奥巴马哥伦比亚大学巴纳德学院毕业典礼演讲稿

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　Remarks by the President at Barnard College Commencement Ceremony

　 Barnard College Columbia University New York, New York

　1:28 P.M. EDT

　THE PRESIDENT:

　Thank you so much.

　(Applause.)

　Thank you.

　Please, please have a seat.

　Thank you.

　(Applause.)

　 Thank you, President Spar, trustees, President Bollinger.

　Hello, Class of 2012!

　(Applause.) Congratulations on reaching this day.

　Thank you for the honor of being able to be a part of it.

　There are so many people who are proud of you -- your parents, family, faculty, friends -- all who share in this achievement.

　So please give them a big round of applause.

　(Applause.)

　To all the moms who are here today, you could not ask for a better Mother’s Day gift than to see all of these folks graduate.

　(Applause.)

　 I have to say, though, whenever I come to these things, I start thinking about Malia and Sasha graduating, and I start tearing up and -- (laughter) -- it"s terrible.

　I don"t know how you guys are holding it together.

　(Laughter.)

　I will begin by telling a hard truth:

　I’m a Columbia college graduate.

　(Laughter and applause.)

　I know there can be a little bit of a sibling rivalry here.

　(Laughter.)

　But I’m honored nevertheless to be your commencement speaker today -- although I’ve got to say, you set a pretty high bar given the past three years.

　(Applause.)

　Hillary Clinton -- (applause) -- Meryl Streep -- (applause) -- Sheryl Sandberg -- these are not easy acts to follow.

　(Applause.)

　But I will point out Hillary is doing an extraordinary job as one of the finest Secretaries of State America has ever had.

　(Applause.)

　We gave Meryl the Presidential Medal of Arts and Humanities.

　(Applause.)

　Sheryl is not just a good friend; she’s also one of our economic advisers.

　So it’s like the old saying goes -- keep your friends close, and your Barnard commencement speakers even closer.

　(Applause.)

　There"s wisdom in that.

　(Laughter.)

　 Now, the year I graduated -- this area looks familiar -- (laughter) -- the year I graduated was 1983, the first year women were admitted to Columbia.

　(Applause.)

　Sally Ride was the first American woman in space.

　Music was all about Michael and the Moonwalk.

　(Laughter.)

　 AUDIENCE MEMBER:

　Do it!

　(Laughter.)

　 THE PRESIDENT:

　No Moonwalking.

　(Laughter.)

　No Moonwalking today.

　(Laughter.)

　 We had the Walkman, not iPods.

　Some of the streets around here were not quite so inviting.

　(Laughter.)

　Times Square was not a family destination.

　(Laughter.)

　So I know this is all ancient history.

　Nothing worse than commencement speakers droning on about bygone days. (Laughter.)

　But for all the differences, the Class of 1983 actually had a lot in common with all of you.

　For we, too, were heading out into a world at a moment when our country was still recovering from a particularly severe economic recession.

　It was a time of change.

　It was a time of uncertainty.

　It was a time of passionate political debates.

　You can relate to this because just as you were starting out finding your way around this campus, an economic crisis struck that would claim more than 5 million jobs before the end of your freshman year.

　Since then, some of you have probably seen parents put off retirement, friends struggle to find work.

　And you may be looking toward the future with that same sense of concern that my generation did when we were sitting where you are now.

　Of course, as young women, you’re also going to grapple with some unique challenges, like whether you’ll be able to earn equal pay for equal work; whether you’ll be able to balance the demands of your job and your family; whether you’ll be able to fully control decisions about your own health.

　And while opportunities for women have grown exponentially over the last 30 years, as young people, in many ways you have it even tougher than we did.

　This recession has been more brutal, the job losses steeper.

　Politics seems nastier.

　Congress more gridlocked than ever.

　Some folks in the financial world have not exactly been model corporate citizens.

　(Laughter.)

　No wonder that faith in our institutions has never been lower, particularly when good news doesn’t get the same kind of ratings as bad news anymore.

　Every day you receive a steady stream of sensationalism and scandal and stories with a message that suggest change isn’t possible; that you can’t make a difference; that you won’t be able to close that gap between life as it is and life as you want it to be.

　 My job today is to tell you don’t believe it.

　Because as tough as things have been, I am convinced you are tougher.

