English subtitles for clip: File:President Obama- Notre Dame Commencement.webm

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(applause and cheering)

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The President:
Thank you very much.

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Thank you, Notre Dame.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Please, have a seat.

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Thank you.

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Thank you very much.

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Thank you so much.

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Please, have a seat.

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Thank you.

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Well, first of all, congratulations, Class of 2009.

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(applause and cheering)

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Congratulations to all the
parents, the cousins, the --

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(applause)

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-- aunts, the uncles, the -- all
the people who helped to bring

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you to the point that
you are here today.

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Thank you so much to Father
Jenkins for that extraordinary

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introduction, even though you
said what I want to say much

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more elegantly.

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(laughter)

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You are doing an extraordinary
job as president of this

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extraordinary institution.

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(applause and cheering)

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Your continued and courageous --
and contagious -- commitment to

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honest, thoughtful dialogue
is an inspiration to us all.

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(applause)

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Good afternoon.

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To Father Hesburgh, to Notre
Dame trustees, to faculty,

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to family: I am honored
to be here today.

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(applause and cheering)

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And I am grateful to all of you
for allowing me to be a part of

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your graduation.

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And I also want to thank you
for the honorary degree that I received.

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I know it has not been
without controversy.

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I don't know if
you're aware of this,

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but these honorary degrees are
apparently pretty hard to come by.

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(laughter)

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So far I'm only one
for two as President.

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(laughter)

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(applause and cheering)

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Father Hesburgh is 150 for 150.

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(laughter)

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(applause and cheering)

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I guess that's better.

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(laughter)

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So, Father Ted,
after the ceremony,

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maybe you can give me some
pointers to boost my average.

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(laughter)

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I also want to congratulate
the Class of 2009 for all your accomplishments.

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And since --

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Audience Member:
Abortion is murder!

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The President:
And since this is Notre Dame --

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Audience Member:
Stop killing children!

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Audience:
Booo!

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The President:
That's all right.

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And since --

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Audience:
(chanting)
We are ND!

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The President:
We're fine, everybody.

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We're following Brennan's adage
that we don't do things easily.

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(laughter)

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We're not going to shy away from
things that are uncomfortable sometimes.

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(applause and cheering)

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Now, since this is Notre Dame I
think we should talk not only

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about your accomplishments
in the classroom,

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but also in the
competitive arena.

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(laughter)

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No, don't worry, I'm not
going to talk about that.

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(laughter)

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We all know about this
university's proud and storied

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football team, but I also hear
that Notre Dame holds the

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largest outdoor 5-on-5
basketball tournament in the

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world -- Bookstore Basketball.

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(applause and cheering)

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Now this excites me.

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(laughter)

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I want to congratulate the
winners of this year's

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tournament, a team by the name
of "Hallelujah Holla Back."

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(laughter and applause)

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Congratulations.

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Well done.

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(laughter)

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Though I have to say, I am
personally disappointed that the

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"Barack O'Ballers" did
not pull it out this year.

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(laughter)

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So next year, if you need a 6'2"
forward with a decent jumper,

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you know where I live.

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(laughter and applause)

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Now, every one of you should be proud of what you've achieved

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at this institution.

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One hundred and sixty-three
classes of Notre Dame graduates

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have sat where you sit today.

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Some were here during years that
simply rolled into the next

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without much notice or fanfare
-- periods of relative peace and

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prosperity that required little
by way of sacrifice or struggle.

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You, however, are not
getting off that easy.

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You have a different deal.

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Your class has come of age at a
moment of great consequence for

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our nation and for the world
-- a rare inflection point in

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history where the size and scope
of the challenges before us

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require that we remake our
world to renew its promise;

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that we align our deepest values
and commitments to the demands

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of a new age.

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It's a privilege and a
responsibility afforded to few

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generations -- and a task that
you're now called to fulfill.

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This generation, your generation
is the one that must find a path

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back to prosperity and decide
how we respond to a global

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economy that left millions
behind even before the most

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recent crisis hit -- an economy
where greed and short-term

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thinking were too often rewarded
at the expense of fairness,

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and diligence, and
an honest day's work.

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(applause)

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Your generation must decide how
to save God's creation from a

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changing climate that
threatens to destroy it.

