To those mornings you woke up early to get a spot under The Shed to watch the Golden Tigers play.

And whether you played sports yourself, or sang in the choir, or played in the band, or joined a fraternity or sorority...

You will follow heroes like Dr. Boynton Robinson -- (applause) -- who survived the billy clubs and the tear gas of Bloody Sunday in Selma.

Official Army reports stated that black soldiers were “childlike,” “shiftless,” “unmoral and untruthful,” and as one quote stated, “if fed, loyal and compliant.”

And believe me, I understand that kind of pressure.

Then there was the first time I was on a magazine cover -- it was a cartoon drawing of me with a huge afro and machine gun.

And no matter what path you choose, I want you to make sure it’s you choosing it, and not someone else.

We’ve both felt the sting of those daily slights throughout our entire lives -- the folks who crossed the street in fear of their safety; the clerks who kept a close eye on us in all those department stores...