Editor's Note: We thought about Sally Yates again today when journalist and commentator Mike Barnicle, on Morning Joe, referred to the former Acting Attorney General as a "truly noble, heroic figure" (expanded upon by Justice and Security Analyst Matthew Miller) and so decided to rerun the article on her Harvard Law School's Class Day ceremony speech to the graduating class.
[Sally] Yates said that as lawyers, the graduates “not only have the unique opportunity and ability but also the attendant responsibility to foster justice in this world, to reveal truth, to stand up for the voiceless.”
"You have to decide what you believe is worth fighting for," Yates said. She said her own list of causes includes promoting criminal justice reform, respecting law enforcement officers, holding accountable corporate executives "who lie, cheat, and steal,” and defending same-sex marriage, and she urged the students to come up with their own lists."
[Sally] Yates said that as lawyers, the graduates “not only have the unique opportunity and ability but also the attendant responsibility to foster justice in this world, to reveal truth, to stand up for the voiceless.”As bright, talented, and driven as all of you are right now, you need to give yourself the space to develop into great lawyers."
She also advised that "the safest course is not always the best course."
"Being bold, taking a risk and owning it, isn't easy to do, and the instinct for self-preservation may continually draw you to the safe, risk-free course," she said. "But I urge you to resist that instinct. Not only is a life of hedging your bets unsatisfying, but it means you're unlikely to make much of a difference."
Read the rest of the article: http://www.seniorwomen.com/news/index.php/p3239
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