[laughter] [applause] >> thank you all for joining us today. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> order representative debbie

wasserman schultz, the democratic national committee chair, talks about the presidential race, the political landscape for the senate and house in 2012, and money in politics. on c-span. >> new york mayor michael bloomberg, then virginia governor bob mcdonnell, followed by baltimore mayor stephanie rawlings lake, and later, oklahoma governor mary thad allefallin. the mayor of new york city was the commencement speaker at chapel hill. he addressed the crowd of 30,000 on may 13 and said north carolina's recent same sex marriage bill shows there is still a lot of work to be done on civil rights in the country. he was first elected mayor in

2001, just two months after the terrorist attack on the world trade center. here is his speech a device to the graduating class of 2012. it is about 20 minutes. [applause] >> tar, tar, tar. forgive me, but i just wanted to start this morning by shouting something, but i knew what would happen if the r saidah rah, carolina-lina. on that positive note, good morning, faculty, families, friends of the great class of 2012. i particularly wanted to thank chancellor bork and unc board of

trustees, including my friend and your fellow alum, pieter brouwer, for inviting me here. i also want to thank the president of the unc system and a former unc system president, old friend dick spangler. we went to the harvard business school just because neither of us could get into unc. i am thrilled to be standing here today, not only because unc is one our country's oldest and greatest institutions. i am actually thrilled to be standing here because it means i did not trip on the bricks walking over here. it is really treacherous out there. but i know this is only one of the many challenges you have overcome on the way to your diplomas today. you have battled your way through trying to find a parking place on campus. you have our way through trying to register for classes on

connect carolina. you have battled through living in it hilton james and having to walk in the rain to an a and class that ran memorial. and you have our way through many games of zombies and humans. now i have to admit i had never heard of that game, but it does sound like good preparation for anyone who will be moving to washington d.c. you have survived it all, and here you are. however, while this is a very special day for you graduates, before importing some of my invaluable, indefensible words of wisdom, i would like to say something about another important group here today. they are sitting on the sides here, beaming proudly, and not even thinking about what it cost to get to this day, or what happens if you cannot get a job

and have to move back home. i am talking about your parents and relatives, so why don't you give them a big hand? [applause] and since today is not only a very special day here but a very special day across our country, let me wish all the mothers here happy mother's day. [applause] being asked to speak at unc is really a dream come true for me. i want this commencement speech to be different from any speech that has ever been given. in light of recent events here at chapel hill, there was only one way to do that. i plan to slow jam the commencement address.

unfortunately, i cannot convince branford marsalis to join me. but i am still determined to make this a memorable. so i did do a lot of research to put me fully in the unc groove. since i arrived this morning, i have already climbed the bell tower and signed by name. i have sat on the days the bench, i challenged the chancellor to ridicule contest and got my butt whipped. i drank out of the old well for good luck. someone told me to be careful since some fraternity guys had just been there, but i went ahead anyway. finally, i joined a flash rave at the library. but i watched, and for the record, did not join a group of speakers run across the pit in to theul and then sing the alma

mater. it has been a great morning, and i have not even played a few rounds of senior bar off yet. i am feeling almost as prepared for today as you graduates are. you have made it. you have done it. you have earned it. i am sure this week has been spent reliving memories and retelling stories. i know there will be more of that tonight. right now, i want you to take a look around you and i think not about where everyone has been, but where they are going. the guy in front you could win an academy award sunday. the girl behind you could be a future president of the united states, or even better than that, the mayor of new york city. the guy sitting to your right could be a future nobel laureate. ok, maybe not the guy to your right, but certainly the one to your left. there is no telling what the future holds for you or for anyone else.

citing time in your life. it is also an exciting time in history. more than any other generation that has walked the earth, you are free to pursue your dreams, and bounded by limits placed on your race, gender, ethnicity, orientation, or lineage. kyliyah lack of education can hold you back in america. today, you have cleared that bar, and you have done it at one of the finest institutions in the country. your freedom, coupled with a diploma you will receive today, is something that people around the world would risk life and limb for. don't ever take it for granted. it has been won for suffering and sacrifice, by freedom fighters and freedom riders, by abolitionists and suffragettes. has been won at the ballot box and on the battlefield, in

statehouses and courthouses. the path of victory has not always been straight or swift, but it has been sure and steady. that has been the story of america, stretching back to our earliest days. at our nation's founding, african-americans were held in bondage. those without property could not vote. catholics could not hold office. women could not vote or hold office, and homosexuality was in some places a crime punishable by death. but over time, we understood that freedoms are not fully shared if not fully in faith. government can deny freedom to one, it can deny freedom to all. exclusion and equality are mortal enemies, and in america, every time have met in battle,

equality has ultimately triumphed. [applause] throughout our history, each and every generation has expanded upon the freedoms won by their parents and grandparents. each and every generation has removed some barrier to full participation in the american dream. the work is not over. far from it. i would argue last week's referendum banning same-sex marriage shows just how much more work needs to be done to ensure freedom and equality for all people. [applause] when the torch passes from one generation to the next, the light of liberty always shines more brightly. i have no doubt that in your

