Commencement Address by Khary Lazarre-White ’91
By: Sarina Chitkara
In his commencement address to the Fieldston Class of 2020, social entrepreneur, activist, educator, and attorney Khary Lazarre-White (Fieldston Class of 1991) emphasized the importance of passion.
Khary’s passion is The Brotherhood/Sister Sol (Bro/Sis), a comprehensive youth development and educational organization based in Harlem. The program provides the community with after school care, counseling, summer camps, job training, college preparation and scholarship, employment opportunities, legal representation and study abroad opportunities. Khary has dedicated himself to the fulfillment and success of young people while advocating for social change. His work has been recognized and awarded by many institutions including Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network Use Your Life Award and the African American Literature Awards.
At this time of multiple pandemics, Khary emphasized that the Class of 2020 has the power to invoke change. He noted, “We face a pandemic and its debilitating effects on the entire nation and throughout the world. We encounter an election that will determine what this nation stands for and if it will respond morally and ethically and answer what are the rights we hold dear, what is the role of the government to respond to this cracking open what is the role of America in this world.” To many, his words served as more of a call to action than a typical commencement.
Khary’s message, both somber and hopeful, reminded the audience that while passion is not friendly, it is a path to freedom. It’s supposed to be a challenge, and it is supposed to be an unspeakable hope. He quoted educator Maxine Green, stating that “It must be a conscious endeavor on the part of individuals to keep themselves awake, to think about their condition in the world. Be awake. Open your eyes. Think about the conditions of the world.” He encouraged everyone to find their passion and let it drive their actions; to use their consciousness to guide their intuition, and then use their best tools: empathy and knowledge.
By following one’s passion thoughtfully and intentionally, Khary believes that we can create a future we are proud of. He said, “We can provide and create this world reality if we have the courage and the commitment to redefine and retell and rename the world.” Khary begs the question: what will your role be in creating that world?
Student Speeches
Matthew Brown: Thank you Mr. Furlonge, parents, faculty, staff, and of course the class of 2020.
Taking in the view and savoring the moment, I saw an incredible sea of Orange and Blue emblazoned with the Fieldson Eagle. As the first bus arrived, all I could hear were the screams of half the senior grade. The air was electric, and I was swept up by a familiar feeling of excitement for the celebrations to come. It was the day of OUR Pep Rally, a true moment of Unity and Community for the class of 2020. In a class filled with varying interests, skills, and opinions, this was a moment that we came together to celebrate our senior year in festive form. It was an incredible experience, and it was supposed to be the first of Many such occasions this school year.
Ever since I was introduced to the Fieldston community in 1st grade, I would stare out my bus window, memorializing (and dreading at times) the day each year when the seniors would stain my hair orange and blue, spray silly string all over my face and clothes, and laugh out in amusement. When I was younger, I would try so hard to avoid the mob of spirit-crazed seniors that I would stall my exit from the bus in hope that the seniors would run out of silly string by the time I got off. While faculty may see this display of school spirit as menacing to younger students, I was Always in Awe of the upperclassmen and would look forward to it fondly. I Loved the idea of being the senior, having all of the fun, but I Hated the idea that it would one day be me–that I would have to leave it all, and in my mind I wasn’t ready for that day to ever come. It’s the idea of coming of age that is so daunting, that change is coming, and it’s coming Fast.
So we had Pep Rally, and somehow we had the Poly game (shoutout max) just before Covid 19 waved our year goodbye. Instead of relishing all of the other rights of passage celebrated by all other Fieldston seniors before us – – prom, senior dinner, last Founders Day, final spring assemblies, and of course the fabled senior prank – – we are left to reflect on our time (and lost time) at Fieldston before we graduate. We have the unique perspective of being alumni before we have even left.
I’ve spent the last several months of my senior year in a hammock by the lake in Central Park (as told by the senior video), fishing and of course praising aten, but also reflecting on my time at Fieldston and what I appreciate the most. I know everyone has their list, but here is mine:
- The classes that inspired me, from becoming the self-proclaimed captain and world renowned artist of my chamber music group to becoming a fully fledged follower of Aten, the ancient Egyptian sun god.
