Hazim Hardeman was the first secretary of African Community Learning Program and Temple University’s the first Rhodes Scholar. An Alumni of Community College of Philadelphia, Hazim delivered the speech below at the college’s commencement on May 5, 2018.
I know that I’m here as a winner of the Rhodes Scholarship, but when I reflect on my story it’s much less about where I ended up than how I got there.
I want all of us to reflect on our stories, and as we consider what lies ahead, to consider what possibilities our journey holds not only for ourselves but for others.
And I want us to do this because often times it can be difficult for us to find meaning and value in our stories. But all of your individual stories, even if you don’t realize it now, mean something to somebody else.
So, while at the Community College of Philadelphia we talk about the path to possibilities. What I want us to consider is our path as a possibility.
This path for me begins in North Philadelphia. I always mention that I’m just a kid from north Philly. I do this not only because North Philadelphians are the coolest people in the world but also because I want to suggest that I’m no different than anybody else who comes from where I’ve come from. If I have done things that are extraordinary, it is not because I’m inherently special. Rather, it is a product of the opportunity I’ve been given.
That first opportunity came for me when my mother, understanding the urgency of transgressing against systems that weren’t designed for people like us to thrive, lied about our ZIP code so that my brother and I could attend a predominantly white, more resourced elementary school.
There, I was shaped by a culture of investment. I was able to grow and develop in an educational setting in which the student’s ability was assumed, not impugned. I was afforded the basic dignity of having the proper tools to allow learning to occur.
But it wasn’t always easy for me. In my junior year of high school, I nearly failed out. I had a GPA of 0.01. I was behind a bunch of credits and at risk of not graduating on time. I was the kid who cut class, who ran the halls, and whose favorite subject was lunch. (That’s why it’s so funny to me that I’m asked to speak at my high school now as some example when I’m sure when I was a student, I was the source of many headaches). To give an example of how bad a student I was, I often tell the story of the time I took a Spanish class, showed up one time and received a 1 as a numerical grade. This was due to circumstances, not ability (which I think is true of all students).
But even then, I had people who believed in me, who didn’t give up on me. I can specifically remember one moment that in retrospect probably saved my life. I was given a book by my English teacher, Tyrell by Coe Booth, about a young black boy trying to navigate the trials of adolescence while dealing with a challenging family situation. I’m not sure how this teacher knew that I needed that book at that moment in my life, considering I never went to class. But I did. The book spoke to me. It resonated with me as I saw myself reflected in its pages. It let me know I wasn’t alone in the world.
Aminata Sy is the founder and president of African Community Learning Program, a multimedia journalist, and a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, where she studies international relations and English. She is also the founder, editor, and publisher of the #500EmpoweringAfricanStories Project.
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