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Your generation must seek peace
at a time when there are those

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who will stop at
nothing to do us harm,

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and when weapons in the hands
of a few can destroy the many.

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And we must find a way to
reconcile our ever-shrinking

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world with its ever-growing
diversity -- diversity of

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thought, diversity of culture,
and diversity of belief.

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In short, we must find a way
to live together as one human family.

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(applause)

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And it's this last challenge
that I'd like to talk about

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today, despite the fact that
Father John stole all my best lines.

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(laughter)

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For the major threats we face in
the 21st century -- whether it's

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global recession or
violent extremism;

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the spread of nuclear weapons or
pandemic disease -- these things

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do not discriminate.

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They do not recognize borders.

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They do not see color.

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They do not target
specific ethnic groups.

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Moreover, no one
person, or religion,

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or nation can meet
these challenges alone.

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Our very survival has never
required greater cooperation and

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greater understanding among all
people from all places than at

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this moment in history.

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Unfortunately, finding that
common ground -- recognizing

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that our fates are tied
up, as Dr. King said,

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in a "single garment of
destiny" -- is not easy.

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And part of the
problem, of course,

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lies in the imperfections of man
-- our selfishness, our pride,

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our stubbornness,
our acquisitiveness,

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our insecurities, our egos; all
the cruelties large and small

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that those of us in the
Christian tradition understand

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to be rooted in original sin.

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We too often seek
advantage over others.

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We cling to outworn prejudice
and fear those who are unfamiliar.

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Too many of us view life only
through the lens of immediate

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self-interest and
crass materialism;

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in which the world is
necessarily a zero-sum game.

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The strong too often
dominate the weak,

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and too many of those with
wealth and with power find all

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manner of justification for
their own privilege in the face

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of poverty and injustice.

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And so, for all our technological and scientific

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advances, we see here in this country and around the globe

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violence and want and strife that would seem sadly familiar

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to those in ancient times.

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We know these things; and
hopefully one of the benefits of

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the wonderful education that
you've received here at Notre

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Dame is that you've had time to
consider these wrongs in the

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world; perhaps recognized
impulses in yourself that you

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want to leave behind.

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You've grown determined, each
in your own way, to right them.

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And yet, one of the vexing
things for those of us

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interested in promoting greater
understanding and cooperation

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among people is the discovery
that even bringing together

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persons of good will, bringing
together men and women of

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principle and purpose -- even
accomplishing that can be difficult.

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The soldier and the lawyer may
both love this country with

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equal passion, and yet reach
very different conclusions on

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the specific steps needed
to protect us from harm.

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The gay activist and the
evangelical pastor may both

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deplore the ravages of HIV/AIDS,
but find themselves unable to

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bridge the cultural divide that
might unite their efforts.

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Those who speak out against stem
cell research may be rooted in

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an admirable conviction about
the sacredness of life,

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but so are the parents of a
child with juvenile diabetes who

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are convinced that their son's
or daughter's hardships might be relieved.

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(applause)

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The question, then -- the
question then is how do we work

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through these conflicts?

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Is it possible for us to
join hands in common effort?

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As citizens of a vibrant
and varied democracy,

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how do we engage
in vigorous debate?

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How does each of us remain
firm in our principles,

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and fight for what we
consider right, without,

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as Father John said, demonizing
those with just as strongly held

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convictions on the other side?

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And of course, nowhere do
these questions come up more

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powerfully than on
the issue of abortion.

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As I considered the controversy
surrounding my visit here,

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I was reminded of an encounter I
had during my Senate campaign,

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one that I describe in a book I
wrote called "The Audacity of Hope."

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And a few days after
the Democratic nomination,

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I received an e-mail from a
doctor who told me that while he

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voted for me in the
Illinois primary,

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he had a serious concern that
might prevent him from voting

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for me in the general election.

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He described himself as a
Christian who was strongly

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pro-life -- but that was
not what was preventing him

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potentially from voting for me.

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What bothered the doctor was an
entry that my campaign staff had

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posted on my website -- an
entry that said I would fight

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"right-wing ideologues who want
to take away a woman's right to choose."