- Staying up at Fieldston long after dark with Water Polo to decorate for Homecoming, and watching the entire school wear the beautiful homecoming WaPo-designed shirt.
- The journey I would treasure from the 100s to the 500s where I could shake hands with as many people as possible, all with a huge grin on my face.
- The feeling of being in the last class of the day and looking around to see that every single other person was also staring at the clock, counting down the seconds in unison. That became such a problem in my orchestra that the clock was permanently removed.
- The one off days like when we were supposed to have the biggest snowstorm in NY history, ended up with 2 inches, but the school still closed in advance, or when the electricity went out and the entire school rejoiced while piling onto the busses at 11 AM.
- I’ll cherish the laughs I’ve had with so many of you, whether it was from some stupid joke, or a nervous laugh after everybody got different answers on a test that we all thought we got right.
It’s those small moments of togetherness that to me defines the Fieldston experience. Ultimately, for me, it’s not the Rights of passage but the Moments of passage at Fieldston with all of you. And that’s because at Fieldston, community has been everything to me and has helped to make me the person I am today.
From lower and middle school, I learned how to collaborate, and to make lifelong friends. From Ultimate Frisbee and Water Polo, I learned camaraderie and how to truly be myself. From chamber music, I learned confidence, and what it meant to truly care about a group of people. From Mr. Mahase, I learned I was not meant to have a career in chemistry, and that (in his words) my 50% quiz score could’ve been a 35 so I should be grateful. But from Mahase I also learned how to bounce back from failure, and how to put my head down and work whenever I was tired or wanted to give up. From many of my Upper School teachers, I’ve learned that great teachers are passionate about their field and can create enthusiasm for any subject. Whether it was Soler for math or Montera for history, I want badly to feel that way about my own passions in the future. From the college process, I learned patience, perseverance, and to stay true to myself. From the Fieldston community, I learned to look beyond myself and my surroundings. From senior year, I in a different world, would have talked about how all the late nights taught me to keep pushing through, but honestly, in this world, I learned how to live in the moment. Though I didn’t know it at the time, living in the moment throughout senior year became even more important when March arrived and all I could look back on was the time spent with friends – – not enough time. From my art page during the worst of the pandemic, I learned how to focus my creativity and to find ways to interact with friends, bringing people together at home both nearby and hundreds or thousands of miles away. At a time when the feeling was scarce, I used my art to have a little bit of fun. And from the survival squad, you pushed me through the pandemic, that was loyalty to the game and true love.
I’m proud to be a part of the Class of 2020, because though we didn’t get to slack off all quarter as we feel we deserved, we learned something far more important. To expect the unexpected, and to anticipate change, whether positive or negative. We are strong, and we are stronger as a unit. I’m forever grateful to those who have made such a positive impact on my life, from friends to teachers, coaches to facilities. I have infinite love for the class of 2020. I will end on a quote, from the Hymn To The Aten, an ancient piece that brings me great joy in the darkest moments. “Though thou art far away, thy rays are on earth.” As we leave Fieldston and take our next steps, we will shine our rays all over the earth. We must live in the light, and we must remain strong. I have great faith in the class of 2020, and I offer you all my blessings. Peace and love.
Jahnavi Kirtane: Hi, everyone! It is so, so, so good to see all of you.
Before I start, could we all take a moment of silence for those who have been hurt by COVID-19 and social injustice in all of its forms? Pause. Thank you.
As Fieldston students in today’s world, we have, sadly, been a part of many moments of silence. While they serve as spaces to internally reflect, the connection that we all feel in those moments is the most profound to me.
At Fieldston, the string that connects us all is that of ethics and social justice.
That is very unique. And it’s also pretty liberating.
It gives us the power to see the world not just through our own lenses, but also through a more nuanced and diverse framework; it allows us to practice empathy. It empowers us to see ourselves and the communities we belong to as beautiful mosaics, where we all have our individual elements and personalities and stories and voices that make up something much bigger. It allows us to reflect, want to be good, and try to make things better.
This idea of wanting to “be a good person” and “make things better” is so Fieldston. To be honest, it’s why I chose to come to Fieldston in ninth grade. And for the past four years, I’ve seen most people at Fieldston have some sort of drive, or impetus, to be good and make things better.
