A veteran journalist challenged Mississippi Valley State University's 329 graduates on Saturday to initiate change in the world while also remembering the sacrifices other people have made for them.
George Curry, the immediate past president of the American Society of Magazine Editors, spoke at the university's graduation ceremony.
Curry said some progress has been made in righting the wrongs against blacks. Belated convictions in the case of the 1963 Birmingham church bombing and others are encouraging, he said.
However, he added, many similar cases remain unsolved, and much more must be done before anyone can celebrate.
"For every one of those who were belatedly brought to justice, at least five others were allowed to roam free," he said.
Resolving these cases would do more for Mississippi's image than changing the state flag would have, he said.
Curry advised his listeners to bring about change themselves, acting as "thermostats" rather than "thermometers."
"A thermometer measures temperature," he said. "A thermostat sets temperature."
In particular, Curry said, young people must use their knowledge to fight those who want to eliminate affirmative action or "anything else that would help people of color."
He warned them to be aware of not only overt racists but also more subtle ones "who have traded white sheets in for suits and ties." Blacks such as Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who benefited from affirmative action but now opposes it, should be watched as well, he said.
Regarding the Ayers desegregation case, Curry said he hopes Valley can stay the way it is, for the benefit of black students.
"We do not need to be a miniature Ole Miss or Mississippi State," he said.
Other schools tout their expensive buildings and the successes of students who made A's in high school. Many of those students would have been successful anywhere, but schools such as Valley give a chance to those who might have made C's or D's, he said.
"It's not about big buildings, not about big stadiums," he said. "It's about what's in your heart and in your head."
Curry writes a weekly syndicated column that is distributed to more than 200 newspapers. He is a frequent panelist on "Lead Story," a weekly news analysis program on Black Entertainment Television.
Curry served as editor of the news magazine Emerge from 1993 to 2000. He also has worked for the Chicago Tribune, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Sports Illustrated.
Blues musician B.B. King, who was scheduled to receive an honorary degree at the ceremony, was not able to attend and will receive the honor later.\
Among those who earned bachelor's degrees were 39 former student athletes, including MVSU football legend Jerry Rice, the all-pro receiver for the San Francisco 49ers. Rice earned his degree in health and physical education.
Rice worked with the faculty at the Valley through correspondence courses and independent study. He said in a release provided by MVSU:
"Earning my degree has proven to be as fulfilling as winning the Super Bowl. It took a lot of hard work and dedication, much like the effort I've put into training for football. I'm very proud of this achievement, and I encourage others to finish school."
