good afternoon good afternoon how's
everyone doing today good so greetings
friends family faculty staff alumni and
the illustrious class of 2016 make some
noise
so my name is Donovan Livingston and I
came to address you in the best way I
know how but you have to forgive me I
have to take this moment in for a little
while when I spoke when I spoke in my
high school graduation several years ago
my high school English teacher
threatened to replace me on the program
or cut my microphone when she found out
that I was interested in doing a poem as
a part of my remarks so I am eternally
grateful for being able to share this
piece of myself and my most authentic
voice with you this afternoon
so spoken word poetry it insists on
participation so if you feel so
compelled snap clap throw up your hands
rejoice celebrate class of 2016 this is
your address and this is your day
[Applause]
education then beyond all other devices
of human origin is a great equalizer of
the conditions of men Horace Mann 1848
at the time of his remarks I couldn't
read I couldn't write any attempt to do
so
punishable by death for generations we
have known of knowledge as infinite
power yet somehow we have never
questioned the keeper of the keys the
guardians of information unfortunately
I've seen more dividing and conquering
in this order of operations a heinous
miscalculation of reality for some the
only difference between a classroom and
a plantation is time how many times must
we be made to feel like quotas like
tokens and coin phrases diversity
inclusion there are days I feel like one
like only a lonely blossom in a briar
patch of broken promises but hey I've
always been a thorn in the side of
injustice disruptive talkative a
distraction with a passion that
transcends the confines of my own
consciousness beyond your curriculum
beyond your standards
I stand here a manifestation of love in
pain with veins pumping revolution I am
the strange fruit that grew to write for
the popular tree I am a dream act dream
deferred incarnate and a movement an
amalgam of memories America where care
to forget my past alone won't allow me
to sit still so my body like my mind
cannot be contained as educators rather
than raising your voices over the
rustling of our chains take them off
uncuff us unencumbered by the lumbering
weight of poverty and privilege policy
in ignorance I was in the seventh grade
when mr. Parker told me Donovan we could
put all of your excess energy to good
use and she introduced me to the sound
of my own voice she gave me a stage a
platform she told me that our stories
are the ladders that make it easier for
us to touch the star so climb and grab
them keep climbing grab them spill your
emotions in the Big Dipper and pour out
your soul light up the world with your
luminous allured to educate requires
Galileo like patience today when I look
my students in the eyes all I see are
constellations if you take the time to
connect the dots you can plot the true
shape of their genius shining in their
darkest hour I look each of my students
in the eyes and see the same light that
aligned Orion's belt in the Pyramids of
Giza I see the same twinkle that guided
Harriet to freedom I see them beneath
their masks in their mischief exists an
authentic frustration and enslavement to
your standardized assessments at the
core none of us were meant to be coming
we were born to be comets darting across
space in time leaving our mark as we
crashed into everything a crater is a
reminder that something amazing happened
right here an indelible impact that
shook up the world are we not
astronomers searching for the next
shooting star I teach in hopes of
turning contents into rocket ships
tribulations into telescopes so a child
can see their true potential from right
where they stand and injustice is
telling them they are stars without
acknowledging the night that surrounds
them injustice is telling them education
is the key while you continue to
change the locks education is no
equalizer rather it is the sleep that
proceeds the American dream so wake up
wake up lift your voices until you've
patched every hole in a child's broken
sky wake up every child so they know of
their celestial potential I've been the
black hole in a classroom for far too
long
absorbing everything without allowing my
light to escape but those days are done
I belong among the Stars and so do you
and so do they
[Applause]
together together we can inspire
galaxies of greatness for generations to
come
so no no sky is not the limit it is only
the beginning
lift off
[Applause]
{{
下午好 下午好，
今天大家过得好吗，所以问候
朋友家人，教职员工校友
和 2016 年杰出的班级制造了一些
噪音，
所以我的名字是多诺万·利文斯顿，我
以我知道的最好的方式来向你致意，
但你必须原谅我 几年前，
当我在高中毕业典礼上发言时，我不得不花点时间说话，我的
高中英语老师
威胁说要代替我参加这个节目，
或者当她
发现我对我感兴趣时切断我的麦克风 写一首诗作为我演讲
的一部分，所以我永远
感激今天下午能够与你分享这
首我自己和我最真实的
声音，
所以口语诗歌它坚持
参与，所以如果你感到如此
迫不及待，拍手吐出 你的双手
欢欣鼓舞 庆祝 2016 届 这是
你的地址 这是你的一天
[掌声]
教育然后超越所有其他
人类起源的设备是一个伟大的
平衡器 霍勒斯·曼 1848 年
发表讲话时的人的版本 我无法
阅读 我无法写出任何企图这样
做会
被判死刑的世代 我们
都知道知识是无限的
力量 但不知何故我们从未
质疑过 钥匙
信息的守护者 不幸的是，
我在这种操作顺序中看到了更多的分裂和征服
对某些人来说是对现实的令人发指的错误估计
教室和种植园之间的唯一区别
是时间
我们必须多少次感觉像配额一样像
令牌 和硬币短语 多样性
包容 有几天我觉得一个人
就像一朵孤独的花朵在
一片荒芜的承诺中，但嘿，我
一直是
不公正的眼中钉 我自己的
意识超出了你的课程
超出了你的标准
我站在这里是爱在
痛苦中的表现伴随着静脉抽血革命
我是奇怪的果实 帽子长大了
为流行的树写我是一个梦想的行为梦想
延迟的化身和一个
运动记忆的混合物美国在美国，
单独忘记我的过去不会让
我坐下来，所以我的身体和我的思想一样
不能作为教育者被遏制 与其
在我们的锁链沙沙作响时
大声疾呼，不如把它们解开，让我们不受
贫困和无知特权政策的沉重负担的束缚
。 帕克告诉我多诺万，我们
可以充分利用你多余的精力
，她向我介绍
了我自己的声音她给了我一个舞台一个
平台她告诉我我们的故事
是让我们更容易接触的梯子
星星 所以爬上去抓住
他们 继续爬上去 抓住他们 把你的
情感倾注在北斗七星 倾注
你的灵魂 用你的
光彩照亮世界 教育的需要
今天需要伽利略一样的耐心 当我看着
我的学生的眼睛时 我所看到的都是
星座 如果你花时间
把点连接起来 你可以画出
他们天才的真实形状 在
他们最黑暗的时刻
闪耀 引导
哈丽特获得自由的同样的闪光我看到他们
在他们的恶作剧中在他们的面具下存在一种
真正的挫败感和对
你的标准化评估的奴役在
核心我们没有人注定要来
我们w 生来就是彗星 穿越
时空 留下我们的印记 当我们
撞上一切 一个陨石坑
提醒我们这里发生了惊人的
事情 震撼世界的不可磨灭的影响
我们不是
在寻找
我教的下一颗流星的天文学家吗 希望
将内容变成火箭飞船
苦难变成望远镜，这样孩子
就可以从他们站立的地方看到他们的真正潜力
不公正
告诉他们他们是明星，却不
承认他们周围的夜晚
不公正告诉他们教育
是关键，而你继续
换锁 教育不是
均衡器，而是睡眠
推动美国梦 所以
醒来 醒来 提高你的声音 直到你
修补了孩子破碎天空中的每一个洞
唤醒每个孩子，让他们知道
他们的天国潜力 长期以来，我一直
是教室里的黑洞，
吸收一切，不让我的
光逃逸，但那些日子已经过去了 ne
我属于群星，你
也属于他们，他们也属于
[掌声]
一起，我们可以
为子孙后代激发伟大的星系，
所以没有，没有天空不是极限，它只是
起飞的开始
[掌声]