John legend all of me acapella
“Once we recognize our interdependence, our mutuality, it’s clear that love is precisely what our society needs: to look out for each other, to take care of each other,” he said. Lastly, Legend called upon the Class of 2021 to “think about what it actually means to feel and show love for neighbors.” Find its change makers and boundary breakers.” “I hope you’ll learn about your new homes-past, present and future. “Some of you are about to move to a new community, each with its own historical context and background,” he said. He encouraged the Class of 2021 to learn the same things and “engage in the real, tangible bettering of community” after they graduate. Legend added that most local nonprofits and organizers know their communities very well and what they need to fight homelessness, violence and other widespread issues. He discussed how municipal, county and school board elections determine much of the everyday encounters of people’s lives, noting that “most of the reforms we hope for will come from local elected officials.” Next, Legend said that many believe change starts with the “go big or go home” mentality, but he noted that “some of the most important work you can do starts at home.” Q&A: James Coleman on the issues with and potential future of the criminal justice system. 'Never stay complacent': The rise of Duke football's Chris Rumph II
Read more Q&A: President Vincent Price on leading Duke through a pandemic, University's anti-racist mission Legend described the campaign as “some of the most gratifying work of life.” Some of the policies they discussed were working to decriminalize drugs, finding alternatives to incarceration and restoring voting rights to formerly incarcerated people. In starting the project, Legend discussed listening to incarcerated individuals with an “open mind and humble spirit” in order to focus on amplifying their voices. When he began learning about criminal justice, he “thought the problem was with individuals, not the system,” now acknowledging that it is “a direct result of policies that target people of color.”Īfter spending years learning about criminal justice reform, Legend started FREEAMERICA, a campaign to “reform the unjust criminal justice system,” he said. The first lesson Legend discussed was that “learning cannot stop today.” He recalled growing up and reading about civil rights advocates throughout history, who later became his heroes.
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Legend asked graduates to remember how dependent everyone is on each other and to use what they’ve gained from Duke to build communities “where everyone can live up to their full potential.” He said that there were three ways graduates could make this kind of change. However, he noted, “It’s an artist’s duty to reflect on the times in which we live.” “I’ve been hearing ‘shut up and sing’ my entire career,” Legend said. Legend acknowledged that some may be wondering why he was “bringing down” on their graduation day.
Legend said that in order to succeed along the path that brought the graduates to where they are today, they needed to have a “constant drive to push harder, reach harder, do better, try to be perfect or close to it.” He noted that while they didn’t get to experience all of the special moments at Duke that they could in previous years, there were still many lessons to be learned.
He discussed the things the Class of 2021 lost during this last year, from job offers to loved ones. “There are so few moments to enjoy this right of passage, to just revel in our accomplishments with the people we love. After four years of hard work, he didn’t understand the “point of all of pomp and circumstance.” Legend remembered feeling “pretty indifferent” in 1999 when he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He released his first album “Get Lifted” that same year, noting that today he realized that “maybe it’s thanks to Duke that career took off.” “In those days, I’d play piano and sing the hooks with Kanye and hope people would notice me,” he said. Legend started off by recalling the first time he came to Duke, when he performed at the Last Day of Classes concert in 2004 with Kanye West.