Dreams are for those who Dare
Commencement Speech to Mercer University Law School
May 10, 2008
by Janis F. Kearney
Good Afternoon! And, Congratulations to the 2008 graduates of the Walter F. George School of Law. Thank you, Dr. Fleming, for that kind introduction, and to the President Underwood, and Dr. Johnson...and, all who had a part in inviting me here, today. It is indeed an honor to be speaking to this audience of future lawyers, political leaders, judges, corporate heads, and future world leaders.
I will speak to you, very briefly today...from my heart; and, from the platform of a sharecropper’s daughter whose journey, thanks to amazing parents, took me from the cotton fields of southeast Arkansas to an office in the west wing of the white house. I am the first to tell you that I am the world’s best advertisement for miracles. I’ve had an amazing journey in spite of-and, because of-- a childhood that included poverty, and hardships; and, most importantly, parents who afforded me the permission to dream.
I am one of 18 children. Eighteen very serious dreamers...and, by the way, nine of those dreamers are also lawyers, who all, likely, chose their career paths for much the same reasons as most of you – they dreamed of contributing something lasting to the world; and, to some extent, they surely dreamed of securing some level of financial comfort for themselves and their families.
I salute you, today, and congratulate your families...for this giant step you take today; the giant footsteps that you all begin to formulate the moment you walk out these doors. I hope you forgive those in my generation, who have such high expectations for you. Actually, I hope you know how much we, and the world truly need you.
I truly expect that five, ten, or 20 years from now; we will see many of your names on those short, impressive lists of outstanding American and world leaders;—not, just the list of the 100 or 500 richest lawyers in the country...though there’s nothing wrong with that; but, that list citing men and women who are making invaluable and substantive contributions to our changing world.
No doubt, many; if not most of you already have your futures mapped out; already have the blueprint of your future, in hand. And, probably there is little advice you haven’t already heard from someone nearer and dearer to you. But, I do hope you will allow me to offer you just one more thought to add to your long list of good counsel.
...I’d like to offer one simple, five letter word; one of which I can attest to its authenticity and effectiveness. And, that word is DREAM. I hope you will Dream, In the midst of a world wracked with chaos, and uncertainty; a world, in the middle of wars, and rumors of more wars...and, a world in an economic upheaval, unseen in generations. DREAM, in spite of the unfulfilled promises of my generation, and the disillusions of yours...dream for a better today, and a better tomorrow; and never stop dreaming.
I am, beyond anything more, an advocate for dreams; a true believer in the power of dreams. So, my advice and counsel, and- even, my promise to you is that if you dream a thing, if you believe a thing, if you place your hope, and your most sincere efforts toward a thing...there is little chance that it won’t happen – in one way or another. Even when it looks as if we aren’t getting exactly what we expected; exactly when we expect it...Dreaming opens avenues for something bigger and better than we ever hoped for, or expected. My life of miracles has confirmed this truth.
While the most uninspired, and cynical of us can eventually do well, land good jobs, secure promotions in those jobs... it is the big things, those magical things...the things that make our hearts sing, the things we want to write home about...that happens only if we’ve dreamed them, if we’ve believed and worked tirelessly to make those dreams come true.
People like me, the dream advocates of the world, travel with these little invisible sacks of hopes, of wants, of dreams. We don’t talk about them a lot...except to ourselves, but they are so important in our lives. They are always with us, no matter where our journey takes us.
There is, however, one pre-requisite to realizing our dreams...first and foremost, we have to believe that we are worthy; that when that man (or woman) in the sky looks down, they can see us – you and I – as clearly, as sharply as they see the president, or Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, , as Oprah, or Tiger Woods...or even Nelson Mandela. Dreaming requires that we believe we are worthy.
My dreams began down on a gravel road down in Arkansas where my 17 siblings and I worked with our parents, from the time we were 7 years old, to the day we enrolled in a college or university...; dreaming and believing that one day, we could become contributors to the larger world.
My father tried for years to buy land, but the power wielders of Lincoln County never allowed it; even though they allowed him to lease 50 acres of land, to plant and grow cotton each year. And, he did, for more than 50 years; and sometimes his crops yielded profits, but much too often, they didn’t.
My mother was a beautiful and stoic woman, who bare children for 30 of her 64 years on this earth. Like clockwork, one of us was born, each 12 or 18 months. Ethel Kearney had her first child at 17, and the last at 46...so, you do the math.
But, when I tell you that my life has been an amazing, wonderful, fantastic journey; know that, it is only because I learned from those two amazing people, the power of dreams, of believing that what I saw in front of me every day when I woke up...no matter how harsh or dismal; what I saw in front of me for 17 years, each day I woke up--the poverty, the discrimination, the segregation, endless days in my father’s cotton field; the taunts by school mates because we didn’t dress so well; the embarrassment because we had no new shoes, because we had no money for field trips, because we had no money for new books...
When I tell you that, in spite of that childhood surrounded, and embedded in poverty; that I yet dreamed with all my heart; you must at least consider, there might just be something to this thing...called dreams.
I was convinced very, very early... thanks to those two sharecroppers-neither of whom had a high school education; that there was another side of what others saw as my family’s hopeless existence. And that hope, that belief, that certainty allowed me to get up each morning with a sense of expectations, looking forward to what a new day would bring. I believed with all my heart...that tomorrow meant possibilities, new opportunities.
I know some of you are saying, “How Pollyanna. What blind dreaming!”
But the dreams, and so much more...became reality. And, I am convinced...and, I so want to convince you; that they happened because I opened my mind, my heart, and my being up to possibilities, opened my spirit and my soul up, to what “can” be, and ignored those many voices telling me what “couldn’t be.”
And, if you say to yourself...okay, what option did she actually have, existing in such poverty? Fair enough, but I dare any one of you to travel with me out into the rural areas of this country; the inner cities of this country, to the schools in our cities, and our rural areas...and, take a count of children who believe, truly believe that their tomorrows will be better than today.
Take a count of the children who believe that dreams and hard work can change their lives; transform heir worlds. They will be, I’m sad to say, in the vast minority.
The permission to dream has made all the difference in my life...those wise, visionary sharecroppers who gave us the permission to dream as big, as grand, as ridiculous as we wanted. Sadly, too many of our children are never given such permissions; never told that happiness and success begins with dreams. We need more dream advocates, dream vendors in the world...and, I’m counting on at least some of you, to sign on for the job.
Before closing, please allow me to say a personal congratulations to my son Darryl, and to his beautiful wife and his lovely twins. He is a very proud member of this awesome graduating class. I frankly watched nine brothers and sisters’ walk down this very path, without really knowing what it all entailed, until I heard Darryl’s excitement as he talked about his classes, his brilliant professors; his wonderful study group; about that empowering infusion of new knowledge, as he sat inside these walls. These emotions, I believe, are essential not just for law school; but for the world, as you begin to establish your own footprints for others to follow.
Nelson Mandela was at least one of the people who said “You are the link to the change you seek.”
Today is a gift...and, I hope each of you will find a way to balance the gifts you receive; with the gifts you share. No God, no divinity, no higher power blesses us with gifts to simply set upon shelves-- to gather dust, to boast about to our friends, our law partners. Ruth Schubacker, a prolific writer said “we wake to a gift each day of our lives...” Our responsibilities—yours and mine-- are to untie the bows...open our gifts, and enjoy them...but, then we must share those gifts with others. The world needs you...great thinkers, great idealists, and unabashed dreamers. Untie the bow; enjoy the world’s abundant gifts, then share your gifts with the world.
Thank you, Good luck, and God speed.
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