　I’ve seen your passion and I’ve seen your service.

　I’ve seen you engage and I’ve seen you turn out in record numbers.

　I’ve heard your voices amplified by creativity and a digital fluency that those of us in older generations can barely comprehend. I’ve seen a generation eager, impatient even, to step into the rushing waters of history and change its course.

　 And that defiant, can-do spirit is what runs through the veins of American history.

　It’s the lifeblood of all our progress.

　And it is that spirit which we need your generation to embrace and rekindle right now.

　See, the question is not whether things will get better -- they always do.

　The question is not whether we’ve got the solutions to our challenges -- we’ve had them within our grasp for quite some time.

　We know, for example, that this country would be better off if more Americans were able to get the kind of education that you’ve received here at Barnard -- (applause) -- if more people could get the specific skills and training that employers are looking for today.

　We know that we’d all be better off if we invest in science and technology that sparks new businesses and medical breakthroughs; if we developed more clean energy so we could use less foreign oil and reduce the carbon pollution that’s threatening our planet.

　(Applause.)

　 We know that we’re better off when there are rules that stop big banks from making bad bets with other people’s money and -- (applause) -- when insurance companies aren’t allowed to drop your coverage when you need it most or charge women differently from men.

　(Applause.)

　Indeed, we know we are better off when women are treated fairly and equally in every aspect of American life -- whether it’s the salary you earn or the health decisions you make.

　(Applause.)

　 We know these things to be true.

　We know that our challenges are eminently solvable.

　The question is whether together, we can muster the will -- in our own lives, in our common institutions, in our politics -- to bring about the changes we need.

　And I’m convinced your generation possesses that will.

　And I believe that the women of this generation -- that all of you will help lead the way.

　(Applause.)

　 Now, I recognize that’s a cheap applause line when you"re giving a commencement at Barnard. (Laughter.)

　It’s the easy thing to say.

　But it’s true.

　It is -- in part, it is simple math. Today, women are not just half this country; you’re half its workforce.

　(Applause.)

　More and more women are out-earning their husbands.

　You’re more than half of our college graduates, and master’s graduates, and PhDs.

　(Applause.)

　 So you’ve got us outnumbered.

　(Laughter.) After decades of slow, steady, extraordinary progress, you are now poised to make this the century where women shape not only their own destiny but the destiny of this nation and of this world.

　 But how far your leadership takes this country, how far it takes this world -- well, that will be up to you.

　You’ve got to want it.

　It will not be handed to you.

　And as someone who wants that future -- that better future -- for you, and for Malia and Sasha, as somebody who’s had the good fortune of being the husband and the father and the son of some strong, remarkable women, allow me to offer just a few pieces of advice.

　That"s obligatory.

　(Laughter.)

　Bear with me. My first piece of advice is this:

　Don’t just get involved.

　Fight for your seat at the table. Better yet, fight for a seat at the head of the table.

　(Applause.)

　 It’s been said that the most important role in our democracy is the role of citizen.

　And indeed, it was 225 years ago today that the Constitutional Convention opened in Philadelphia, and our

　founders, citizens all, began crafting an extraordinary document.

　Yes, it had its flaws -- flaws that this nation has strived to protect (perfect) over time.

　Questions of race and gender were unresolved.

　No woman’s signature graced the original document -- although we can assume that there were founding mothers whispering smarter things in the ears of the founding fathers.

　(Applause.)

　I mean, that"s almost certain.

　 What made this document special was that it provided the space -- the possibility -- for those who had been left out of our charter to fight their way in.

　It provided people the language to appeal to principles and ideals that broadened democracy’s reach.

　It allowed for protest, and movements, and the dissemination of new ideas that would repeatedly, decade after decade, change the world -- a constant forward movement that continues to this day.

　 Our founders understood that America does not stand still; we are dynamic, not static.

　We look forward, not back.

　And now that new doors have been opened for you, you’ve got an obligation to seize those opportunities.

　You need to do this not just for yourself but for those who don’t yet enjoy the choices that you’ve had, the choices you will have.

　And one reason many workplaces still have outdated policies is because women only account for 3 percent of the CEOs at Fortune 500 companies.

　One reason we’re actually refighting long-settled battles over women’s rights is because women occupy fewer than one in five seats in Congress.

