ReGeneration Page #9

doing it off of the sweat of volunteers.

It's people from all over the country,

all over the world.

Coming down here to see

what's happening

and it's going to make a change for us.

So you just step back and see that

y'all are doing a good job.

You all are doing a good job.

Look for people in your neighborhood

or in your school,

who are doing something about

the injustices of the world,

who are involved in some movement

to save the environment or to stop war,

or to help people who are in need.

Look for people like that

and consider that,

when you get out of your own shell,

if you leave your living room

and television set

and go and join other people who are

doing something to make life better.

Life becomes more interesting to you

and more fulfilling.

Tell them about the people who,

in the south during

the civil rights movement,

who were working to end

racial segregation

and who went through all sorts of hell,

and many of them were beaten

and put in jail an so on.

But when they got together years later,

they would look back on those years

and they would say,

"Those were terrible times

we went through,

and those were

the best years of my life."

Don't let anybody call you immature

or naive because you're hopeful.

Don't let anybody call you

immature or naive

because you talk about

attaining justice.

And don't pay any attention

to somebody who says that,

because their agenda is

to stifle real change.

Frederick Douglas said it,

"Power concedes nothing without a demand

and there is no more

important time than now."

And the question is,

Do you want to be a part of it?

Do you want to determine it?

And there are so many issues that

we have to deal with now.

Global warring, global warming,

the global economic meltdown,

the lack of health care in this country,

the way that our country

deals with, vilifies,

discriminates against immigrants.

There are so many issues that are

life and death issues right now.

How are you weighing in?

Or are you weighing in?

This is Democracy Now!

The War and Peace Report.

I'm Amy Goodman

and we're at Liberty Plaza,

what was Zuccotti Park.

Talk about how this whole

encampment began.

So the original idea

was put out by Adbusters,

a culture-jamming magazine, to amass

in lower Manhattan 20,000 people.

The rallying cry was occupy Wall Street.

To come down here

to make your voices heard

about the injustices about Wall Street,

the financial system and the idea

just spread like wild fire.

Show me what democracy looks like!

This is what democracy looks like!

It all comes down to effort.

If we see an issue, I think if we want

to leave anything to future generations,

if that's what we mean by 'a footprint'

than it needs to be the fact that...

we tried.

71 million people

did not register to vote.

If you're not registered to vote,

we will help register you.

Don't let the media or advertising

hold you back.

Your voice is the voice of change.

If you want to save a life, if you want

to do what you believe is right,

than act on it and don't just sit

on your ass and watch T.V.

and find out what celebrities are doing,

because that's not going to help anyone.

This year as their student

graduate speaker,

Ms. Claire Friedman.

Claire the podium is yours.

Everyone just sits around hoping

that things are going to happen,

nothing's going to happen

if you just sit on the couch and go

"Global warming is so bad. I hope

someone does something about that."

Nothing is going to happen,

that doesn't do anything.

Recently, I was asked if there is

any hope for the future?

The future of the country,

the future of the world,

the future of the next generation,

I responded...

The only way you get hope

is through action.

that there is only hope with action.

No one changed the world

by sitting on their couch

and wishing that someone

would do something.

Be that someone.

Stop hoping for action and be action.

I honor this class with respect,

admiration, pride and hope.

We have come to remind America

of the fierce urgency of now.

This is no time to engage

in the luxury of cooling off

or to take the tranquilizing

drug of gradualism.

Now is the time to make real

the promises of democracy.

Now is the time.

COMMUNITY:

SUSTANABILITY:

ACTIVISM:

EDUCATION:

#ReGeneration

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