shared. so they decide to try to crack the code in the cable traffic between moscow, washington and new york. it took them until 1946. is a very difficult code. what they discovered is no, there wasn't talk of peace, but there was a lot of evidence of the aggressive effort on the part of the soviet union to recruit spies in the government, and in technological fields, and that's how -- the way we found the soviets atomic spies was through the known. but it was so top secret. it was only released in 1995 that we never knew. the soviets knew because of the moles who were in washington for them, but anyway, the point being jack got kind of caught up in that even though he wasn't involved in that, but there are -- there was evidence of soviet spy rings in the u.s. and the truman administration

was trying to bat back all the soft claim and communism's of the republicans actually had effectively countered this and got people out of government. there's an excellent book done by the chief counter espionage agent from the fbi about that whole thing. robert lamphere is his name. ..

>> and there's nothing where it says that, but this guy had put that in, and so i talked to jack's oldest son, robert service, retired ambassador robert service, who made it to the top rung of the ladder and helped me convince his parents that i should do the book. his mother didn't want me to do the book. she was afraid it might damage his rep, his career. but afterwards, anyway, so bob and i worked out a draft of a letter to the editor about the magazine about this audacious, slanderous thing, and bob sent it in. and they, they published it. but they left off his punchline. they edited, they censored his letter. so, yes, it still, he still has

this era of, you know, this aura of controversy around him, um, but by and large, most people who know about him honor him. and i think it might be appropriate to tell you, i just won this nice award that rose mentioned from the american academy of diplomacy, and on the certificate i got it says it was for this book about john service, unjustly pilaried for his efforts to carry out what foreign service officers are recruited to do; observe, report and analyze developments carefully and honestly and make recommendations based upon their findings even when higher-ups might not welcome these. fdr thought that the moustache choked master hurley was, he said to his son once, boy, i wish i had more pat hurleys. if there's anyone who can solve

the internal political problems of china, pat hurley can do that. and i think he did more to destroy the opportunities that we might have had. i don't -- a lot of people, historians have debated was there a window of opportunity with the chinese communists in those, in those times. jack service, his argument was he keeps saying he wants a cooperative effort, he wants to fight with us, let's give him a chance. let's find out. because no matter who wins the civil war in china, it's too important for america not to be able to have relations with them. and, instead, we had 27 years of bitter relations. and finally in 1973 john service was honored along with the other old china hands who had so been, so persecuted. he was the only one who was actually able to get his case into the legal system and fight it to the supreme court. a lot of the others just were

fired and resigned, and some of them, you know, had very, very tough lives. but anyway, in his speech tookman, the historian, was the keynote speaker, but he was asked to speak on behalf of all the old china hands. and he said something that i think i wish we should just 'em blaze son all over the -- emblazon all over the foreign policy making community here. he said to them foreign service reporting becomes vital as we move toward countries that may be small,less developed, nonwhite or with cultures and institutions drastically different from our own. if we keep ourselves in ignorance and out of touch with new popular movements and potentially revolutionary situations, we may find ourselves again missing the boat. >> great. um, any other questions from the

audience? well, on that note i think we can all learn from the story and john service, and hopefully we'll be on the right side of the history concerning china. from this point on. [applause] >> for more on this and other festival programs, visit booktv.org and search for virginia festival of the book. >> what are you reading this summer? booktv wants to know. >> two books right now, "the storms of war" by andrew roberts, and a book called "1861 ," i think jeffrey goldberg. anyway, it's about the beginning of the civil war.

those are the two books i've been reading more recently. >> tell us what you're reading this summer. send us a tweet at booktv. you can find out about upcoming booktv weekend programs by using your mobile phone. simply text the word book to 99702 to receive a weekly e-mail about our schedule and sign up now for a chance to receive a signed copy of henry kissinger's new book "on china." standard data rates and messaging apply. >> massachusetts governor deval patrick discusses his live at the national press club here in washington. this program originally aired live online at booktv.org. it's about 45 minutes. >> in january 2007 deval patrick became the first african-american governor of the commonwealth of massachusetts. and one of only two

african-american governors elected in american history. that was just, that was just one triumphant step in a long and probable journey that began on the south side of chicago. from a chaotic childhood to an elite boarding school in new england to a soldier doing relief work in africa to the boardrooms of fortune 500 companies and now to a career in politics, governor patrick has led an extraordinary life. throughout this journey he was guided by the advice of his grandmother; hope for the best and work for it. and now it is my pleasure to introduce governor deval patrick. [applause] >> thank you very much. thank you all for coming out evening, i appreciate it very much. there is only one part of the introduction which needs to be

corrected, i am not going to speak for 20 whole minutes. [laughter] i'm just going to speak for a couple minutes, i think it'll be more fun if we have some conversation. but i want to thank you all for coming. it has been a new and quite fascinating experience writing and now talking about this book. it's funny to me how many people expected that a book by a sitting governor would be about laying the groundwork for another campaign or about settling political scores. this book is not that. i am not running for anything. and as for political scores, um, there's some staff here who know i like to settle political scores in realtime and not in print. [laughter] so for all of who thought that this would be a political kiss and tell, i am sorry to disappoint. so why did i write this book? i am a very hopeful person, an unrepentant idealist, and i've come to understand hopefulness and idealism as strengths.

