Barack Obama Inspirational Speech
Summary
TLDRThe speaker expresses deep gratitude for receiving an award and reflects on the inspiration drawn from young people and their potential for change. They share a personal story from their college years in 1979, where a meeting with South African activists fighting apartheid transformed their outlook. This experience led the speaker to become involved in social justice, anti-apartheid movements, and eventually a career in politics. The message encourages the audience to channel their energy towards addressing injustice, both in the U.S. and globally, and to embrace their power to make a difference.
Takeaways
- 🙏 The speaker expresses deep gratitude for receiving the award and acknowledges those who made it possible.
- 🔥 The speaker is inspired by young people and their potential for making impactful changes in the world.
- 📖 He shares a personal story about his youth, when he wasn't very focused or serious about his studies and future.
- 🇿🇦 A pivotal moment in his life was meeting young South African activists from the ANC, which sparked his involvement in social justice.
- 💪 This experience taught him that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things when driven by a sense of justice.
- ✊ His involvement in the anti-apartheid movement in college helped shape his future as an advocate for social change.
- 🛤️ The speaker traces his political career back to his college activism, which eventually led to his roles as a community organizer, civil rights attorney, and U.S. Senator.
- 👣 He reflects on Nelson Mandela’s release from prison as a symbol of the many people who contributed to South Africa’s fight for freedom.
- 🌍 The speaker emphasizes that injustice persists globally, and urges young people to channel their talents and energy toward making positive change.
- 🚀 He believes that we are at a moment in history with a strong hunger for change, and encourages the next generation to step up and drive that change.
Q & A
What is the primary emotion expressed by the speaker in the introduction of the speech?
-The speaker expresses gratitude for receiving the award and acknowledges the extraordinary company they are in.
Who does the speaker credit as a source of inspiration?
-The speaker is inspired by young people who are representative of change, as well as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who is mentioned as one of their heroes.
What is the personal story shared by the speaker from their youth?
-The speaker shares a story about being a freshman at Occidental College in 1979 and attending a meeting with two young men from South Africa representing the ANC. This experience deeply impacted the speaker's sense of social justice and inspired them to become active in the anti-apartheid movement.
How did the speaker describe their teenage years?
-The speaker describes their teenage years as somewhat rocky, mentioning that their father was not home, and they were growing up with their grandparents. They also admit to occasionally getting into trouble and not being serious about their studies, calling themselves a 'good time Charlie.'
What was the significance of the meeting with the young men from South Africa?
-The meeting was significant because it showed the speaker that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when given the opportunity. It also sparked the speaker's interest in social justice and activism, eventually leading to their involvement in the anti-apartheid movement.
How did the speaker's activism evolve after this meeting?
-The speaker became active in the anti-apartheid movement on campuses, first at Occidental College and then at Columbia University, despite resistance from the administration. This activism eventually led them into community organizing, civil rights work, and ultimately a political career.
What historical event does the speaker recall as a powerful moment of change?
-The speaker recalls Nelson Mandela walking out of prison as a seminal moment in history, symbolizing the culmination of the long struggle for freedom in South Africa, which they had been a part of through activism.
How does the speaker connect their early activism to their current political career?
-The speaker traces their political career back to their activism, explaining that their involvement in social justice movements as a student led to becoming a community organizer, civil rights attorney, and eventually a U.S. Senator and presidential candidate.
What message does the speaker want to convey to the audience, particularly young people?
-The speaker wants to convey that young people have enormous potential and responsibility to create change. They encourage the audience to channel their energy and imagination into addressing social injustices and contributing to a better future.
What global issues does the speaker highlight as ongoing struggles for justice?
-The speaker highlights ongoing struggles for justice in places like Darfur and the Middle East, as well as in underrepresented communities in the United States, where people face quiet desperation and hopelessness.
Outlines
🎉 Grateful for the Award and Inspired by Youth
In this opening, the speaker expresses deep gratitude for receiving an award and acknowledges the extraordinary individuals with whom they share this honor. They are particularly inspired by young people who represent hope and change. The speaker recalls their early years and experiences growing up, facing challenges such as an absent father and trouble during their teenage years. They describe how a chance encounter with South African activists in 1979, who spoke about the struggle against apartheid, had a profound impact on them. This moment opened the speaker’s eyes to the power of ordinary people to bring about extraordinary change. They reflect on their involvement in the anti-apartheid movement, despite initial resistance from institutions like Occidental College and Columbia University to divest from apartheid-era South Africa. The speaker also recounts the influence of global movements in shaping their own journey into activism and politics.
🚀 From Activism to U.S. Senator and Beyond
The speaker continues by tracing their political journey, starting from being a civil rights attorney, entering state politics, and ultimately standing as a U.S. Senator and candidate for president. They emphasize that the message behind receiving this award is about the potential that the audience—particularly young people—has for creating meaningful change. The speaker acknowledges that injustice still exists, both within the United States and globally, citing regions like Darfur and the Middle East. They express hope that the next generation will channel their energy, talent, and imagination into continuing the fight for justice. The speaker believes that the world is ready for change and is waiting for young leaders to rise to the challenge. They end by encouraging the audience to see the award not just as recognition, but as a spark to fuel their future endeavors.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Inspiration
💡Apartheid
💡Justice
💡Ordinary People
💡Change
💡Struggle
💡Community Organizer
💡Young People
💡Sacrifice
💡History
Highlights
Expresses deep gratitude for receiving the award and acknowledges the extraordinary company of those involved.