　 Now, I’m not saying that the only way to achieve success is by climbing to the top of the corporate ladder or running for office -- although, let’s face it, Congress would get a lot more done if you did.

　(Laughter and applause.)

　That I think we’re sure about.

　But if you decide not to sit yourself at the table, at the very least you’ve got to make sure you have a say in who does.

　It matters.

　 Before women like Barbara Mikulski and Olympia Snowe and others got to Congress, just to take one example, much of federally-funded research on diseases focused solely on their effects on men.

　It wasn’t until women like Patsy Mink and Edith Green got to Congress and passed Title IX, 40 years ago this year, that we declared women, too, should be allowed to compete and win on America’s playing fields.

　(Applause.)

　Until a woman named Lilly Ledbetter showed up at her office and had the courage to step up and say, you know what, this isn’t right, women weren’t being treated fairly -- we lacked some of the tools we needed to uphold the basic principle of equal pay for equal work.

　 So don’t accept somebody else’s construction of the way things ought to be.

　It’s up to you to right wrongs.

　It’s up to you to point out injustice.

　It’s up to you to hold the system accountable and sometimes upend it entirely.

　It’s up to you to stand up and to be heard, to write and to lobby, to march, to organize, to vote.

　Don’t be content to just sit back and watch.

　Those who oppose change, those who benefit from an unjust status quo, have always bet on the public’s cynicism or the public"s complacency.

　Throughout American history, though, they have lost that bet, and I believe they will this time as well.

　(Applause.)

　But ultimately, Class of 2012, that will depend on you.

　Don’t wait for the person next to you to be the first to speak up for what’s right.

　Because maybe, just maybe, they’re waiting on you.

　Which brings me to my second piece of advice:

　Never underestimate the power of your example.

　The very fact that you are graduating, let alone that more women now graduate from college than men, is only possible because earlier generations of women -- your mothers, your grandmothers, your aunts -- shattered the myth that you couldn’t or shouldn’t be where you are.

　(Applause.) I think of a friend of mine who’s the daughter of immigrants.

　When she was in high school, her guidance counselor told her, you know what, you’re just not college material.

　You should think about becoming a secretary.

　Well, she was stubborn, so she went to college anyway.

　She got her master’s.

　She ran for local office, won.

　She ran for state office, she won.

　She ran for Congress, she won.

　And lo and behold, Hilda Solis did end up becoming a secretary -- (laughter) -- she is America’s Secretary of Labor.

　(Applause.)

　 So think about what that means to a young Latina girl when she sees a Cabinet secretary that looks like her.

　(Applause.)

　Think about what it means to a young girl in Iowa when she sees a presidential candidate who looks like her.

　Think about what it means to a young girl walking in Harlem right down the street when she sees a U.N. ambassador who looks like her.

　Do not underestimate the power of your example.

　This diploma opens up new possibilities, so reach back, convince a young girl to earn one, too. If you earned your degree in areas where we need more women -- like computer science or engineering -- (applause) -- reach back and persuade another student to study it, too.

　If you"re going into fields where we need more women, like construction or computer engineering -- reach back, hire someone new.

　Be a mentor.

　Be a role model.

　 Until a girl can imagine herself, can picture herself as a computer programmer, or a combatant commander, she won’t become one.

　Until there are women who tell her, ignore our pop culture obsession over beauty and fashion -- (applause) -- and focus instead on studying and inventing and competing and leading, she’ll think those are the only things that girls are supposed to care about.

　Now, Michelle will say, nothing wrong with caring about it a little bit.

　(Laughter.)

　You can be stylish and powerful, too.

　(Applause.)

　That"s Michelle’s advice.

　(Applause.)

　 And never forget that the most important example a young girl will ever follow is that of a parent.

　Malia and Sasha are going to be outstanding women because Michelle and Marian Robinson are outstanding women.

　So understand your power, and use it wisely.

　My last piece of advice -- this is simple, but perhaps most important:

　Persevere.

　Persevere. Nothing worthwhile is easy.

　No one of achievement has avoided failure -- sometimes catastrophic failures.

　But they keep at it.

　They learn from mistakes.

　They don’t quit.

　 You know, when I first arrived on this campus, it was with little money, fewer options.

　But it was here that I tried to find my place in this world.