this book is a gesture of gratitude to some of those people who have given me those gifts. the teachers who gave me a reason to believe in a brighter future, the family and strangers, too, who gave me a reason to believe in the power of kindness, the church ladies on the south side of chicago who gave me a reason to believe in the essence of faith. the voters, for that matter, who have given me a reason to believe in the politics of conviction and many, many others. a friend of mine recently described this book as a love story which, for me, was the most powerful compliment i could be given. i wanted to write about these people and the lessons they taught me for two reasons. first, because they've done more than help me succeed, they've helped me want to be better. to be a better leader, a better husband and parent, a better citizen. and secondly, because it's within each of us to pass these kinds of lessons on to others. in fact, i think we have a generational responsibility to do just that.

as some of you know and as bea was alluding in the introduction, i grew up on the south side of chicago in the '50s and '60s, most of that time on welfare. my mother and sister and i share add two-bedroom tenement with our grandparents and various cousins who came and went. my mother and sister and i actually live inside one of those bedrooms and shared a set of bunk beds. you'd go from the top bunk to the bottom bunk to the floor, every third night on the floor. i went to big, broken, sometimes violent public schools. but we had a community. because those were days when every child was under the jurisdiction of every single adult on the block. remember that? you messed up in the front of ms. jones, and she would straighten you out as if you were hers, and then call home, right? so you got it two times. [laughter] i think those adults were trying to get across they had a stake in us. membership in a community was understanding the stake that each of us has not just in our

own dreams and struggles, but in our neighbors' as well. given the expectations that much of society has for poor black people in circumstances like mine, i am not supposed to be where i am today. my story is improbable. but it's at the same time a distinctly american story. and it may not get told as off as we'd like -- as often as we'd like, but it gets told more often in this country than any other place on earth. it is a defining story. in 1970 i got a breakthrough a program called a better chance to go to milton academy, and for me that was like landing on a different planet. i saw it for the first time the night before classes began in 1970. all by myself. my family didn't see it until graduation day. i remember they had a dress code in those days. the boys wore jackets and ties to classes, so when the clothing list arrived, my grandparents

splurged on a brand new jacket for me to wear to class. but a jacket on the south side of chicago is a windbreaker. so the first day of class the other boys had their tweed coats and blazers, and there was in i in if a windbreaker. i want to point out i have figured it out. [laughter] there were adults and teachers who reached out and helped. i went on to harvard college, the first in my family to go to college, to harvard law school. i've lived in chicago and boston and los angeles and new york, here in d.c., in atlanta, in the sudan. i've done business all over the world. i've had some remarkable experiences, improbable ones in the eyes of many. i've argued in the supreme court, i've hitchhiked from cairo to khartoum, i've counseled two presidents, identify served as the first black -- i've served as the first black governor of massachusetts on my first time running for office. but as i reflect on each of these experiences, each has its

roots in the lessons i try to write about in this book. these lessons have given me a sense of the possible, and that has made all the difference. i write in the book about the transition from the south side of chicago to milton academy, about the experience of trying to bridge these very different worlds where each one seemed to demand that you reject the other as the price of acceptance in the one. and how important it was for me to understand, ultimately, that that was a false choice. i write about the way the old ladies in big hats in church back home taught me to see that faith is not so much what you say you believe, but how you live. i write about the extraordinary courage and strength of my wife, diane, through her first marriage to an abusive husband and the toll my early days in public office took on her and how her triumph has strengthened not just me, but thousands of others. time and time again experiences

of great trial and even turmoil have produced transcendent powers, and they have contributed to my eyefullism. idealism. i want to defend and encourage that kind of idealism, because i think it is what motivates people to make what seems improbable possible. that may sound corn to some of you, especially in hard-bidden washington, d.c., but, in fact, there is nothing at all corny about hope. and there is nothing at all empowering or ennobling about the alternative. about pessimism. in fact, as governor it has been a sense of the possible that has helped us achieve many remarkable things against more than customary odds. in these exceptionally cynical times, i think people are hungry for something more positive and affirming than the steady diet of no that they get.

