Morial tells grads to become leaders, but never to forget SU
Southern University graduates should focus on leadership roles and to “never worship the dollar.” National Urban League President Marc Morial also implored the 508 students graduating from the Baton Rouge campus to see voting as one of the most important matters in their lives.
Morial, the former mayor of New Orleans and the son of the first African-American mayor of the Crescent City, told the students “the 21st Century is a time for leadership.” He asked them to stand up to attacks and funding cuts on higher education.
The Urban League president told the more than 6,000 people attending the ceremony in the F.G. Clark Activity Center that they should always vote. He reminded them that the vote count in the recent presidential election “shocked the nation and the world…You should never surrender your right to vote.”
He encouraged the new graduates to work hard, to start new businesses and to maximize their earning potential. But, he said, “never worship the dollar.”
Morial, who has a degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a law degree from Georgetown University, told the students continue their quest for knowledge. But, as they continue to matriculate at other institutions “don’t forget Southern University.” He said they should be appreciative of the educational foundation they received at Southern