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The doctor said he had assumed
I was a reasonable person,

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he supported my policy
initiatives to help the poor and

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to lift up our
educational system,

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but that if I truly believed
that every pro-life individual

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was simply an ideologue who
wanted to inflict suffering on

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women, then I was
not very reasonable.

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He wrote, "I do not ask at this
point that you oppose abortion,

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only that you speak about this
issue in fair-minded words."

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Fair-minded words.

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After I read the
doctor's letter,

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I wrote back to him
and I thanked him.

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And I didn't change my
underlying position,

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but I did tell my staff to
change the words on my website.

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And I said a prayer that night
that I might extend the same

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presumption of good faith to
others that the doctor had

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extended to me.

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Because when we do that -- when
we open up our hearts and our

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minds to those who may not think
precisely like we do or believe

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precisely what we believe --
that's when we discover at least

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the possibility
of common ground.

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That's when we begin to say,
"Maybe we won't agree on

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abortion, but we can still
agree that this heart-wrenching

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decision for any woman
is not made casually,

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it has both moral and
spiritual dimensions.

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So let us work together to
reduce the number of women

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seeking abortions, let's
reduce unintended pregnancies.

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(applause)

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Let's make adoption
more available.

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(applause)

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Let's provide care and support
for women who do carry their

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children to term.

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(applause)

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Let's honor the conscience
of those who disagree with

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abortion, and draft a
sensible conscience clause,

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and make sure that all of
our health care policies are

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grounded not only
in sound science,

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but also in clear ethics, as
well as respect for the equality

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of women."

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Those are things we can do.

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(applause)

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00:17:04,734 --> 00:17:08,164
Now, understand --
understand, Class of 2009,

248
00:17:08,166 --> 00:17:11,366
I do not suggest that the debate
surrounding abortion can or

249
00:17:11,367 --> 00:17:13,337
should go away.

250
00:17:13,333 --> 00:17:17,263
Because no matter how much we
may want to fudge it -- indeed,

251
00:17:17,266 --> 00:17:20,136
while we know that the views of
most Americans on the subject

252
00:17:20,133 --> 00:17:23,803
are complex and even
contradictory -- the fact is

253
00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:29,530
that at some level, the
views of the two camps are irreconcilable.

254
00:17:29,533 --> 00:17:32,333
Each side will continue to make
its case to the public with

255
00:17:32,333 --> 00:17:34,933
passion and conviction.

256
00:17:34,934 --> 00:17:39,264
But surely we can do so without
reducing those with differing

257
00:17:39,266 --> 00:17:42,696
views to caricature.

258
00:17:42,700 --> 00:17:44,370
Open hearts.

259
00:17:44,367 --> 00:17:46,097
Open minds.

260
00:17:46,100 --> 00:17:49,600
Fair-minded words.

261
00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:56,300
It's a way of life that has
always been the Notre Dame tradition.

262
00:17:56,300 --> 00:18:04,670
(applause)

263
00:18:04,667 --> 00:18:08,767
Father Hesburgh has long spoken
of this institution as both a

264
00:18:08,767 --> 00:18:13,797
lighthouse and a crossroads.

265
00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:18,200
A lighthouse that stands apart,
shining with the wisdom of the

266
00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:22,300
Catholic tradition, while
the crossroads is where

267
00:18:22,300 --> 00:18:25,500
"differences of culture and
religion and conviction can

268
00:18:25,500 --> 00:18:31,300
co-exist with friendship,
civility, hospitality,

269
00:18:31,300 --> 00:18:34,600
and especially love."

270
00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:36,870
And I want to join him and
Father John in saying how

271
00:18:36,867 --> 00:18:41,097
inspired I am by the maturity
and responsibility with which

272
00:18:41,100 --> 00:18:45,770
this class has approached the
debate surrounding today's ceremony.

273
00:18:45,767 --> 00:18:48,797
You are an example of
what Notre Dame is about.

274
00:18:48,800 --> 00:19:14,830
(applause)

275
00:19:14,834 --> 00:19:18,834
This tradition of cooperation
and understanding is one that I

276
00:19:18,834 --> 00:19:22,064
learned in my own life many
years ago -- also with the help

277
00:19:22,066 --> 00:19:24,796
of the Catholic Church.