it has implications on both a policy level and a personal level. on a policy level, without a new sense of idealism, without the risk of failure and disappointment that that entails and an essential part of the american character, our can-do spirit, will be in jeopardy. and none of the big challenges facing this country are successfully be faced. securing marriage equality or expanding health care for everyone or funding our schools at the highest level in history during the worst economy in living memory, these would be a couple of examples of letting our idealism and our highest values guide us at home in the commonwealth of massachusetts. on a personal level, before anyone can change their circumstances people need a faith in their own capacity to shape a better future. they have to be able to imagine something better. and then apply themselves to achieving it. hope for the best and work for

it, is the way my grandmother described it. and that's why i chose to write a book about personal values before i write the one about policy or politics. you have to stand by for that. one of the lessons i write about is forgiveness. as a predicate to moving forward. my parents split up when i was 4 years old, and my father moved to new york with his band, the sunra orchestra which was an avant-garde, very popular jazz band, but an aqierd taste. [laughter] he was a gifted jazz musician, and in to days he would have also been described as a black militant. hoping for a reconciliation that would never come, my mother worked hard to keep me and my sister in touch with him, and i genuinely believe that he regretted not being able to watch us grow up. but as i grew older and started to spread my own wings, he and i had a tortured relationship.

i write about how disapproving he was of my going to milton, how concerned he was that it was going to make me white, not black enough. he was also convinced that my mother was poisoning us with unflattering opinions of him and his life choices as a father and as a man. none of this was true, but it was a powerful dynamic in our fractured relationship as i was coming into adulthood. we found -- finally found a way to reconcile tentatively but meaningfully, and i want to read a passage about that. if i can find it and my glasses. here are my glasses. it's come to that. [laughter] the summer before my third year of law school, i worked at a law firm in washington d.c. i turned 25 that july, and on my birthday my father happened to be playing in a local jazz club

called pigfoot and invited me to join him. i hadn't spent a birthday with him since i was 3, but i agreed. i arrived near the end of the first set, just before the break, and my father was playing the sax o phone, jamming with a skilled quartet. i took my seat at a little table, and he nodded when he saw me come in. when they finished the number, he took the microphone and said to the crowd, it's my son's birthday, and i want to play this next tune for him. there was warm applause and an approving glance or two my way from other patrons. then the place got quiet, and he played an old standard, "i can't get started." there was no vocalist, but by then i had developed my own love for jazz, and i knew the words. i've been around the world in a plane, i've started revolutions in spain. the north pole i've charted, still i can't get started with you. he looked me straight in the eye while he played, long and

soulfully, full of regret and longing all at once. i gazed right back at him knowing what he was trying to say. life is too short to go on like this, let's find a way to come together. no words were spoken, but the music gave us our own language. we communicated more in those few moments than we ever had before. and it was clear how much we both wanted simple understanding. we weren't quite there when i graduated from law school, he did not attend the commencement, but we were moving closer. and it seemed my father never felt threatened by my choices again. i had saved a place, and so had he. i've given a lot of thought over the years to this idea of generational responsibility, that old-fashioned lesson each of us was taught by our grand parents that we're supposed to do what we can in our time to leave things better for those

who come behind us. i have thought about what that means in the context of budget deficits and health care services and educational policy. and i've thought about what it means as the father of two extraordinary young women and many young men who might as well be mine and of whom i'm equally proud. and i am convinced that the most important gift that we can give our heirs is the ability to dream about a better life, a better community, a better country. that's a gift i was given by grandparents and teachers and more than a few total strangers. and that's what i'm trying to pass on with this book, and i hope you enjoy it. thank you very much for coming. [applause] and, bea, if you want, i'm happy to just shout out to people. we don't have to write them all down, if that's easy.

>> okay, that would be great. >> i have a -- i wrote it down, but -- [laughter] >> well, you went to all that trouble. >> i just wonder -- [inaudible] >> in the first place? >> yeah. >> you know, that's funny you should ask me. um, i had, i had a question put to me recently at a gathering of psychiatrists, and someone said why did you run for governor? and i said, you know, actually, you're in a better position to answer that than i am. [laughter] i ran, i ran for governor because, um, in business one of the things i noticed -- and i've spent most of my life in the private sector -- one of the things i noticed is this incredible pressure, particularly in large public companies to manage for the next quarter. to get the short-term results, sometimes i think sacrificing the long-term interests of the enterprise. and i have worried that that is creeping into the way we govern, where we govern for the next election cycle or the next news

cycle. and we aren't making the kinds of decisions in our time that leave things better over time. that generational responsibility i was talking about. especially if they don't have a short-term political payoff. so that had been bothering me for some while. and very much related to that is what i describe as conviction politics, this idea that, um, or this question i had whether others were as hungry for me, for someone who was running, um, willing to lose. meaning that there was something they were so committed to doing, something they so believed in from a values point of view that, um, they were willing to put political capital and their own political future on the line. and to engage at the level of adults with other voters. and so i want today try that. i wanted to try that. and we did it very much on the grassroots, you know?