　I knew I wanted to make a difference, but it was vague how in fact I’d go about it.

　(Laughter.)

　But I wanted to do my part to do my part to shape a better world.

　 So even as I worked after graduation in a few unfulfilling jobs here in New York -- I will not list them all -- (laughter) -- even as I went from motley apartment to motley apartment, I reached out.

　I started to write letters to community organizations all across the country.

　And one day, a small group of churches on the South Side of Chicago answered, offering me work with people in neighborhoods hit hard by steel mills that were shutting down and communities where jobs were dying away.

　 The community had been plagued by gang violence, so once I arrived, one of the first things we tried to do was to mobilize a meeting with community leaders to deal with gangs.

　And I’d worked for weeks on this project.

　We invited the police; we made phone calls; we went to churches; we passed out flyers.

　The night of the meeting we arranged rows and rows of chairs in anticipation of this crowd.

　And we waited, and we waited.

　And finally, a group of older folks walked in to the hall and they sat down.

　And this little old lady raised her hand and asked, “Is this where the bingo game is?”

　(Laughter.)

　It was a disaster.

　Nobody showed up.

　My first big community meeting -- nobody showed up.

　 And later, the volunteers I worked with told me, that"s it; we’re quitting.

　They"d been doing this for two years even before I had arrived.

　They had nothing to show for it.

　And I’ll be honest, I felt pretty discouraged as well.

　I didn"t know what I was doing.

　I thought about quitting.

　And as we were talking, I looked outside and saw some young boys playing in a vacant lot across the street.

　And they were just throwing rocks up at a boarded building.

　They had nothing better to do

　-- late at night, just throwing rocks.

　And I said to the volunteers, “Before you quit, answer one question.

　What will happen to those boys if you quit?

　Who will fight for them if we don’t?

　Who will give them a fair shot if we leave?

　 And one by one, the volunteers decided not to quit.

　We went back to those neighborhoods and we kept at it.

　We registered new voters, and we set up after-school programs, and we fought for new jobs, and helped people live lives with some measure of dignity.

　And we sustained ourselves with those small victories.

　We didn’t set the world on fire.

　Some of those communities are still very poor.

　There are still a lot of gangs out there.

　But I believe that it was those small victories that helped me win the bigger victories of my last three and a half years as

　President. And I wish I could say that this perseverance came from some innate toughness in me.

　But the truth is, it was learned.

　I got it from watching the people who raised me.

　More specifically, I got it from watching the women who shaped my life.

　I grew up as the son of a single mom who struggled to put herself through school and make ends meet.

　She had marriages that fell apart; even went on food stamps at one point to help us get by.

　But she didn’t quit.

　And she earned her degree, and made sure that through scholarships and hard work, my sister and I earned ours.

　She used to wake me up when we were living overseas -- wake me up before dawn to study my English lessons.

　And when I’d complain, she’d just look at me and say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”

　(Laughter.)

　 And my mom ended up dedicating herself to helping women around the world access the money they needed to start their own businesses -- she was an early pioneer in microfinance.

　And that meant, though, that she was gone a lot, and she had her own struggles trying to figure out balancing motherhood and a career.

　And when she was gone, my grandmother stepped up to take care of me.

　She only had a high school education.

　She got a job at a local bank.

　She hit the glass ceiling, and watched men she once trained promoted up the ladder ahead of her.

　But she didn’t quit. Rather than grow hard or angry each time she got passed over, she kept doing her job as best as she knew how, and ultimately ended up being vice president at the bank.

　She didn’t quit. And later on, I met a woman who was assigned to advise me on my first summer job at a law firm. And she gave me such good advice that I married her.

　(Laughter.)

　And Michelle and I gave everything we had to balance our careers and a young family.

　But let’s face it, no matter how enlightened I must have thought myself to be, it often fell more on her shoulders when I was traveling, when I was away.

　I know that when she was with our girls, she’d feel guilty that she wasn’t giving enough time to her work, and when she was at her work, she’d feel guilty she wasn’t giving enough time to our girls.

　And both of us wished we had some superpower that would let us be in two places at once.

　But we persisted.

　We made that marriage work.

　And the reason Michelle had the strength to juggle everything, and put up with me and eventually the public spotlight, was because she, too, came from a family of folks who didn’t quit -- because she saw her dad get up and go to work every day even though he never finished college, even though he had crippling MS.