lifetime, liberty's light will allow us to see more clearly the truth of our nation's founding principles and allow us to see all people and all couples as full and equal members of the american family. [applause] the progress that freedoms journey is making is only half of what makes this moment in history so exciting. the other half is symbolized by something that your probably holding in your hand or your pocket right now, your phone. the smart phone is arguably the greatest invention the world has ever seen, and the reason is simple. it democratizes technology. whether you are building an application are writing a review or checking in, you are making the computer and everyone who uses it smarter. since the dawn of time, we have

been sharing knowledge with each other, but today, knowledge is being shared globally and as quickly as it is being discovered individually. that revolution in computer- based communications, which started in government laboratories and in steve jobs garage and in little office i rented 30 years ago is now being led by the masses. whether we like it or not, the computer nerds have one. we are all computer nerds now. this march on is the most visible signal of the technological revolution we are experiencing, but it is happening all around us. the speed of innovation is moving at a breathtaking pace in every industry. you can see just down the road. there are great universities were pioneering work is being done and good jobs are being created. in york city, will join forces with cornell university, in my view and carnegie-mellon,

universities in canada, the u.k., and india, to develop world-class progress. discoveries are made by university educated researchers and innovators. if those discoveries happen in new york city, we know the companies that a spinoff from them will start in new york city. i have no doubt that many of you here today will be part of these discoveries. your work will reshape our understanding of the world. everything from the origins of the universe to a cure for cancer. for the nine scientists here, you, too, will have an important job to play. you business and finance majors may be providing capital for the discoveries to be brought to market. education and journalism majors may be riding are teaching about those discoveries. nursing and premed students may be talking to patients about them, and the future lawyers --

yes, lawyers have to be involved in everything we do, it will be needed to protect patents and fight off other lawyers. the technology revolution that is reshaping our understanding of the world and the freedom that you enjoy to pursue your dreams are complementary, which is why i mentioned both of them. they reinforce each other. the more we learn, the freer we will be, and the freer we are, the more we will learn. life and liberty. that is the model of your universe the. i believe that will be the defining spirit of the 21st century. the more like we shed on the nature of the world, the more we advance knowledge for science and technology, the more liberty we will spread. in fact, i would argue that the technological revolution that is now under way will not only be our most powerful weapon in the fight against poverty and disease, it will be our most powerful weapon in the fight

against repression and intolerance, because where there is light, liberty grows, and where there is liberty, light .lowglows [applause] now, it is up to all of you in your own way to take what you have learned here and spread like an liberty wherever you go. that may sound like a daunting task, and i understand if you are thinking sure, i will be happy to do that, once i find a job. but whether you have a job lined up or are still figuring out your next step, don't think that you have your career all figured out. no plan for the rest of your life ever works out a way you thought it would. for example, i was an engineering major who hoped to someday run a factor, which i knew nothing about. i got an entry-level job in the financial services industry, which i knew nothing about.

15 years later, i got fired and started a career in another area i knew nothing about, information technology. i ran for mayor, even though i knew nothing about politics. some say i still don't. you don't need a grand plan. whatever plan you do have is probably going to change 100 times before you are 30 years old. you don't need to be an expert in something to try it. what do you need to do? i am going to tell you. all i am going to do is remind you of a few things you have already learned here, just by watching carolina basketball. first, make career decisions the same way you fill out your tournament bracket. follow your heart and go with your gut. it what you love, find a way to get paid for it, and a few ever have the luxury of multiple job offers, don't make the decision based on salary alone. when i was starting out, i turned down a job with a higher

salary because i had a good feeling about the people at another firm, and it was the -- one of the best decisions ever made. your gut will not always be right. who knew that nc state would make a sweet 16? but you'll sleep better at night if you go with your gut. second, out-hustle the competition. i made sure i was the first one in the office every morning in the last one to leave. not only did say the price of the wall street journal, and allowed me to get to know the firm's partners. woody allen once said that 80% of success is showing up. i think he got it half right. 80% of success is showing up early and staying late. third, you occasionally have to throw some elbows. it is true, it is representative out there, no matter what profession you are in. of course in most professions,

you don't break your risk driving for the basket, thankfully. but the world as competitive. i have been in the business world and in government. people always ask me what is the difference. i tell them, the business world is dog eat dog. government is that -- government is exactly the reverse. don't be afraid to assert yourself. have confidence in your abilities, and don't let the bastards get you down. fourth, teamwork is everything. i could never have built my company without the three brilliant dyes i started it with. whatever success i have achieved as may result from surrounding myself with the most talented people like to find. the innovation for the coming out of the research triangle park in silicon valley and new york city are all built on teamwork. the person who worked the hardest and works with others

the best, who says we and us and does not use the wordsi and me is the person who will win. fifth, don't be afraid to shoot the long ball. take the risk. life is too short to spend your time avoiding failure. if i had worry about failure or listen to those who do, i would never have started my company and never have run for mayor. i cannot imagine my life if i had not taken those risks. not every risk will work out, but that is ok. failure is the world's best teacher. sixth, never stop studying what the competition is doing, and never stop learning. education is a lifetime journey. when you leave these walls, asked if the keep asking questions. keep acquiring knowledge. keep seeking truth. don't let party labels blind you. no party in government has a no party in government has a monopoly on