Ambassador opens Distinguished Lecture series

An esteemed guest spoke to the Roger Williams University community Wednesday night, the first in a slew of events cel­ebrating the inauguration of Donald Farish.

Farish invited United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young to kick off the first of his "Presi­dent's Distinguished Lecture Series: Conversations on Civil Discourse, the Arts and Hu­manities, and Current Affairs."

"I was concerned about the­matically connecting the speak­er with RWU," Farish told the 450-person audience as he introduced the ambassador. "Young is the perfect person."

Farish said he and his wife, Maia, had invited Young to speak at Farish's previous uni­versity, and had later become friends with him.

The president spoke warmly of Young, highlighting his many accomplishments before offi­cially introducing his friend to the audience.

"He is actively involved in the search for social justice," Farish said. "He is a remarkable indi­vidual."

John King, Vice President of Student Affairs, echoed Farish's sentiments, noting that Young's speaking at the university was a "unique opportunity."

"[Students] were able to hear wisdom from eight decades of experience from a legend of the civil rights movement and national and international poli­tics," King said.

Young took the podium im­mediately took off his watch, saying that he wasn't going to do an injustice to the RWU community by worrying about time. He opened his speech with by reciting a quote he'd recently read. "‘College is not about choosing a path, but finding your own," Young said. "I like that.

"More than ever before there is a need to chart a new path … almost everything we knew yes­terday will not be true tomor­row," Young said.

Young described his back­ground to the audience, chroni­cling the events that lead him to where he is now, almost 80 years later. "The events of today are shaping your life," he said. "Don't care about what anyone else wants you to be."

Originally, Young wanted to be a dentist, but found that as he looked at the world around him, he wanted to facilitate change instead, he said. He became a minister, and soon after, he befriended Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Together, they dedicated themselves to the civ­il rights movement. Young was with King at the time of his as­sassination.

Young's involvement in the civil rights movement, com­bined with his work as a rev­erend, led him down a path he would have never imagined: one that found him actively working towards nonviolence as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

His experiences were reflect­ed in the overall theme of his speech, which was that of en­couragement and perseverance. In his deep pastor's voice, Young urged the audience to partici­pate in and initiate change.

"Welcome to the 21st century; it's yours. We did the best we could, and now you will take it where it needs to go," Young said. "The world is waiting for your vision and looking for your energy. It's a wonderful time to be young."