lynn powell is the author of framing innocence of the prosecutors, a mother's photographs the prosecutors deal and a small town response and a two books of poetry and the sums of paradise. from the national endowment from the arts and the ohio arts council her work has been included in numerous anthologies including 180 more extraordinary palms for the recent every day. she lived in charlottesville 1982 through 1985 and lived with her family in ohio since 1990. let's welcome both speakers. [applause] >> a good afternoon. i am also glad this beautiful day you have decided to join us inside for a private like to start with a question more than i want you to think about for a second. do you remember the worst day of your life? some if you are nodding in some if you are making faces. i do. january 10, 2000. i took my a three hour drive down 95 to the correctional center outside of the jarret virginia knowing that i was going to be a spiritual adviser 21 of my former students now aged 26 coming he had just a few hours left to live. as i drove i thought the same thought had had so many times wh

this support, all of you are joining a distinguished list of alumns including jack lynn bufe yea kennedy and colin powell. so just take a look at the people sitting on either side. the guy sitting to your left could be a future secretary of state and the girl sitting to your right could be a future president of the united states. [applause] also, take a moment to look around this national mall. we gather not only at the foot of the washington monument which is only appropriate but also in president abraham lincoln's long shadow. last month our nation marked the 150th anniversary of the start of the civil war. it was fought to preserve the union, to preserve america's bold experiment with democratic self-government. but lincoln's war for union grew into something even larger. a struggle for freedom. and while more than a century of struggle for equal rights and equal opportunity would follow his death, lincoln's leadership redeemed america's original sin. and allowed us to fulfill our destiny as a land of freedom and opportunity. ten years ago, while many of you were in the sixth or seventh grade, the fre