Like Z, whose wise and funny nature calms us down or puts us in our place, depending on what we need at that moment.
Or all of our dedicated teachers that live and model our school’s ethical mission. When you’re in a class with Senora Rodas Ramierez or Dean Mrkonjic; Ms. Paterson or Singh or OB or Gee; Dr. Banks or the Jones’; Mr. Waldman or Greenwald or Marro, and so many more; it’s hard not to become a better person. Fieldston is this sort of principled social experiment where everyone has decided to come to this school because it aligns with their own unique commitment to ethics and social justice. We, the students, are the beneficiaries of our teachers both facilitating and demonstrating how to do that in their own lives. This process transforms our lives and prepares us to, as cliche as it might sound, try to make the world a better place.
This specific goodness is at the heart of our assemblies and affinity groups.
It’s in the way #StudentsOfColorMatter stood up against racism and marginalization at Fieldston.
It ebbs and flows through our classrooms, where we thoughtfully dissect systems of power, how we all perpetuate them, and how we can work to undo them. I’ll never forget shadowing an older student when I was admitted to Fieldston and being amazed by Ms. Apostol approaching symbolism, oppression, gender, race, and social justice through the lens of Beyonce’s Lemonade in a Freshman English class. That is Fieldston.
We even see it in much smaller forms, like in the hallways when people (used to) casually give each other hugs while saying “hi.” I never did that before coming to Fieldston, but it is a pretty nice experience that I miss now more than ever.
People are just friendly and fiercely committed to being good and doing good, which matters and means so much in a world that often seems so unfair and brutal.
Right now, it’s more important than ever that we continue to uphold this commitment we have fostered at Fieldston. For many of us, we’re in a confusing world, where we’re reaching out in the distance to no avail. But, if we look at the lessons we’ve learned and lived at Fieldston, we can realize that it doesn’t necessarily have to be this way. We are privileged to have attended this institution, and while it certainly has its flaws, it has given us a toolkit to face the world and, yes, make it better. We can use the knowledge we’ve absorbed all these years — the statistics, history, and stories — to reflect, learn, unlearn, and share with others. We can employ the communication skills we’ve honed from countless presentations, meetings, sports teams, and ensembles. We can tap into the empathy we’ve developed by interacting with and reading books about so many different people, and engaging in community service, wielding it as a powerful instrument for growth and, ultimately, change.
Thank you to all of our teachers, guides, and mentors, for equipping us with these tools. We will try to make you proud.
As I wrap this up, I’ll utilize an example from City Sem. On our first day of discussing a new social or policy issue, Mr. Blumenfeld would give us a few minutes to break up into groups and discuss what we could do to fix it or find a solution. There was no limit to what we could imagine — we had unlimited funding and resources. In those minutes, we let our creativity flow as far as it could go and genuinely felt invigorated to take our ideas and run with them, even though they were largely unrealistic. What if we did just this — what if we dreamed up ideas and let them take us somewhere?
As we move on from Fieldston, we can take these dreams and channel them into action.
I’ll leave you all with Indian revolutionary poet Tagore’s words:
I slept and dreamt that life was joy.
I awoke and saw that life was service.
I acted and behold, service was joy.
Thank you.
Lucas Sirovich: Ah. The beautiful class of 2020.
It is so great to look out at all your smiling faces. Well uh, I hope you’re smiling, but I can’t really tell.
Pandemic, Hurricane; those are small obstacles, nothing was gonna stop us from graduating.
Going to the same school for a 14th year is a little like watching the 10th season of “The Office”. You know what to expect, and you’re pretty sick of it, yet it’s somehow still enjoyable.
But this year was supposed to be extra enjoyable. We finally made it to the promised land, senior year. Pep rally was everything I could’ve asked for but I definitely could’ve asked for more from the football team the next day. Really?
51-0? To Hackley?
In October they buried us in college applications and stress… but they didn’t know we were seeds. Halloweekend plus the November 1st deadline for Early Decision sounds like a bad combo, or a great combo, depending how you look at it.