　She saw her mother, even though she never finished college, in that school, that urban school, every day making sure Michelle and her brother were getting the education they deserved.

　Michelle saw how her parents never quit.

　They never indulged in self-pity, no matter how stacked the odds were against them.

　They didn"t quit.

　 Those are the folks who inspire me.

　People ask me sometimes, who inspires you, Mr. President? Those quiet heroes all across this country -- some of your parents and grandparents who are sitting

　here -- no fanfare, no articles written about them, they just persevere.

　They just do their jobs.

　They meet their responsibilities.

　They don"t quit.

　I"m only here because of them. They may not have set out to change the world, but in small, important ways, they did.

　They certainly changed mine.

　So whether it’s starting a business, or running for office, or raising a amazing family, remember that making your mark on the world is hard.

　It takes patience.

　It takes commitment.

　It comes with plenty of setbacks and it comes with plenty of failures.

　But whenever you feel that creeping cynicism, whenever you hear those voices say you can’t make a difference, whenever somebody tells you to set your sights lower -- the trajectory of this country should give you hope.

　Previous generations should give you hope.

　What young generations have done before should give you hope.

　Young folks who marched and mobilized and stood up and sat in, from Seneca Falls to Selma to Stonewall, didn’t just do it for themselves; they did it for other people.

　(Applause.)

　That’s how we achieved women’s rights.

　That"s how we achieved voting rights.

　That"s how we achieved workers’ rights.

　That"s how we achieved gay rights.

　(Applause.)

　That’s how we’ve made this Union more perfect.

　(Applause.)

　 And if you’re willing to do your part now, if you"re willing to reach up and close that gap between what America is and what America should be, I want you to know that I will be right there with you.

　(Applause.)

　If you are ready to fight for that brilliant, radically simple idea of America that no matter who you are or what you look like, no matter who you love or what God you worship, you can still pursue your own happiness, I will join you every step of the way. (Applause.)

　 Now more than ever -- now more than ever, America needs what you, the Class of 2012, has to offer.

　America needs you to reach high and hope deeply.

　And if you fight for your seat at the table, and you set a better example, and you persevere in what you decide to do with your life, I have every faith not only that you will succeed, but that, through you, our nation will continue to be a beacon of light for men and women, boys and girls, in every corner of the globe. So thank you.

　Congratulations.

　(Applause.)

　God bless you.

　God bless the United States of America.

　(Applause.)

　 2012年5月14日

　 在巴纳德学院（Barnard College ）毕业典礼上的讲话

　 纽约州纽约市 哥伦比亚大学巴纳德学院

　美国东部夏令时下午1:28

　 总统：非常感谢大家。（掌声）谢谢大家，请入座。谢谢大家。（掌声）

　 谢谢你们，斯巴（Spar）院长[译者注：中文名石德葆]、各位校董、伯林格（Bollinger）校长。2012届毕业生，你们好！（掌声）祝贺你们迎来了这一天。感谢你们让我有幸来参加这个活动。

　 有很多人为你们感到骄傲——你们的父母、家人、师长和朋友——都为取得这一成就出了力。因此，请为他们热烈鼓掌。（掌声）今天在座的各位母亲们，再也没有比看到所有这些孩子们毕业更好的母亲节礼物了。（掌声）

　但是我得说，每当我来到这种场合，就会想到玛莉娅（Malia）和萨夏（Sasha）将来毕业的情景，我就会热泪盈眶——（笑声）——真不好意思。我不知道你们大家是怎么把持得住的。（笑声）

　 我一开始就要说明一个确凿的事实：我是一名哥伦比亚大学的毕业生。（笑声和掌声）我知道可能会有一点同门弟子相争的劲儿。（笑声）但我还是为能够在你们今天的毕业典礼上讲话而感到荣幸——不过我得说，你们在过去三年树立了相当高的标准。（掌声）希拉里·克林顿（Hillary Clinton）——（掌声）——梅丽尔·斯特里普（Meryl Streep）——（掌声）——谢里尔·桑德伯格（Sheryl Sandberg）——在她们之后出场可不容易。（掌声）

