美国联邦参议员陆天娜在瓦萨尔学院2013年毕业典礼英语演讲稿

Thank you to Acting PresidentChenette, my dearest friend and the person who invited meGerry Laybourne, theboard, the faculty at Vassar, all of the proud parents that are here,ouralumnae and our alumni, and all the distinguished guests. And to the VassarClass of 2013 – many congratulations.

Vassar truly stands as a beaconof hope and opportunity that continues to inspire all of have shown astrong sense of justice, community, and bold activism. Although I knowthere is always more work tobe done, you have shattered many glass ceilings nhave always beenin leadership …you are advancing LGBT equality and acceptance, and you dohavea campus that’s diverse in more ways than ever before!

The education that you receivehere at Vassar is a precious opportunity, one that tens ofmillions of youngpeople across the world are denied every single day due to poverty,violence,prejudice and injustice.

But I know that someday we canactually change that – with students like you leading theway. Students who stood up to the bigotry of theWestboro Baptist Church. You did not standquietly by. You created a nationalconversation. You raised over $100,000, and you made yourvoice heard, inspiredaction in others, and produced real results.

My hope for this class is thatthis determined courage, this spirit of activism, this fierceopposition tohate will be the rule, not the exception.

So I’ve come here to ask youtoday, each and every one of you, just one question: How areyou going to takethe lessons that you’ve learned here at Vassar, and carry on this legacyofmaking a real difference?

I hope that each one of you findsthe opportunity to do public service, and truly have animpact on the lives ofso many others.

So I want to tell you all alittle bit about my own journey to public service. I was very luckybecause Igrew up in a family that had a very strong role model. The role model wasmygrandmother. She started her career as a young woman…she never went tocollege…sheworked as a secretary in our state legislature in Albany.

She had this very bold idea thatwomen’s voices should be heard. There were very fewwomen in elective office 75years ago. She wanted to have a say, and she wanted to have animpact.

And she knew somethinginstinctively that all of us know now, that to speak in one voice isveryimportant, but to speak along with many voices is far more powerful. She she asked all thewomen in thelegislature and all the women she knew in Upstate New York to get involvedinpolitics.

Together they created anorganization of activism, where these women ran campaigns forabout fiftyyears. They did all the door to door work, all the envelope stuffing, all thekinds ofthings it takes to win modern day campaigns. And that is why they were able to have were able to elect peoplewho shared their values, who shared their concerns, and wantedto have the sameimpact on their community that they did.

So what that taught me as a younggirl watching her is that not only do women’s voicesmatter, but what you dowith your time matters. Grassrootsactivism matters. Fighting to make adifference matters.

After I went to college and lawschool, I saw myself working in New York City in a big lawfirm, and I watchedour First Lady, then Hilary Rodham Clinton, go to China.