278
00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:27,300
You see, I was not raised
in a particularly religious

279
00:19:27,300 --> 00:19:30,700
household, but my mother
instilled in me a sense of

280
00:19:30,700 --> 00:19:34,370
service and empathy that
eventually led me to become a

281
00:19:34,367 --> 00:19:37,497
community organizer after
I graduated college.

282
00:19:37,500 --> 00:19:41,670
And a group of Catholic churches
in Chicago helped fund an

283
00:19:41,667 --> 00:19:45,597
organization known as the
Developing Communities Project,

284
00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:48,670
and we worked to lift up South
Side neighborhoods that had been

285
00:19:48,667 --> 00:19:52,437
devastated when the
local steel plant closed.

286
00:19:52,433 --> 00:19:55,263
And it was quite an eclectic
crew -- Catholic and Protestant

287
00:19:55,266 --> 00:19:58,766
churches, Jewish and African
American organizers,

288
00:19:58,767 --> 00:20:02,637
working-class black, white, and
Hispanic residents -- all of us

289
00:20:02,633 --> 00:20:06,433
with different experiences, all
of us with different beliefs.

290
00:20:06,433 --> 00:20:09,963
But all of us learned to work
side by side because all of us

291
00:20:09,967 --> 00:20:13,397
saw in these neighborhoods other
human beings who needed our help

292
00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:16,400
-- to find jobs and
improve schools.

293
00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:20,600
We were bound together
in the service of others.

294
00:20:20,600 --> 00:20:22,830
And something else happened
during the time I spent in these

295
00:20:22,834 --> 00:20:27,404
neighborhoods -- perhaps because
the church folks I worked with

296
00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:29,500
were so welcoming
and understanding;

297
00:20:29,500 --> 00:20:32,930
perhaps because they invited me
to their services and sang with

298
00:20:32,934 --> 00:20:36,634
me from their hymnals; perhaps
because I was really broke and

299
00:20:36,633 --> 00:20:37,933
they fed me.

300
00:20:37,934 --> 00:20:41,264
(laughter)

301
00:20:41,266 --> 00:20:44,396
Perhaps because I witnessed all
of the good works their faith

302
00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:48,600
inspired them to perform, I
found myself drawn not just to

303
00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:54,300
the work with the church; I
was drawn to be in the church.

304
00:20:54,300 --> 00:20:58,300
It was through this service
that I was brought to Christ.

305
00:20:58,300 --> 00:21:02,570
And at the time, Cardinal Joseph
Bernardin was the Archbishop of Chicago.

306
00:21:02,567 --> 00:21:06,197
(applause)

307
00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:09,070
For those of you too young to
have known him or known of him,

308
00:21:09,066 --> 00:21:12,196
he was a kind and
good and wise man.

309
00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:13,970
A saintly man.

310
00:21:13,967 --> 00:21:15,767
I can still remember him
speaking at one of the first

311
00:21:15,767 --> 00:21:18,967
organizing meetings I
attended on the South Side.

312
00:21:18,967 --> 00:21:23,767
He stood as both a lighthouse
and a crossroads -- unafraid to

313
00:21:23,767 --> 00:21:28,867
speak his mind on moral issues
ranging from poverty and AIDS

314
00:21:28,867 --> 00:21:33,537
and abortion to the death
penalty and nuclear war.

315
00:21:33,533 --> 00:21:37,263
And yet, he was congenial and
gentle in his persuasion,

316
00:21:37,266 --> 00:21:39,136
always trying to
bring people together,

317
00:21:39,133 --> 00:21:42,133
always trying to
find common ground.

318
00:21:42,133 --> 00:21:45,103
Just before he died, a reporter
asked Cardinal Bernardin about

319
00:21:45,100 --> 00:21:47,330
this approach to his ministry.

320
00:21:47,333 --> 00:21:52,503
And he said, "You can't really
get on with preaching the Gospel

321
00:21:52,500 --> 00:21:57,600
until you've touched
hearts and minds."

322
00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:01,530
My heart and mind
were touched by him.

323
00:22:01,533 --> 00:22:04,063
They were touched by the words
and deeds of the men and women I

324
00:22:04,066 --> 00:22:08,136
worked alongside in
parishes across Chicago.

