protested it took over the a building

formulated the list of demands and

negotiated with our president and

administration to determine the

direction of our institution it’s

impressive similarly during my years

here at how we also protested and took

over the a building in order to preserve

Howard’s alone Anu in order to preserve

house annual appropriations from

Congress president H Patrick swagger

decided to reduce the number of colleges

at the University by his plan

engineering would need to merge with

architecture nursing would merge with

allied health and Fine Arts my school

will be absorbed by arts and sciences

that’s how we saw it absorbed for many

of us in fine arts this signal to us

that our unit curriculums or the

curriculums of students following us

might become watered down concentrations

this undermined the very legacy we were

proud to be a part of and aim to

continue the fine arts program had

produced phylicia rashad Debbie Allen

Isaiah Washington

Richard Wesley Donny Hathaway Roberta

Flack just the name of few we we felt

that yes yes you could go out and on you

can go on and on you know we felt that

we could compete with students from

Julliard NYU and Cara los as long as we

continue to have a concentrated dosage

that rivaled a conservatory experience

but without it although we took over

there a building for several days and

presented our arguments to president’s

wagon and the administration the schools

were still merged thus the current

collection or formation of schools

exists that’s why I view your recent

protest is such an accomplishment for

for both sides of the debate student and

administration I didn’t come here to

take sides

my interest is what’s best for the

school a Howard University education is

not just about what happens in the

classroom students in some ways what

what you were able to do exemplifies

some of the skills you learned in the

classroom it takes the education out of

the realm of theory and into utility and

practice obviously your organization

skills were unprecedented I’m told that

you organize shift so that you could at

least continue some of your classes we

missed all our classes oh yeah we were

in a building and I’m told it through

donations there was always an ample

helping of food I probably ate a slice

of pizza during the entirety of our

three-day protests so your organization

and planning was impeccable

you received the majority of your

demands making a significant impact on

those who came after you as is often the

case those that follow most often enjoy

the results of the progress you gained

you loved the university enough to

struggle with it now I have to ask you

that you have you have to continue to do

that even now that you received your

demands even if you’re walking today you

have to continue to do that everything

that you farfel was not for yourself it

was for those that come after you could

have been disgruntled and transferred

but you fought to be participants in

making this institution the best that it

can be but I must also applaud president

Wayne Frederick and the administration

for listening to the students

[Applause]