　 但我要指出，希拉里的工作极为出色，她是美国有史以来最杰出的国务卿之一。（掌声）我们已授予梅丽尔艺术与人文总统奖章（Presidential Medal of Arts and Humanities）。（掌声）谢里尔不仅是一位好朋友；她还是我们的经济顾问之一。正如那句老话所说——亲近你的朋友，但更要亲近在你们巴纳德学院毕业典礼上讲话的人。（掌声）这话寓意深长。（笑声）

　 话说我毕业那年——这个地方看着眼熟——（笑声）——我毕业于1983年，哥伦比亚大学开始录取女生的第一年。（掌声）当时萨莉·莱德（Sally Ride）成为第一位进入太空的美国女性。那时的音乐全是麦克尔（Michael ）和太空步（Moonwalk）。（笑声）

　 一名听众：走一个！（笑声）

　 总统：不走太空步。（笑声）今天不走太空步。（笑声）

　 我们当时有“随身听”（Walkman），没有 IPod。这四周的一些街区没有现在这样诱人。（笑声）时报广场（Times Square）不是适合全家人去的地方。（笑声）我知道这一切都属于古老的过去了。毕业典礼演讲人絮叨旧事是再糟糕不过的。但是，尽管有种种差别，1983年毕业班其实与你们各位有许多共同之处。这是因为，当时我们踏入社会的时候，也正值国家从一场特别严重的经济衰退中恢复。那是一个变革的时期，一个充满未知的时期，一个政治辨伦激情高涨的时期。

　 你们能够体会到这一点，因为在你们刚开始熟悉这所校园的时候，经济危机降临，不等你们第一学年结束，它已经导致500多万人失业。从那个时候以来，你们大概看到一些父母推迟了退休计划，一些朋友在苦苦求职。面对未来，你们也许像当年我这一代坐在你们的座位上

　的时候一样，感到忧心忡忡。

　 当然，作为年轻女性，你们还要应对某些特殊的挑战，比如是否能够享有同工同酬；是否能够平衡工作和家庭的需要；是否能够对自身健康有全部决定权。

　 虽然过去30年来女性的机会有了突飞猛进的增加，但作为年轻人，你们在很多方面面临着比我们当时更严峻的挑战。这场衰退更加严重，失业人数更多。政治争议似乎更加难以调和。国会比以往任何时候更加僵持。金融界的一些人很难被称为模范企业公民。（笑声）

　 所以，毫不奇怪，对我们体制的信心达到空前之低，特别是好消息不如坏消息引人注意的时候。人们每天接到一连串耸人听闻的消息或者丑闻，其中传递的信息是：变革是不可能的；你们的努力无济于事；你们无法消除现实生活与你们的理想生活之间的差距。

　 我今天的任务就是要告诉你们，不要相信这些说法。因为尽管困难很大，但我坚信你们的能力更大。我看到过你们的激情，我看到过你们的奉献。我看到过你们的投入，我看到过你们挺身而出，人数空前。我听到了你们的声音，创意和对数码技术的精通使得这种声音格外响亮，而我们这些年长的人几乎不得其解。我看到心情迫切、跃跃欲试的一代人准备跻身历史激流中，扭转其方向。

　 这种蔑视困难、积极进取的精神贯穿于整个美国历史的进程。这种精神是我们一切进步的源泉。此时此刻，我们需要你们这一代继承和发扬光大的正是这种精神。

　 可以看出，问题并不在于事情是否会好转——情况总是会变好的。问题也不在于我们是否已经有了应对我们面临的挑战的解决办法——我们一直掌握着这些解决办法，已有相当一段时间了。比如说，我们知道，如果有更多的美国人能得到你们在巴纳德得到的这样的教育（掌声）——如果有更多的人能够获得今天的雇主所需要的那些特定的技能和训练，美国的情况会更好。

　 我们知道，如果我们投资于能够造就新的企业并带动医学突破的科学与技术，如果我们开发出更多的清洁能源以减少使用外国石油并减少对我们的地球构成威胁的碳污染，我们大家的日子会过得更好。（掌声）

　 我们知道，如果有一定的规则制止大银行拿别人的钱去恶赌（掌声）——如果不允许保险公司在你最需要的时候取消你的保险资格或者对男女收费标准不一，我们的日子会过得更好。（掌声）确实，我们都知道，如果妇女在国家生活的方方面面都能得到公平与平等的对待——无论是你的薪金所得还是你所作的健康决定，我们的日子会过得更好。（掌声）