we went -- i had a 1% name recognition, e think, and no money. but we, we spent a tremendous amount of time just walking neighborhoods and knocking on doors and building. and i believe in the grass roots, in the power of the grassroots, and can we invited people to come to see their stake in their own civic and political future. won the primary against a great guy, um, well established sort of, um, how should i describe, the sort of, the, the heir, if you will, to the nomination. and then, and then won election and then the hard business of governing began. and then won again just this last year. and what have we done? well, we're first in the nation in massachusetts in health care coverage for our residents, 98% of our residents have health insurance, first in the nation student achievement, first in the nation in clean energy initiatives.

we're growing jobs faster than 45 other states. coming out of recession stronger, we're the only state since 2007 whose bond rating has actually strengthened in the last few years. we've got a lot to do, but we're making hard choices, engaging and in some cases even upsetting some of our friends. but in the name of generational responsibility. and i'm really, i'm really proud of that. we don't have term limits, but i am not going to run again. [laughter] because i'm no fool. [laughter] and i miss the private sector, i will say, especially on payday. [laughter] but it's been a great run. >> thank you. >> thank you. yeah. >> um, well, i'm also an alum of the better chance program, a native of the south side of chicago. >> excellent. where'd you go to school? >> saint park school. >> in new hampshire? >> yes. >> where'd you group on the south side? >> geoffrey manor.

>> okay. do you know hannon cannibal? >> no. >> when were you there? >> oh, he's old. [laughter] don't worry about it. he was chaplain. >> oh, okay. i'm interested in the knowing how your transition from chicago to new england affected your choices later in life or how it changed your perspective in how you deal with things now later in the life? >> what a great question. well, you know, i'm still there. i live in a house that was on my paper route when i was a student at milton academy. um, and we have for 22 years now. and i've been, you know, in and out and traveled and lived in other, in other places, but boston which was a very fractured place around race in those days, um, but boston and massachusetts have been very good to me and my family.

i will say, though, i tease the -- um, you know, i have occasions now in my current line of work to speak publicly from time to time -- [laughter] and we're doing a lot of work in how we transition our economy in massachusetts to the innovation economy of tomorrow because we've got so many strengths that are natural for this, the concentration of brain power and all the research institutions and hospitals, the venture capital and what have you. and i tease our business community who are, you know, have new england ways. and i talk about how, you know, when i grew up in the midwest, and you'll understand this, when you're new in the neighborhood, everybody brings a pie. right? [laughter] everybody. when you're new in massachusetts, you are the one who's expected to bring a pie. [laughter] right? you're nodding your head. but you understand what i mean? the sense of welcome the different. is different. now, you get past that, and you make friends for life. deep friendships.

but you've got to get past that. and in a, in an economy and a society that's much more fluid than it has ever been before, i mean, people talk about the global, the globalization of our economy. i happen to believe capital is globalized, labor is not yet. but it is more fluid than it's ever been before. we have to understand that a part of our job creation strategy and economic expansion has got to include a sense of welcome. and, um, so i'm pleased that for the first time in 20 years young people and families are moving into massachusetts faster than they're moving out. and i think that some of our sense of, um, you know the notion that we all, all of us -- not just people, not just officials, not just business leaders, but everybody has got to sort of get the attitude of welcome right, i think it's coming around, a part of that. come on back.

yeah, sure. one, two, three. this is the shy side, so i should just talk to -- [laughter] yes. >> governor, i thank you, it's great to see you tonight. >> nice to see you. >> i had an interview this morning, and the first question in the interview was which politician do you admire most? my answer was deval patrick for a number of reasons, but from interning in your office in 2009 when we dealt with, you know, transportation ethics and pension reform, you know, i'm seeing the mentality and hearing the story about your grandmother you said, you know, we were never allowed to say we were poor. we had to say we were broke -- [laughter] but my question is, i graduated george washington -- i graduate george washington university in four weeks. >> need a job? [laughter] let's cut right to it, shall we? [laughter] >> i'm not, you know, i'm not -- what advice do you have for

someone who is looking for a job, yes, but loves politics and in this day and age -- [inaudible] it's so much about who you know. >> yeah. >> so what is the advice that you would give to someone that made it happen? >> well, so, um, first of all, thank you for the, thank you for helping in the office and caring about it. and i would say that caring about it and caring about service is the right place to start. i do not think that that is or ought to be limited to, um, government service. but service ought to be not just about what we do, but who we are. this i do think is connected to this point i was making at the outset about seeing our stake in each other. um, i think in terms of looking for a job, i mean, i'm not kidding, we should talk, um, if you want to come home. we should, we should talk.