your freedom of speech was exercised in

a way where you can contribute to this

place he also shows that you can

contribute to the democracy the

administration in the campus police at

the time when I was posted protesting

was not nearly as open-minded as this

current one I know this was a difficult

time but because of both of you I

believe how it is a few steps closer to

the actualization of its potential the

potential that many of us have dreamed

for it students your protests are also

promising because many of you will leave

Howard I enter systems and institutions

the heavens have a history of

discrimination and marginalization the

fact that you have struggled with this

university that you love is a sign that

you can use your education to improve

the world that you are entering I was on

a roll when I entered the system of

entertainment theater television and

film and my first New York audition for

a professional play I landed the lead

role from that play I got my first agent

from that agent I got an on screen

audition it was a so proper it was it

third watch it was a soap opera on a

major Network I scored that role - I

felt like Mike Tyson when he first came

on the scene knocking out opponents in

the first round with this soap opera gig

I was already promised to make six

figures more money than I had ever seen

I was feeling myself but once I got the

first script and was so brothers you

very often get the script the night

before and you shoot the whole episode

in one day with little to no time to

prepare once I saw the role I was

playing I found myself

conflicted the role wasn’t necessarily

stereotypical a young man in his

formative years with

violet streaked pulled it to the allure

of gang involvement that’s somebody’s

real story never judge the characters

you play that’s what we were always

taught that’s that’s the first rule of

acting and any role play honestly can be

empowering but I was conflicted because

this role seemed to be wrapped up in

assumptions about us as black folk the

writing failed to search for specificity

plus there was barely a glimpse of

positivity or talent in the character

barely a glimpse of hope I would have to

make something out of nothing I was

conflicted Howard it instilled in me a

certain amount of pride and for my taste

this road didn’t live up to those

standards it was just my luck that after

filming the first two episodes execs of

the show called me into their office and

offices and told me how happy they were

with my performance they wanted me to be

around for a long time they said if

there was anything that I needed just

let them know that was my opening I

decided to ask them some simple

questions about the background of my

character questions that I felt were

pertinent to the plot question number

one where’s my father

the exact the exact asset well he left

when you were younger

of course okay okay question number two

if this strip in this scripted alluded

to my mother not being equipped to

operate as a good parent so why exactly

would my little brother and I have to go

into foster care

matter-of-factly he answered well of

course she’s on heroin that could be

real I guess but I didn’t want to assume

that’s what it was if we’re around here

assuming that the black characters in

the show are criminals on drugs and epi

pens then that will probably probably be

staring stereotypical with me that word

stereotypical Wingard one of the execs

pulled out my resume and began studying

it the other exact war smile trying to

live up to what they had promised me

only a few moments before if there’s

anything you need just let us know she

said as you have seen things move really

fast around here

but we are more more than happy to

connect you with the writers if you have

suggestions yeah I said that would be

great I said because I’m just trying to

do my homework on this I didn’t I didn’t

know if you guys had decided on all the

facts but maybe there are some things we

could come up with some talent or gifts

that we could build maybe he’s really

good at math or something he has to be

active I’m doing my best not to play

this this character like a victim so you

went to Howard University huh the exec

holding my resume interrupted peeking

over the pages yes I said proudly he

slid my resume back in his desk and said

thank you for your concerns we’ll be

watching you I left the office I shot

the episode when I come in to shoot on

that on that day probably the best one I

did out of the three because I got what

was bothering me off my

chest I was let go from that job on the

next day a coal a phone call from my

agent they decided to go another way the

questions that I asked set the producers

on guard and perhaps paved the way for a

less stereotypical portrayal for the

black actor that stepped into the role

after me as the scripture says I planted

the seed in Apollo’s watered but God

kept growing God kept it growing yet in

still when you invest in a scene

watching it grow without you that is a

bitter pill to swallow a bitter pill

anybody that’s ever been fired knows

what I’m talking about even if you

really don’t want the job when they let

you go it’s like any break up you act

like you don’t care I didn’t need that

damn job anyway I didn’t need them but

when you have those moments alone you

start to wonder if there was a better

way to handle it and if you could have

if you could have handled it better

maybe you could help your family and

then before you know it you’re broke and

you find yourself scraping together

chase just so you can ride the subway so

that you can get the next job and maybe

if you can book something else that

would eclipse the feeling of doubt

that’s building but it seems like you

can’t pay them to hire you now my agents

at the time told me it might be a while

before I got a job acting on-screen

again what I was fired because I never

wanted to act in the first place and I

definitely didn’t want to be caught dead

going after a fake Hollywood pipe dream

I’m more of a writer director anyway so

forget their stories I can tell my own

stories but what am I actually

blackballed we’re hesitant about sending

you out to some people right now because

there is a stigma that your difficult as

conflicted as I was before I lost the

job as adamant as I was about the need

to speak truth to power

I found myself

even more conflicted afterwards I stand

here today knowing that my Howard

University education prepared me to play

Jackie Robinson James Brown

Thurgood Marshall and T’Challa but what

do you do when the principles and

standards that were instilled in you

here at Howard close the doors in front

of you sometimes you need to get knocked

down before you can really figure out

what your what your fight is and how you

need to fight it at some point my mom

reverted back to my experiences here to

the professors that challenged me and

struggled against me professor Roberts

Williams dark singleton George eptein to

name a few the ones that that will fill

you out of the goodness of their hearts

and this may be hard to grasp assume for

some of you right now but I even

considered president swagger and how

negotiating with him was practice for a

world that was considerably more cruel

and unforgiving than any debate here one

that had no interest in my ideals and

beliefs how would I maneuver through all

of this finally I thought of Ally in the

middle of the yard

it is elder years drawing from his

victories and his losses at that moment

I realized something new about this the

greatness of Ally and how he carried his

crown I realized that he was

transferring something to me on that day

he was transferring the spirit of the

fighter in me he was transferring the

spirit of the fighter to me he was

transferring the spirit of the fighter

to me sometimes you need to feel the

pain and sting of defeat to activate the

real passion and purpose that God

predestined inside of you God says in

Jeremiah I know the plans I have for you

plans to prosper you and not to harm you

plans to give you hope and a future

graduating class hear me well on this

day when you had this day when you have

reached the hilltop and you are deciding

on our next jobs next steps careers

further education you would rather find

purpose than a job or career purpose

crosses disciplines purpose is an

essential element of you it is the

reason you are on the planet at this

particular time in history your very

existence is wrapped up in the things

you are here to fulfill whatever you

choose for career path remember the

struggles along the way are only meant

to

shape you for your purpose when I dare

to challenge the system that would

relegate us to victories and stereotypes

with no clear historical backgrounds no

hopes the talents when our questions

that method of portrayal a different

path opened up for me

the path to my destiny when God has

something for you it doesn’t matter who

stands against it God will move someone

is holding you back away from the door

and put someone there who will open it

for you if it’s meant for you I don’t

know what your future is but if you are

willing to take the harder way the more

complicated one the one with more

failures at first the successes the one

that has ultimately proven to have more

meaning more victory more glory that you

will not regret it now this is your time

[Laughter]

the light of new realization shines on

you today how as legacy is not wrapped

up in the money that you will make but

the challenges that you choose to

confront as you commit to your path

press on with pride and press on with

purpose god bless you I love you how it

[Music]

however

[Applause]