　 我们知道这些都是实实在在的道理。我们知道，我们面临的挑战显然都是可以解决的。问题是，我们是否能够拧成一股绳，拿出意志力——在我们自己的生活中，在我们共同的体制中，在我们的政治事务中——实现我们所需的变革。我坚信，你们这一代具有这种意志力。我相信，这一代女性——你们所有的人将会在这条道路上走在前面。

　 我承认，这是不用费力就能在巴纳德学院的毕业典礼上赢得鼓掌喝彩的一句话。（笑声）说这样的话很容易。但事实确实如此。这是——在某种程度上，这是简单的数学题。今天，妇

　女不仅占这个国家总人口的一半，你们还是这个国家劳动力的一半。（掌声）越来越多的女性收入超过了她们的丈夫。你们在我们的大学毕业生中，在拥有硕士学位和博士学位的毕业生中占了一半以上。（掌声）所以，你们在人数上超过了我们。（笑声）

　 在几十年来的缓慢、持续、不凡的进展之后，你们即将在本世纪实现这样的目标：妇女不仅能改变自己的命运，还能改变这个国家乃至这个世界的命运。

　 然而，你们的主动性能使这个国家走多远、能使这个世界走多远，还要取决于你们自己。你们必须有这种愿望。进步不可能由别人拱手奉上。作为一个希望你们、玛莉娅和萨夏拥有这一前途及更美好前途的人，作为一个有幸成为几位坚强杰出的女性的丈夫、父亲和儿子的人，请允许我贡献几条建议。这是义不容辞的。（笑声）容我慢慢道来。

　 我的第一条建议是，仅仅参与还不够，要为在决策中赢得一席之地而奋斗。能为坐上首席而奋斗就更好了。（笑声）

　 有人说，我们民主中最重要的角色是公民角色。的确如此，225年前的今天，费城召开了制宪大会，我们的开国元勋，我们所有的公民，开始起草一项伟大的纲领。是的，该文件有缺陷，这个国家后来为了完善它而作出了努力。种族和性别问题当时没有得到解决。最初的文件上没有妇女的签名来为之增添光彩，但是我们可以想象，一些开国之母在开国之父的耳旁轻声细语地指点一些高招。（掌声）我是说，几乎肯定如此。

　 这份文件之所以特别，是因为它为那些没有被纳入我们的宪法的人们提供了争取权利的空间和可能性。它为人民提供了借助于一些原则和理想拓展民主范围的语言。它允许发起抗议和运动，允许传播新思想，一代又一代地改变着世界，形成了一股永不休止的潮流，一直延续到今天。

　 我们的开国元勋认识到，美国并非一成不变；我们充满活力，不会停滞不前。我们向前看，不回头。既然新的大门已为你们敞开，你们就有义务把握这些机会。

　 你们需要这么做，不仅是为了你们自己，也是为了那些没有得到你们已经有过以及还将拥有的种种选择的人。许多工作场所仍在实行过时的政策，原因之一就是妇女只占财富500强公司首席行政官的3%。我们仍在为争取妇女权利而再次进行早已完成的抗争，原因之一就是妇女在国会所占的席位还不到五分之一。

　 我不是说取得成功的唯一途径是晋升到公司的最高层，或是竞选公职，不过，请让我们面对这个事实：如果你们竞选公职，国会将能大有作为。（笑声和掌声）我想大家对此是深信无疑的。但如果你们决定不亲身参政，至少也应该确保自己有权选择议员。这很重要。

　 例如，在像芭芭拉·米库尔斯基（Barbara Mikulski）和奥林匹娅·斯诺（Olympia Snowe）及其他女性进入国会前，联邦资助的大部分疾病研究主要侧重于疾病对男性的影响。40年前的今天，帕齐·明克（Patsy Mink）和伊迪丝·格林（Edith Green）等女性进入国会并通过[教育法修正案]《第九条》，从而宣布女性也有资格在美国的运动场上参与竞赛并取胜。（掌声）一个名叫莉莉·莱德贝特（Lilly Ledbetter）的女性来到她的办公室，勇敢地而明确地说：你们知道吗，这不对，女性没有得到公正待遇——我们缺乏一些必要的手段捍卫同工同酬的基