325
00:22:08,133 --> 00:22:10,833
And I'd like to think that we
touched the hearts and minds of

326
00:22:10,834 --> 00:22:14,404
the neighborhood families
whose lives we helped change.

327
00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:18,070
For this, I believe,
is our highest calling.

328
00:22:18,066 --> 00:22:21,536
Now, you, Class of 2009, are
about to enter the next phase of

329
00:22:21,533 --> 00:22:24,763
your life at a time
of great uncertainty.

330
00:22:24,767 --> 00:22:29,167
You'll be called to help restore
a free market that's also fair

331
00:22:29,166 --> 00:22:31,736
to all who are willing to work.

332
00:22:31,734 --> 00:22:34,334
You'll be called to seek new
sources of energy that can save

333
00:22:34,333 --> 00:22:38,433
our planet; to give future
generations the same chance that

334
00:22:38,433 --> 00:22:43,033
you had to receive an
extraordinary education.

335
00:22:43,033 --> 00:22:46,903
And whether as a person
drawn to public service,

336
00:22:46,900 --> 00:22:52,030
or simply someone who insists
on being an active citizen,

337
00:22:52,033 --> 00:22:55,263
you will be exposed to more
opinions and ideas broadcast

338
00:22:55,266 --> 00:23:00,336
through more means of
communication than ever existed before.

339
00:23:00,333 --> 00:23:03,663
You'll hear talking
heads scream on cable,

340
00:23:03,667 --> 00:23:07,567
and you'll read blogs that
claim definitive knowledge,

341
00:23:07,567 --> 00:23:10,067
and you will watch politicians
pretend they know what they're

342
00:23:10,066 --> 00:23:11,196
talking about.

343
00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:14,300
(laughter)

344
00:23:14,300 --> 00:23:19,800
Occasionally, you may have the
great fortune of actually seeing

345
00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:22,270
important issues debated by
people who do know what they're

346
00:23:22,266 --> 00:23:27,936
talking about -- by
well-intentioned people with

347
00:23:27,934 --> 00:23:31,664
brilliant minds and
mastery of the facts.

348
00:23:31,667 --> 00:23:34,897
In fact, I suspect that some
of you will be among those

349
00:23:34,900 --> 00:23:36,870
brightest stars.

350
00:23:36,867 --> 00:23:40,997
And in this world of competing
claims about what is right and

351
00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,600
what is true, have confidence
in the values with which you've

352
00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:48,170
been raised and educated.

353
00:23:48,166 --> 00:23:52,966
Be unafraid to speak your mind
when those values are at stake.

354
00:23:52,967 --> 00:23:58,197
Hold firm to your faith and
allow it to guide you on your journey.

355
00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:02,700
In other words, stand
as a lighthouse.

356
00:24:02,700 --> 00:24:07,870
But remember, too, that
you can be a crossroads.

357
00:24:07,867 --> 00:24:11,267
Remember, too, that the ultimate
irony of faith is that it

358
00:24:11,266 --> 00:24:15,496
necessarily admits doubt.

359
00:24:15,500 --> 00:24:18,600
It's the belief in
things not seen.

360
00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:22,170
It's beyond our capacity as
human beings to know with

361
00:24:22,166 --> 00:24:28,436
certainty what God has planned
for us or what He asks of us.

362
00:24:28,433 --> 00:24:33,403
And those of us who believe must
trust that His wisdom is greater

363
00:24:33,400 --> 00:24:36,270
than our own.

364
00:24:36,266 --> 00:24:40,096
And this doubt should not
push us away our faith.

365
00:24:40,100 --> 00:24:42,730
But it should humble us.

366
00:24:42,734 --> 00:24:47,204
It should temper our passions,
cause us to be wary of too much

367
00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:49,670
self-righteousness.

368
00:24:49,667 --> 00:24:53,437
It should compel us to remain
open and curious and eager to

369
00:24:53,433 --> 00:24:58,563
continue the spiritual and moral
debate that began for so many of

370
00:24:58,567 --> 00:25:01,767
you within the
walls of Notre Dame.