now, if -- does that mean we have to have two different lines, one line for the book and the other line for people looking for work? some of you look a little young -- yeah, i see you nodding your head over there. [laughter] no, look, we're always looking for talent. we've, as you know, had to reduce head count, but we're always looking for talent. i guess the advice i would give you is this, do something. don't worry about it being perfect. don't worry about what it leads to. do something. and bring your whole heart to it. and, and things open up, right? things happen. i never, i didn't start out planning to be governor of the commonwealth of massachusetts. if i had, my wife probably never would have married me 27 years ago. [laughter] but, um, you know, you sense, you begin to get a sense of yourself, what your strengths are and how you want to contribute and where and when, and then you move in that direction. the other thing i would say is i have, um, and i want to say this

to you as someone who's about to get a fancy degree. um, i remember being in the, in the company of others who were about to get a fancy degree when i was in college. and all they seemed to worry about is how to keep their options open. um, and as a result they could make almost no decision. they were constantly trying to figure out how to be in the right place at the right time and be introduced to the right this and so forth. instead of following some sense of their passion and taking advantage of what that fancy degree is supposed to give you. when i, um, when i got into college, you know, by the time i was applying to college the the milton academy which has a whole apparatus, of course, to get you ready for admission, right? no one in my family had been to college before. they didn't know what the

process involved. so i was fortunate to have this, you know, guidance counselors and college counselors and people, we worked on our college essays in english class. i applied to five schools, i got into all five. there's one i really wanted to go to, and i got the letter saying that i was admitted to that school. and i called home and answered the phone, and i said, gram, i'm going to college next year, i'm going to harvard. you could hear her jumping up and down, she carried on and then she paused and said, where is that anyway? [laughter] and i think what she was trying to get across, um, well what she got across whether she was trying or not was that it was the opportunity that mattered, not the prestige. it was the opportunity. that lesson lasts. i write about this in the book. and so whether you are, um, you know, working for a fraction of what you think you're worth in the some governor's press office

or, um, or, you know, helping out for a semester more at george washington or flipping burgers by day but working on a campaign at night for a period of time, bring your passion to it, and other things will happen. >> thank you. >> sure. who was number two? yeah. >> i wasn't number two, but i will be today. [laughter] >> a self-confident young woman. [laughter] >> i was -- [inaudible] what you said, and i grew up in worcester, massachusetts, and moved to st. paul -- >> did you say worcester or western? >> i said worcester. >> worcester! all right. [laughter] >> you were talking about earlier you're straddling both roles between, um, an elite community and one that is not recognized as elite and trying to maintain credibility in both arenas. >> right. >> and especially as the governor of massachusetts, i know you're probably familiar

with both roles. i'm wondering how you continue to overcome that hurdle and how you can advise other people on how to maintain credibility in both sectors of your life without compromising either. >> it's a great question. i try to write about this in the book, and you will be the judge about whether i have either described it properly or am living it properly. but my view is decide who you are and be that all the time. no matter what. no matter what. there was, i had an event at random house this morning, the publisher, with abc, a better chance. and there were a number of abc -- so abc was the program that introduced me to milton academy, and portion of the book are going to abc. and abc brought a number of scholars, and one young woman who is a junior in high school now said how did you manage or

did you have the experience of jeopardizing friendships at home by virtue of your going off to school, and it was a very poignant moment because i understand that. and what i was saying -- and it's still so fresh in my mind and be heart. and what i said to her then is what i would say to you now. you know, for the friends who make you choose, consider whether they're your friend, in fact. because if -- you've got to decide what your values are, what your true come pass or true north is. and then just be that all the time. and i would say, too, in politics and, remember, i'm new. i've only done this two times. but, um, i think the public reads a fraud every time. every time. every time! and if you would just, you know, say what you think, if you don't want to answer the question, say, you know what? i can't answer that. i'm not going to go there. or i don't know. but be yourself all the time.

