Obama urges graduates to 'be unified in service to a greater good'
MIDDLETOWN, CT. -- In a personal call to public service and in tribute to the legacy of Senator Edward Kennedy, Senator Barack Obama challenged graduates of Wesleyan University to "work side by side to take to on the common challenges that confront all of humanity." Obama was stepping in for the ailing Kennedy, who had been scheduled to deliver the commencement address before the last week's cancer diagnosis.
Obama, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, today told an audience of several thousand to "be unified in service to a greater good," a cause he described as synonymous with the Kennedy family. Kennedy, who endorsed Obama earlier this year in a symbolic passing of his family's progressive mantle, was represented by his wife, Vicki, and his stepdaughter, Caroline Raclin, who is a member of this year's graduating class.
Speaking of Kennedy, Obama said it was an honor to "pinch hit for one of my personal heroes and a hero to his country."
"Surely if one man can achieve so much and make such a difference in the lives of so many people than each of us can do our part," he said. "Surely if his service and his story can forever shape America's story, then our collective service can shape the destiny of this generation. At the very least, his living example calls us to try."
Under cloudless blue skies, Obama recalled his own decision to work for a small group of churches as a neighborhood organizer in Chicago for "$12,000 year a and $2,000 for a beat-up car" and urged graduates to do the same.
"There's no community service requirement in the outside world; no one forcing you to care. You can Take your diploma, walk off the stage and chase only after the big house and the nice suits and the other things our money culture says you should buy. You can choose to narrow your concerns and live life in a way that tries to keep your story separate from America's, but I hope you don't."
Students have an obligation to the less fortunate and to themselves to serve society, he added.
Wesleyan announced Obama would be replacing Kennedy late last week and scrambled to prepare for his appearance. Security was tight and secret service agents surveyed the crowd from rooftops. Graduates of the college, known for its progressive politics, said they were thrilled by Obama's presence and inspired by his message.
"It was the best day of my life when I found out he was coming to speak," said Genevieve Angelson, 22, whose red graduation robe displayed the phrase "WES-we-can" in black letters. "But this is even better."
"I was shaking, I was so moved by what he said," she added.
