Rep. Cleaver exhorts graduates to reach higher

As newly-minted college graduates prepared to take the next step in their life’s journey, a noted orator and civic leader gave them a rousing sendoff.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, a minister and former Kansas City mayor, spoke at two commencement ceremonies Dec. 19 at which the University of Missouri-Kansas City conferred more than 900 bachelor’s, professional and graduate degrees.

Following a homespun anecdote about a preacher rejecting a collection plate because it was “tainted” – as in “ ‘tain’t enough” – Cleaver applied the same wordplay to the graduates.

“It ‘tain’t enough for you to graduate,” Cleaver intoned, his voice rising. “You must make yourselves matter. Make peace matter. Make justice matter. Make patriotism matter. Make your scholarship and education matter.

“It ‘tain’t enough to focus on yourselves,” he said. “Focus on the world, and get out into the world, and make the world matter.”

Earlier in the program, Wayne Vaught, dean of the UMKC College of Arts and Sciences, conferred an honorary doctorate on Luis Cristobal Medina, chief executive officer of the Guadalupe Centers, Inc.

“When Mr. Medina was named CEO of the Guadalupe Center in 1980, he was excited at the prospect of directing such a worthwhile organization. At the same time, he was enough of a realist to understand the challenges that lay ahead,” Vaught said. “At the time, Guadalupe Center consisted of two buildings, a handful of employees and a budget of $335,000. With these assets, the agency was to fill a growing need for education, health information, cultural activities and social events for the local Hispanic community.

“Today, Guadalupe Centers, Inc. is in 17 locations around Kansas City, has a staff of almost 300 people and a budget in excess of $18 million. Guadalupe Centers operate a charter high school, middle school and preschool, offer some basic health services, provide emergency assistance and counseling. The benefits to the Hispanic community are beyond measure.

“Since that modest beginning, Guadalupe Centers, Inc. has been recognized by La Raza, the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in America. It has also been designated one of the ten most effective community organizations in the U.S.

“For Mr. Medina’s devotion to higher education preparation and opportunity for youth, it is the great privilege of the College Of Arts And Sciences to award Mr. Medina an honorary doctor of philosophy,” Vaught said.

UMKC Chancellor Leo E. Morton also offered his congratulations to the graduates for a job well done.

“UMKC is an urban university, and as students here, you were asked to tackle serious urban issues head-on. Through those experiences, we hope you have learned the importance of extending a helping hand and the value of commitment and contribution to your home community,” Morton said. “We believe that you’ve prepared yourself for the broader world, and that you’ve acquired the confidence, skills and knowledge you’ll need to navigate an ever-shifting landscape in the days to come.

“There are many challenges that lie before you, but I know you are up to those challenges,” Morton added.