and the people you really care about, um, and who care about you will care about you for that. and it won't matter what community you're moving in. i know that sounds simplistic, but it's true. thank you. >> thank you for coming. >> thank you. thank you for coming. >> my pleasure. i read your book last night. i skimmed through a lot of it, and it was compelling, so thank you. it gave me a ray of hope. >> thank you. >> i was most impressed by your ability to succeed despite your failure and to never give up. so my question is, what motivated you and strengthened your resolve when you faced failure? >> well, um, i don't think failure is, in most cases, permanent. and i think failure is not, in every case, failure ultimately. meaning, a failure is more of a

setback. you know, mind you, i've been blessed, but sometimes a failure is a blessing. you know, sometimes you need your comeuppance. you know, i remember -- i write in the book about living and working in darfur between college and law school, and darfur was a very different place then. this is 30 years ago. [laughter] it was a very current place than now -- different place than now, but to get to darfur then, you know, they had no airport -- i mean, it had an airport, but it had no flights, no train, you know? what you did is you went to the market, you found a market lorry that was going in your direction, you negotiated for space up on top. you brought enough food and water for the trip, and you, you were on tracks in the sand for fife days to get -- five days to get from khartoum out there. it's about the distance from boston to cleveland. and on the trip out there you may have read with a sudanese

guy my age i was working with, the truck flipped over, and we were trapped and stuck, stranded in the nubian desert for three days. i didn't know -- and a couple people with broken bones and so on. i was bruised but not broken. i mean, imagine, you know? imagine here if you were in a, you saw a truck flip over and spread all the cargo and people all over the street. what i try to capture in the book is what it was like to have that great big thud, those few screams and then utter silence. no sirens, no emergency workers, nothing. but us and 120 degrees. for three days. now, you take your cue from the people around you, right? eventually we were met by a lorry going -- because we were on the trade route. we were met by a lorry going in the other direction. it took the people who were hurt

and me because i was a guest back to khartoum, we started all over again, and made the trip in five days on a different lorry. now, you know, some people say, well, that's a failure. your mission wasn't, you know, your objective was to get out there smoothly and safely. but that experience and then being out in darfur for those many months with no mail, no phone service, no, you know, e-mail didn't exist, there weren't any faxes. if my children tried this today, i would kill them. [laughter] but, um, i think that experience made me feel so powerful because you figure it out. i didn't speak the language, um, when i first got there. you figure it out. and when you learn, you can -- anybody had the experience of moving to a new city and having no friends and no place to live, you've got to find a place to live, you start building a life? it's empowering when you start figuring it out. and part of it is learning that you can figure it out. and so for me, um, i think

those -- i don't think so much of setbacks. i get questions all the time about, you know, you're bumping into this wall, you're bumping into that wall. but i've had so many experiences which were about convincing me that i could, i could expand my own expectations of myself and then meet them and then go on from there. yeah. here and then in the way back. still nothing on this side. okay. [laughter] it's written down? okay. yeah. >> okay. >> welcome to the press club. >> thank you. >> >> thank you for coming here. >> if you'd like to read them, go ahead. >> do you want me to take these? >> [inaudible] >> you have a reporter's notebook. are you a reporter? >> yes, i am. >> where are you from? >> dow jones news wires. wanted you to talk about the economy, one area that seems to be struggling, i was hoping you could assess the situation among

local municipalities, health care costs, falling tax revenue and what type of solutions maybe that you could bring to that, you are or could bring in your business background as well, um, and is it going to take extreme steps like local municipal bankruptcy? is. >> no. no, that's a dumb idea and an unnecessary one, not to put too fine a point on it. we have, we have, like everybody else -- i think everybody else -- had to trim what we call local aid. this is the state transfer to local communities. we do local aid in a couple of different buckets. um, the biggest single piece is support for public school. that has gone up every single year i've been in office, and it's been higher each year than ever before in the history of the commonwealth. that's a values choice. unrestricted local aid has been reduced. every time we have cut unrestricted local aid, we have also proposed and the legislature has enacted savings

that were at least as valuable. so, or other ways to raise revenue. so, for example, we enabled local underperforming pension funds to come into the state pension fund which saves administration costs at the local level. we created a pathway for municipal employees to come into the lower-cost state health care program. we've taken another step on that now called plan design, with labor at the table, by the way. we ended a, an exemption, um, to property taxes this -- that the phone company enjoyed. you didn't have to pay property taxes on phones and wires. the electricity company did, but the phone company didn't. [laughter] so we, we ended that. um, we enabled cities and towns, um, as they choose to add a penny or penny and a half to the meal or hotel tax in their own

community. but, again, as they've chosen. um, in this next round, um, i mentioned the next step in health care reform which is, by the way, excuse me, in health care cost control, it's really a cost-shifting issue. it's not the bigger issue we're working on which is systemwide costs. but it, it really is about having municipal employees pay a comparable share of their health care costs as is happening in the private sector and as we have done at the state level. and we also require in this bill which has not been passed yet, but it will before the budget passes in june, requires municipal retirees to go into medicare which they don't all do today. those two things together are worth twice as much as the amount we have cut in local aid. so it's not, it's not that cities and towns are off the hook from making hard decisions, too, but we have been trying to