371
00:25:01,767 --> 00:25:06,167
And within our vast democracy,
this doubt should remind us even

372
00:25:06,166 --> 00:25:09,366
as we cling to our faith to
persuade through reason,

373
00:25:09,367 --> 00:25:12,797
through an appeal whenever we
can to universal rather than

374
00:25:12,800 --> 00:25:17,170
parochial principles, and most
of all through an abiding

375
00:25:17,166 --> 00:25:21,436
example of good works and
charity and kindness and service

376
00:25:21,433 --> 00:25:25,103
that moves hearts and minds.

377
00:25:25,100 --> 00:25:30,100
For if there is one law that
we can be most certain of,

378
00:25:30,100 --> 00:25:36,630
it is the law that binds people
of all faiths and no faith together.

379
00:25:36,633 --> 00:25:39,733
It's no coincidence that it
exists in Christianity and

380
00:25:39,734 --> 00:25:45,204
Judaism; in Islam and Hinduism;
in Buddhism and humanism.

381
00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:49,130
It is, of course, the Golden
Rule -- the call to treat one

382
00:25:49,133 --> 00:25:52,963
another as we wish
to be treated.

383
00:25:52,967 --> 00:25:55,237
The call to love.

384
00:25:55,233 --> 00:25:57,503
The call to serve.

385
00:25:57,500 --> 00:26:01,530
To do what we can to make a
difference in the lives of those

386
00:26:01,533 --> 00:26:06,133
with whom we share the same
brief moment on this Earth.

387
00:26:06,133 --> 00:26:08,563
So many of you at Notre
Dame -- by the last count,

388
00:26:08,567 --> 00:26:13,897
upwards of 80 percent -- have
lived this law of love through

389
00:26:13,900 --> 00:26:17,670
the service you've performed
at schools and hospitals;

390
00:26:17,667 --> 00:26:20,837
international relief agencies
and local charities.

391
00:26:20,834 --> 00:26:25,434
Brennan is just one example
of what your class has accomplished.

392
00:26:25,433 --> 00:26:30,963
That's incredibly impressive,
a powerful testament to this institution.

393
00:26:30,967 --> 00:26:41,737
(applause)

394
00:26:41,734 --> 00:26:45,134
Now you must carry
the tradition forward.

395
00:26:45,133 --> 00:26:47,463
Make it a way of life.

396
00:26:47,467 --> 00:26:49,397
Because when you serve, it
doesn't just improve your

397
00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:53,130
community, it makes you
a part of your community.

398
00:26:53,133 --> 00:26:55,503
It breaks down walls.

399
00:26:55,500 --> 00:26:58,670
It fosters cooperation.

400
00:26:58,667 --> 00:27:00,867
And when that happens --
when people set aside their

401
00:27:00,867 --> 00:27:04,667
differences, even for a moment,
to work in common effort toward

402
00:27:04,667 --> 00:27:07,137
a common goal; when
they struggle together,

403
00:27:07,133 --> 00:27:10,963
and sacrifice together, and
learn from one another -- then

404
00:27:10,967 --> 00:27:14,197
all things are possible.

405
00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:19,130
After all, I stand here today,
as President and as an African

406
00:27:19,133 --> 00:27:23,133
American, on the 55th
anniversary of the day that the

407
00:27:23,133 --> 00:27:25,703
Supreme Court handed
down the decision in

408
00:27:25,700 --> 00:27:28,270
Brown v. Board of Education.

409
00:27:28,266 --> 00:27:32,536
Now, Brown was of course the
first major step in dismantling

410
00:27:32,533 --> 00:27:34,903
the "separate but
equal" doctrine,

411
00:27:34,900 --> 00:27:38,170
but it would take a number of
years and a nationwide movement

412
00:27:38,166 --> 00:27:43,496
to fully realize the dream of
civil rights for all of God's children.

413
00:27:43,500 --> 00:27:46,900
There were freedom rides and
lunch counters and Billy clubs,

414
00:27:46,900 --> 00:27:49,630
and there was also a Civil
Rights Commission appointed by

415
00:27:49,633 --> 00:27:53,163
President Eisenhower.

416
00:27:53,166 --> 00:27:57,896
It was the 12 resolutions
recommended by this commission

417
00:27:57,900 --> 00:28:04,430
that would ultimately become law
in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

418
00:28:04,433 --> 00:28:07,663
There were six members
of this commission.

