Michael Franti and Spearhead and many other great people have inspired me teach and love with passion. I wrote this speech for my English 11 students as we begin our week of speeches of actuation to empower them with the message that their words and actions can change the world. Together Our Voices Will Rise by Rebecca Hunt Song: Same As It Ever Was In 1961 John F. Kennedy stood before our great nation and proclaimed, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” In that historic speech, he talked about the issues that our nation faced and about the possibilities of change that was within our hands as Americans. He spoke on revolution in the world…about ending poverty…about seeking peace…about ending racism…and about building hope…and today, students, I am here to tell you that it is the same as it ever was… Yes, we’ve seen change. Yes, we’ve had a dream. Yes, we’ve seen war. Yes, we’ve seen many new inventions. But as John F. Kennedy went on to say, “…let us not take comfort from our present course.” America is in constant need of new leaders who will raise a voice against injustice, raise a voice against violence, raise a voice against terrorism, raise a voice against racism, raise a voice against greed, raise a voice against the destruction of our natural resources, and reclaim the American Dream remembering that on both sides, civility is not a sign of weakness and sincerity requires proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us not fear to negotiate...to open our mouths in the public eye and to say what needs to be said. To meet this rising need, I have asked you, my students, to come to this podium prepared to exercise your freedom of speech…to speak to the needs facing our nation as you see them…to execute a plan of action to solve a pressing issue…to make your classmates envision the world as it could be…to offer suggestions of action that would help to them materialize your dream. This freedom in America to speak our minds has not come without cost. The cost of war, of death, of self-sacrifice, of disappointment…because when a dream does not materialize, there is plenty of disappointment, but let us not forget that anything worth having is not easily gained. Patrick Henry spoke to this freedom knowing that his very words would surely cost his life, but he spoke them anyways…”He stated, Give me liberty or give me death.“ It is the same proclamation of freedom that every soldier makes as he/she signs the enlistment papers to serve in the military…that our president agrees to as he/she is sworn into office…that police officers make as they patrol our streets…that teachers make as they teach young people to speak their mind in class…that every American agrees to with the rights of citizenship. So today, students, you have been given a great opportunity and with it a responsibility to exercise that freedom of speech for which many before us had to sacrifice life to secure…the opportunity to speak freely on a topic that is of great importance to the future of all Americans. In today’s world when so many other nations still look to America for help and guidance, ask not what America will do for you, but rather what together we can do for the freedom of all humankind. Today, let your voices rise and freedom ring from your words so that in another fifty years, your children can say, It is the same as it ever was, but instead of referencing the ills of society, they will be referencing the freedom we have in America to speak out against the ills that sicken our society. As Michael Franti referenced in the song at the beginning of class, It is the same as it ever was, but today is a different day…we better start today. Only when we all see justice, only when our words have been heard, only then can we all see peace. Peace out….deuces.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 15:59:44 +0000
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