be sensitive to the importance of strong communities by at the same time cutting, also creating new ways for them to save or independently raise revenue. okay? the yes. okay. you can be next. i see you back there. >> i grew up in massachusetts, i went to boston's lawton school. >> can excellent. are you moving down here mow? >> yeah. i'm going to college in georgetown. >> great. >> and i really, like, enjoy traveling and -- [inaudible] a lot of other cities, but i would really like to go back to massachusetts. >> come on. >> especially what's gone on in the last ten years. and, um, you talked a lot about generational responsibility and i was wondering what your thoughts were on a state level about my generation when we go back to massachusetts, what that would be. >> what your generational responsibility is? well, in simplest terms it's that you do more than we did to leave it better for people who come behind you. i can tell you personally, um,

i'm looking for, um, i'm looking for -- i was going to say young people, but really every kind of person, even cannon hand ball's age, to -- one of my best friends here. i cannot resist teasing. [laughter] to come and help out in the schools. i don't care whether you're a teacher or not. help in the schools we have, as i mentioned earlier, we're number one in student achievement and have been for each of the last five years, but we've had a persistent achievement gap, and stuck in that gap are poor children and children with special needs or who speak english as a second language. a greater proportion than any of us would like of children of color. ab achievement -- an achievement gap under any circumstances, you know s an educational or economic issue. but to let it go for 18 years is a moral question.

those are our kids too. and frequently, what they need is not just about reading, writing and rivet me tick, it's about help with their homework, it's a safety or a sense that some adult has the time to pay attention to them in a positive and constructive way. and so bringing those kinds of additional resources into schools, um, and helping teachers who are increasingly having to do what whole neighborhoods used to do i think is -- i know is going to be part of our strategy to close the achievement gap. so if you're looking for something to do, there's something to do. any kind of service, any kind of service is good. and it's good for those served, and it's good for you too. and it, as i say, make it a part of not just what you do, but who you are. and that is how the world will be changed, i'm confident of it. in the way back, yeah. >> i'm not going to say when i was in milton academy, but i

will say i first became aware of you and diane -- [inaudible] and pretty much aware of -- [inaudible] and it was just occurring to me, was there a particular challenge that you are particularly proud of overcoming during those days. >> at milton? you mean besides the jacket thing? [laughter] well, you know, in some ways it comes back to the, um, to the question i was asked, um, who asked me about, who went to st. pauls? there you are. um, about, you know, straddling those different worlds. there was a point at milton when i could outwasp the wasps, right?

[laughter] right? i knew, i knew how to use summer as a verb. [laughter] i knew what the old money and the new money destinations were by name. i'd never been to any of 'em, but i knew what they were. [laughter] you know, i cracked the code. and this isn't, this isn't unique to milton. this is, you know, going to a new workplace, it's going to a new school, it's figuring out the code, right? um, i think what was, um, incredibly helpful to me and important, um, to me is that there were a couple of teachers who made it a point to help me crack the code. and it was, actually, a very loving gesture. you know, if you're not too defended about that sort of thing, it can be very helpful. but it also puts you, um, it

also jeopardizes, you know, your place in that other world. right? i can remember, and i write in the book about being home and trying to describe to some of my pals, um, what it -- that i had met an ambassador. you know, i'm not sure i could have explained what an ambassador was. it sounded cool. [laughter] and their eyes just rolled back in their heads, you know? is they just couldn't connect. first time i came home on school vacation, i think it was christmas vacation, i'd been away for whatever it was, three months, and i came in to the apartment, and my grandparents and my sister were there, and they were all excited. and my sister -- we're all talking at once, and my sister out of the blue said, ooh, she said, he talks like a white boy. [laughter]

i was devastated. my grandmother, without missing a beat, said he speaks like an educated boy. saved the day. but, you know, this is what i describe in the book is you get a great education at the risk of a broken heart. but figuring out that the choice you feel you have to make is false, i think, may have been my greatest triumph there. yeah. do we, are we okay? is you want me to read these two? okay. so you first, and then i'll read some of these. still nothing on this side. [laughter] oh, you're on here? okay. okay. >> what do you think of school vouchers? >> what do i think of school vouchers? >> yeah. >> not much. [laughter] i just, you know, i just don't think that -- i'm very open to trying things in public education, but i am not persuaded that, um, a school

