Commencement Speech to 2015 High School Graduates

When I was called an asked to come as talk with you today my first reaction was, why me? You see, many look and see my work in the city (jobs, boys/men, speaking up to the powers of the city), you see the degrees and me teaching at the seminary. You see me preaching around the DMV. But what they don't see is I grew up on the southside in the 90's when D.C. was the Murder Capitol of the United States. What they don't know is that my 9th grade principal wouldn't give me my diploma until I turned in a 5 page paper of why I deserved to graduate from junior high school. What they don't see is how the only reason I made it through high school is because my principal, Mr. Ralph Neal refused to throw me away. They don't see that it took me longer that 4 or 5 years to get my Bachelor's degree. They don't see that all my homies are either in the grave or had to do hard time in prison. So I realize that the reason I was asked to talk to you is because when some of you see me you see some of yourself. Yea no matter how high I get, I will always be an OG from the southside. 41st and Georgetown! But as a Baptist preacher, I have been to too many funerals. And there is three things that I always take notice of when I look at the deceased program. The 3 things that I always notice is the birthdate, the dash and then the death date. What I want you to be concerned about is the dash between you birth and your death. What are you going to do with the dash? What are you going to do with this life you have been blessed with? What are you going to do with the opportunities that you have been given? Some of our fathers, uncles, mothers, brothers sisters and friends have decided to waste the dash of the life. But the question is what are you going to do with the dash? The first thing I want you to do with the dash is DON'T ALLOW YOUR ISSUES TO DEFINE WHO YOU ARE. You may live in a challenging situation but that is not who you are. You may live in a poor neighborhood but you can have a rich mindset. You may have been counted out, but that doesn't mean you won't make it. You are looking at someone who chose to go to UDC not because that was my first choice, but because my 12th grade high school counselor refused to sit down with me and help me get in college because she told me she wasn't going to waste her time on me. She said George you ain't nothing but a street boy. But I didn't allow her to define me. I didn't allow her to stop me. And So don't allow your issues to define who you are and where you are going. Secondly, when asking you what are you going to do with the dash, the 2nd point I want to drop into your ears is EMBRACE YOUR BLACKNESS When God created you, God didn't make a mistake. When your family sees you they see beauty. You come from royalty. You come from a people who made it through death and hell but they made it. You come from a people who stolen from their home, but they still made it. You come from a people who had dignity and pride. Young men pull up your pants. Young women cover up your breast. We are a people with dignity and pride. Walk in your greatness. Walk in your strength. Walk in your swag. We live in a country that says everything about the young black males and females of America is bad. They call you thugs. They fear you. They want you to assimilate into society and blend in. But I stand today to challenge some Anacostia graduate that you leave this graduation with the mindset of turning this upside down world right side up. You have the power to make a difference. You have the power to fix your neighborhoods. You have the power to change the course of somebodies life. Greatness is in your DNA. When you decide to be great no one can beat you. No one can beat you on the court or in congress. When you decide to be great, nobody can beat you on stage or in the senate. When you decide to be great, nobody can beat you at wimbledon or in the white house. When you decide to be great nobody can beat you on broadway or in the board room. Embrace your blackness. The last and final point I want to encourage you to do with the dash is to TAKE YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER WITH YOU EVERYWHERE YOU GO. You find out that there will come a time that momma won't be able to help you. There will be a time a your future that your homies won't be able to help you. There will be some test to come in your life that you will need to fall on your knees and ask for some help. There will be sometimes that you are going to find yourself in some situations that you don't know how to get out of. There will be some opportunities, some jobs, some positions that you want that you may not be qualified for. But let me tell you everybody sitting in this room today is sitting here only because of the grace of God. And you can make it. You can make it. You can make it. I got 3 reasons why I know you can make it. Number one is because he woke you up this morning. number 2 is because he woke you up this morning. Number 3 is because He woke you up this morning. And if woke up this morning, I don't care how bad your life was yesterday, today is another opportunity to make it. I want to leave you with this story. You are looking at someone who was didn't get a scholarship to go to graduate school to Howard University because my grades weren't up to standard in UDC undergraduate school. But I was determined to get my Master's Degree from Howard University, for that is the University my father graduated from. So with no money in my pocket, and no scholarship to attend I go and register. I go and stand in line, and while I'm in line the Dean of the Divinity School sees me, and ask me my name. I tell him George Gilbert. And he says, step out of line, and come with me. I follow him to his office and he says because I know your father, as long as you go to Howard you won't have to pay a dime for a class or a book. See little did I know that while I was on my way to the school to register, my father had already called up to the dean and made provisions for me to go. Well I'm here today to tell you Anacostia to go and take the heavenly fathers name with you, because your heavenly father has already made provisions for you. While you are trying to figure it out He has already worked it out. What are you going to do with the dash?