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]