voucher is going to enable a kid to go to milton academy, number one. number two, i don't think the solution the -- is milton academy. i loved milton academy, don't get me wrong. i'm grateful for it. but overwhelmingly children get their educational opportunities in the traditional district schools. and the question to me is not how we make a way for a few in special settings, but how we make the traditional district schools sing. and many do. nobody notice that. by the way, there's some great charters and some crappy charters -- excuse me, crummy charters too, right? [laughter] there's a variety of performance. the question is, how do we allow the kind of creativity and space to try things, to meet kids where they are, not do the same thing in every, in every district school so that those

district schools can sing. so i have a lot of -- i try to focus there rather than, i'm sorry, i'm just being candid with you. um, i try to focus there rather or than on, on vouchers. i'll read some of these? okay. after working in one of boston's turn around schools, i'm curious as to your views on steps that should be taken to improve boston's public school system. who's that? where did you work? >> >> blackstone elementary. >> did you? but you're here now. >> yeah. i go to boston college, but i was -- [inaudible] >> okay, excellent. hey. okay, so i've got to tell you -- do you know orchard gardens? check me if this is not accurate. i went out to visit a school called orchard gardens which is in the boston public system. how should i describe it? it's the school where, you know, no matter what is going wrong in your school, what people would say is at least we're not orchard or guardens, right?

[laughter] -- gardens. and orchard gardens took all of the elements of the achievement act gap that i signed last year which is the, all these different tools to have, to intervene in the schools that aren't performing. every single one. they, he asked the teachers to reup. 80% of them said, this is not for me. he said, see ya later. 80% of the faculty. so he recruited from around boston, around the commonwealth and around the country. he extended the school day for an hour and a half. by the way, i've got the tell you, you know, our calendar is based on farming, right? you get -- i'm not kidding of -- i'm not kidding. you get out in the time to plant, the school day is about getting to chores in the afternoon. he extended the school day.

why? because some kids need help with their homework, and their parents don't even speak english at home. and so their opportunity to get that help is in the class room. he brought in city year, you know the program city year? to help with the after school, and they do many of the direct interventions with family. if somebody's later, they go to the house. i mean, a much more active and engaged community right now. everybody has signed on. they've been at this now for seven months. and their achievement schools have gone up 60% in seven months. they have stopped allowing the children and their families to say, well, we're orchard gaddens, what do you expect? they just changed that whole sense of expectation around this. sandy, this is what you guys are trying to do and have done at the bishop walker school. the whole, you know, it's a whole lot of really energized adults who love those children

and make it absolutely clear what their expectations are of them, and can those children meet those -- they will rise to those expectations every time. and so what i, you know, one of my challenges to teachers and to others is not, you know, to say do it my way because i don't know. but i do know that there is something, um, essential about a well-prepared, well-supported teacher in front of that class, and that we've got to create the kinds of spaces where people can try new things. and the last thing i'll say about this, i know i'm going on too long. >> okay, we've got time for one more question. >> i had a sixth grade teacher at milton academy, excuse me, on the south side of chicago. i want to call her out as an example of the fact that there are great things going on even in the broken communities and broken or supposedly broken

schools. this sixth grade teacher, there were 40 of us in the class, and we were a mess, right? households, home lives were a mess, neighborhood was a mess. she, she taught us to count and say the greetings in german, she took us to the first opera i'd ever seen. i didn't know what they were singing about. i still don't know what they're singing about. [laughter] but i loved it. she took us to a movie that was just out then called "the sound of music," and she used the movie to teach us about the rise of nazism in the second world war. she's the first person who helped me imagine what it was like to be a citizen of the world. she didn't have any of the resources that any of the teachers that milton academy had, but she met us where we were, and she raised our expectations of ourselves. and i, i don't know. i mean, there are teachers here

and gifted teachers here, but i think that's got to be a part of it. so one more? >> one more. >> one more. what was yours? what is your -- >> the defining moment of your life thus far. >> well, gosh. [laughter] thank you for adding the thus far part. [laughter] i mean, i have eight that i write about in this here. i think, you know, i guess i would say two -- can i have two? [laughter] you know, the birth of my -- my kids are something else, you know? strong, witty, um, engaged young women. they had all those attributes as children which made them pain in the neck, but now as adults, um, they are marvelous. and when they were born, that

experience of, you know, all of a sudden they take that first breath and then they're going, and then they're gone. like that. um, and, you know, the ways that they both leave and come back, you know, not just physically, but the ways they separate and they come back is -- i think particularly because i am so, i kind of -- i'm so conscious of parenting because my father wasn't around, i think. so i think they define me and enrich me. um, i think the experience of surviving that time in sudan was, as i said earlier, incredibly empowering. and it has made me, um, fearless about a whole host of challenges that might have seemed, um, off limits or even improbable, to coin a phrase. all right?