"[It's critical] in every institution, whether it’s a law firm or church or what have you, [to make] sure that young people are given entree and opportunity to exert their leadership – and to do substantive work, not just licking envelopes or fetching coffee..." Senator Obama said.
"In the African-American community in particular..." he continued, "sometimes we have a tendency for our leadership to be very protective of their turf and not invite young people in until it’s way too late. The earlier we’re grooming young people and giving them leadership opportunities, and pushing them up front, the better."
A good example of the Senator's sentiment was illustrated ina recent article by Carnell Hawthorne Jr. in Florida A&M University's FAMUAN newspaper: First student keynote speaker at convocation.
For the first time, a student -- 21 year old Student Body President Phillip B. Agnew -- served as the guest speaker before hundreds of listeners at the 30th Annual MLK Convocation ceremony on Jan 11. Rather than inviting a big-name outsider to give the keynote, the move to have a student to hold such a prominent ceremonial position was inspiring to many young people. It was a good example of how institutions can create opportunities for students to develop leadership experiences and voice the concerns unique to their conditions as young people and collegians.