　本原则。

　 所以不要接受别人对于事情理当如何的看法。你应当來纠正错误做法。你应当來指出不公不义。你应当来督促社会体制负起责任，有时需要全盘改变。你应当挺身而出，发表意见，撰文游说，游行示威，组织民众，投票表决。不要满足于袖手旁观。

　 那些反对变革、受益于不公平现状的人，总是赌定公众要不是愤世嫉俗就是洋洋自得。可是纵观美国历史，他们一再下错赌注，我相信这一次也不例外。（掌声）可是说到底，2012届的同学们，这将取决于你们。不要等待你身旁的人第一个为正义发言。因为有可能，只是有此可能，他们正在等你带头。

　 这就涉及我的第二条建议：切勿低估以身作则的力量。你们即将毕业的事实，且不说目前大学毕业的女生人数超过男生，都是因为前辈女性－－你们的母亲、祖母、姨婶－－打破了你不能或者不应当身在此处的神话。（掌声）

　 我想起一位朋友，她是移民的女儿。念中学时，她的指导老师告诉她，你不是念大学的材料，你应当考虑去当秘书。她很固执，所以还是念了大学，进而拿到硕士学位。她竞选地方公职，结果胜选。她竞选州政府公职，再度胜选。她竞选国会议员，又是胜选。请听好了，希尔达·索利斯（Hilda Solis）最终的确成为一名秘书－－（笑声）－－她成为美国劳工部的秘书[译者注：“秘书”和“部长”在英文中是同一个单词]。（掌声）

　 所以想想看，当一名拉丁裔的小女孩看到一名长得像她的内阁部长，会作何感想。（掌声）当一名艾奥瓦州的小女孩看到一名长得像她的总统候选人，会作何感想。当一名小女孩走在哈莱姆区的街上，看到一名长得像她的驻联合国大使，她会作何感想。不要低估了你们以身作则的力量。

　 这张文凭将会开辟新的可能性，因此，回过头去，说服另一个小女孩也去追求文凭。如果你们学习的专业是需要更多女性投入的领域－－比如计算机科学或者工程学－－（掌声）－－也要说服另一名学生加入你们的学习行列。如果你们进入的是需要更多女性加入的领域，如建筑施工或者计算机工程－－那就回头聘一位新人。做一个指导者。做一个好榜样。

　 一名女孩要成为计算机程序员或者军事指挥官，她必须首先具备这样的理想。如果没有别的女性告诉她，不要在意我们的流行文化对于美丽和时尚的迷恋－－（掌声）－－而是专注学习，发明创新，与人竞争，发挥领导作用，她就会一直在意那些事情。好，米歇尔会说，在意一点又何妨。（笑声）你可以既时髦又有力量。（掌声）那是米歇尔的建议。（掌声）

　 千万不要忘记一个女孩仿效的最重要榜样就是她的父母。玛莉娅（Malia）和莎夏（ Sasha）将会成为杰出的女性，因为米歇尔和玛丽安·鲁宾逊（Marian Robinson）都是杰出的女性。所以，要认识到你们的力量，并且明智地加以运用。

　 我的最后一点建议－－这很简单，但可能是最重要的一点：坚持不懈。坚持不懈。有价值的事物得之不易。没有一个有成就的人能够避免失败－－有时甚至是一败涂地。可是他们坚持不懈，从错误中学习。他们绝不放弃。

　你们知道，我刚到这个校园时，没多少钱，更没多少选择。但正是在这里，我试图寻找我在

　这个世界上的立足之地。我知道我想有所作为，但却不清楚如何去做。(笑声）可我想尽自己的力量去建设一个更美好的世界。

　 因此，即使当我毕业后在纽约从事几份没有成就感的工作的时候——我不会一一列举——（笑声）——即使在我搬出一间杂乱的公寓又搬到另一间同样杂乱的公寓的时候，我也在努力求索。我开始给全国各地的社区组织写信。有一天，芝加哥南区的一个小型教会组织回了信，给了我一份为当地居民服务的工作，他们那里的钢厂停业使他们受到沉重打击，那里的就业机会也一天天消失。

　 当地社区一直被帮派暴力所扰，所以我一到那里，我们争取做的第一...