Fast forward a few months, and then finally, the event that would define our senior year… A 5-1 loss to poly prep.
Psych. On Monday March 9th, the coronavirus arrived. At first, with the excitement of a snow day. I remember most of us going home from our last day on campus, “hyped for a Monday night party at so and so’s house”. But our hopes of a couple “pandemic days” turned into endless pandemic weeks, and then pandemic months. All we wanted wasto be back in the classroom, believe it or not.
We didn’t get PI or Founder’s Day, but we did more helping out around the house than ever before and plenty of hours on Google Meet with our beloved teachers. Actually, you all may have gotten plenty of class time. If any of my spring teachers are watching this, I’m sorry, I really struggled making the journey from bed to desk. And when I did it was too often for a Zoom bomb. Quarantine was rough. The only notable events in my March and April were some next level family arguments and Cuomo’s daily reports of bad news. But I am deeply sorry for any of you who lost a loved one or struggled with the perils of this horrible disease.
LOOK OUT:
The pandemic raged on and the world was in utter chaos. You could look at this current mess of a country and worry about the future, but I’d say we’re at a turning point. Finally, a situation dire enough to generate actualchange.
Surprisingly enough, there has already been some good to emerge from the madness of spring 2020.
It shouldn’t have taken such an atrocity, but nonetheless, George Floyd’s murder has been yet another wake up call and rallying cry to start dismantling the systems of oppression in America.
We have hit the collective pause button on the global economy, and given the Earth a much needed breath of fresh air (pun intended). But before we rush back to normal, as if normal was good, we need to make radical changes to reverse climate change.
These past few months demonstrate that our choice of leader can be a matter of life and death. I mean, if disinfectant kills the virus, then maybe we should all have a glass of Lysol with breakfast? Yeah, no.
Enough about the world’s problems. I know, there are a lot of them.
But just to recap:
Systemic racism persists
We are killing the Earth
There’s still a raging pandemic,
And Kanye isn’t looking too good in the polls
You might be thinking, what the heck is this kid talking about? we can’t fix any of this. But if we, the fieldston class of 2020, aren’t going to make the world a better place than who, will?
…When I watched all of the self proclaimed “best graduation speeches” on Youtube they all had a bunch of inspirational quotes, and I’m not very original, so welcome to my quote section.
A really smart man named Albert, named after an early 2000s series ‘Little Einsteins’ once said “education is what remains after one has forgotten everything they’ve learned in school”. A Fieldston education has always been about how to think instead of how to get the right answer. Mr. Soler taught me that by giving out very generous partial credit, thank you Mr. Soler.
Our second (hopefully) inspirational quote comes from a fellow redhead. If you don’t like it I will take it personally. Conan O’Brien said “Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen.” We could definitely work harder on our ability to work hard (again, apologies to my second semester teachers), but we’re an unquestionably kind group, and I have no doubt in my mind that amazing things will happen because of us.
At Fieldston we’re taught to care. About injustices, our friends, the number of kids sitting at a library table, it’s 4, right? Our motto might as well be “we just give a crap”. Fieldston is great, but our class specifically is pretty awesome too. Guys, we didn’t have a scandal… or a fest. I think those two things could be connected… But I just know that we’re a group of people who want the best for each other and for the world. I don’t know if it’s from singing Lean on Me at Ethical or the constant talking about our feelings, but if high school really is the time when people are the meanest and rudest, then I think we’re in the clear.
We were so intent on making everyone feel included that our fourth grade play had a dozen Peter Pans.
Well, we don’t always include everyone. Imagine cancelling the keynote speaker for the civil discourse assembly because of their opinions. The irony. And even in our safe space, the Fieldston bubble is plagued by the systemic racism that divides communities nationwide. We’re far from racial equality in school and even farther outside of campus.
But with our strengths, I know we can make a difference. Making the world a better place starts with being empathetic, treating others with respect, but most of all, caring enough to do so.
OK, I’ve taken enough of your time, Just swipe up if you disagree, (my DMs are always open)
I would say I love you all, but in the words of one of our generation’s greatest minds, “I only love my bed and my mama, I’m sorry” Much love, class of Covid-19, I mean 2020!