Highlights the inspiration from young people who are making an impact and representing positive change.
Shares a personal story about his rocky youth and how his experiences shaped his character and outlook.
Recalls a pivotal moment in 1979 when he met representatives of the ANC from South Africa, sparking his interest in fighting injustice.
Emphasizes how ordinary people can do extraordinary things when given the opportunity to channel their energy toward justice.
Details his involvement in the anti-apartheid movement during his college years, though he acknowledges the resistance encountered on campuses.
Mentions the global impact of movements like anti-apartheid and how the efforts of many individuals contributed to Nelson Mandela's eventual release.
Explains how his activism in college led to his career as a community organizer, civil rights attorney, state legislator, and eventually U.S. Senator.
Encourages the audience to recognize their potential to drive change, both in the U.S. and globally.
Identifies ongoing injustices in the U.S. and around the world, mentioning places like Darfur and the Middle East where people face hopelessness.
Challenges young people to channel their talent, energy, and imagination into advancing history and moving society toward positive change.
Expresses confidence that the audience has the power to take up this challenge and transform the world.
Reflects on the current moment in history, where there is a hunger for change and a desire to break free from the ordinary and trivial.
Urges recipients of the award to use this recognition as motivation to continue making a difference in the world.
Closes with a message of hope, emphasizing that the world is ready for change and is waiting for the audience to lead it forward.
Transcripts
thank you very much thank you so much well
I am I'm so grateful a to be
a recipient this award to be keeping such extraordinary company
I first evolved wanna thank
olive you were involved in making this possible
but the main thing that I want to do here is to just say I'm inspired
by young people who are representative because I think that's the purpose
ultimately this foundation and I want to tell just a brief story because
archbishop 22 is here one of my heroes
and let you know where I was when I was about your age
I'm really dating myself now although I'm
also betting their expression because a
back in nineteen 79
I was a freshman in college
at Occidental College and California and
I had had a somewhat rocky youth and and
teenage years my father was not home I
was growing up partly with my grandparents in high school
I got in trouble occasionally was what my mother called a good time Charlie
a meaning I wasn't really serious in terms of my
studies in terms my work had some awareness of the world around me
had some sense of injustice in on fairness
but it wasn't finally home that was well developed
and I remember in 1979 arriving as a freshman and doing what
freshman do your trying to figure out what courses
are in tryna changes study habits and try and identify about food in the
cafeteria what it is
%uh and a
we were visited on campus by a couple love gentleman from South Africa who
were represented as the ANC
in 1979 1980 and
they spoke about their efforts to overcome apartheid
and for up
an hour myself in a group of students
listened to these young men who were not
much older than we were describe the
extraordinary struggles they were going through the sacrifices that were being
made
people who it were in during jail and torture and beatings
because they had a sense that somehow
some way a justice would prevail and
that brief meeting I think in some ways changed my life
because why did told me first of all was that ordinary people can do
extraordinary things when they're given an opportunity
we sometimes think that our leaders have to be
have fancy degrees are well educated or some public office somewhere
these young men had not none of those things
about what they possessed was a
anger over injustice that they were able to channel in a constructive positive
way
and I thought to myself that
Bay gave me some sense the direction that my life
might go and so I became active
in the anti-apartheid movement on campuses and I'm
not sure we were particularly effective as I recall Occidental College
continued to refuse to divest despite the various protests that we organize
the students I transferred to Columbia
there was similar resistance on Columbia's campus but over time I like
to think that
I was part love that mosaic bat
apply pressure and ultimately helped
those in South Africa achieve the extraordinary liberation
that I would witness almost ten years later
night as a as a loss to
and I remember the image Nelson Mandela walking out of prison and
understanding that a seminal moment in history had occurred
and that mandela's long march towards freedom
was not his alone but was part
love thousands the footsteps love millions of footsteps of people
around the world and i trace back
me getting involved in politics to that mall
because I as a consequence is that organizing on a college campus I became
a community organizer as a consequence welcome your organizer a
after going back to law school became a civil rights attorney
as consequence a being a civil rights attorney I
entered the state legislature and I now stand before you as a
United States Senator and as a candidate for president
and so the primary message I guess I am
in receiving this award is that
all love you represent
enormous potential enormous possibility for change
because we all know that injustice still exists just
exists here in the United States in every
for neighborhood and every inner city and every rural community
all across the country there is quiet desperation
young people's lives are filled with
sadness and desperation anarchy and chaos
and obviously all around the world we see
those same symptoms hopelessness
made manifest in places like Darfur
places like the Middle East
in places that too often forgotten about another written about until the flare-up
in
tragedy so I hope that all %uh view
who are on the brink of doing extraordinary things
decide the channel that talent in that energy
and that imagination to figuring out how do you
move the process along for better history
you know how do you put your shoulder against the wheelman move that boulder
up the hill
and I'm absolutely confident that if I love you take up the challenge
the world is waiting for you ready to be changed
because I think we live in this moment in history right now where
better the hunger for change the hunger for something new
the desire to break out above the
ordinary the self-interested the pedi the trivial
is is everywhere and
the waiting for you and so I hope for that as you see the recipients of this
award
you recognize that
it's actually more VA towards a
give you a little spark and drive you
im the wonderful directions that I hope your lights take
in the years to come so thank you very much
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