419
00:28:07,667 --> 00:28:11,697
It included five whites
and one African American;

420
00:28:11,700 --> 00:28:16,330
Democrats and Republicans;
two Southern governors,

421
00:28:16,333 --> 00:28:19,733
the dean of a
Southern law school,

422
00:28:19,734 --> 00:28:23,764
a Midwestern
university president,

423
00:28:23,767 --> 00:28:27,237
and your own Father
Ted Hesburgh,

424
00:28:27,233 --> 00:28:28,503
President of Notre Dame.

425
00:28:28,500 --> 00:28:35,270
(applause)

426
00:28:35,266 --> 00:28:38,336
So they worked for two
years, and at times,

427
00:28:38,333 --> 00:28:41,263
President Eisenhower had to
intervene personally since no

428
00:28:41,266 --> 00:28:45,966
hotel or restaurant in the South
would serve the black and white

429
00:28:45,967 --> 00:28:49,197
members of the
commission together.

430
00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:52,400
And finally, when they reached
an impasse in Louisiana,

431
00:28:52,400 --> 00:28:56,700
Father Ted flew them all to
Notre Dame's retreat in Land

432
00:28:56,700 --> 00:28:58,570
O'Lakes, Wisconsin --

433
00:28:58,567 --> 00:29:01,697
(applause)

434
00:29:01,700 --> 00:29:03,730
-- where they eventually
overcame their differences and

435
00:29:03,734 --> 00:29:07,064
hammered out a final deal.

436
00:29:07,066 --> 00:29:10,396
And years later, President
Eisenhower asked Father Ted how

437
00:29:10,400 --> 00:29:14,900
on Earth he was able to broker
an agreement between men of such

438
00:29:14,900 --> 00:29:18,470
different backgrounds
and beliefs.

439
00:29:18,467 --> 00:29:21,597
And Father Ted simply said that
during their first dinner in

440
00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:25,370
Wisconsin, they discovered
they were all fishermen.

441
00:29:25,367 --> 00:29:27,667
(laughter)

442
00:29:27,667 --> 00:29:33,967
And so he quickly readied a boat
for a twilight trip out on the lake.

443
00:29:33,967 --> 00:29:41,497
They fished, and they talked,
and they changed the course of history.

444
00:29:41,500 --> 00:29:45,600
I will not pretend that the
challenges we face will be easy,

445
00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:48,100
or that the answers
will come quickly,

446
00:29:48,100 --> 00:29:52,600
or that all our differences and
divisions will fade happily away

447
00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:55,370
-- because life is
not that simple.

448
00:29:55,367 --> 00:29:57,537
It never has been.

449
00:29:57,533 --> 00:30:01,503
But as you leave here today,
remember the lessons of Cardinal

450
00:30:01,500 --> 00:30:06,570
Bernardin, of Father Hesburgh,
of movements for change both

451
00:30:06,567 --> 00:30:09,137
large and small.

452
00:30:09,133 --> 00:30:13,563
Remember that each of us,
endowed with the dignity

453
00:30:13,567 --> 00:30:17,837
possessed by all
children of God,

454
00:30:17,834 --> 00:30:21,504
has the grace to recognize
ourselves in one another;

455
00:30:21,500 --> 00:30:25,400
to understand that we all
seek the same love of family,

456
00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:29,370
the same fulfillment
of a life well lived.

457
00:30:29,367 --> 00:30:34,467
Remember that in the end, in
some way we are all fishermen.

458
00:30:34,467 --> 00:30:37,137
If nothing else, that knowledge
should give us faith that

459
00:30:37,133 --> 00:30:40,663
through our collective
labor, and God's providence,

460
00:30:40,667 --> 00:30:43,467
and our willingness to
shoulder each other's burdens,

461
00:30:43,467 --> 00:30:46,567
America will continue on its
precious journey towards that

462
00:30:46,567 --> 00:30:48,237
more perfect union.

463
00:30:48,233 --> 00:30:50,563
Congratulations, Class of 2009.

464
00:30:50,567 --> 00:30:54,167
May God bless you, and may God
bless the United States of America.

465
00:30:54,166 --> 00:30:57,236
(applause and cheering)