[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 11799-11800]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            THE COMMENCEMENT MESSAGE OF DR. DAVID JEFFERSON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 7, 2005

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the success and 
contributions of Dr. David Jefferson, Sr. A graduate of Grambling State 
University, David has been a role model and example for a generation of 
Grambling students and others who have met him.
  In the last thirty years, David has risen up the ranks in the 
business community and has developed an impressive reputation amongst 
his colleagues as a fair and wise business leader. He currently serves 
as the President and CEO of JNET Communications, LLC and is a member of 
the board of directors of SBLI USA Mutual Life Insurance Company, Inc. 
He has succeeded in bringing the talents of a young Louisianan and the 
lessons of a noteworthy academic institution into the decision-making 
of two major corporations.
  Beginning in 2003, JNET has provided a suite of technology and 
technology-related services to telephone companies, cable television 
systems, and other businesses. The company has created a number of job 
opportunities in minority and low-income communities. Through its Up 
the Ladder training program, it has trained individuals in these 
communities to work as call center experts, customer acquisition and 
expansion experts, and maintenance and installation experts. David has 
been successful in managing an organization that creates jobs for the 
community and the people that surround him.
  Dr. Jefferson is also a senior pastor of the Metropolitan Baptist 
Church of Newark. Founded in 1938, Metropolitan Baptist has one of the 
largest congregations in Newark. It has over 80 ministries ranging from 
choirs and church services to ecommerce and educational development. 
David has effectively used the church to address the economic and 
social needs of his congregation and has worked to improve the 
livelihood of his community.
  David is also a willing community activist. He divides his time with 
a number of social and religious organizations dedicated to making an 
impact on the community. He is enthusiastically involved in the actions 
of civil rights organizations, legal associations, and a fraternal 
order. In addition, David is the director and co-chair of 1,000 
Churches Connected Initiative. His commitment to the community and 
involvement in its development is a testament to the importance of 
daily activism and individual responsibility.
  Dr. Jefferson is a wonderful role model for generations of Americans. 
He effectively combines the intuitiveness and aggressiveness of the 
business community with the compassion and care of the neighborhood. He 
is a dedicated leader to the economic and social fabric of this country 
and should be recognized for his role in shaping and developing the 
individual, the family, and the community.
  Dr. Jefferson bestowed his sage advice on the graduating class of 
Grambling State University Sunday, May 22. He advised the graduates of 
his keys to success and reminded them of the importance of community 
service, determination, and commitment to their life. I would like to 
share with this body the thoughtful words of Dr. David Jefferson at the 
commencement of Grambling State University. I submit for the Record the 
prepared text of that commencement address.

    ``Achieving Your Dreams and Hopes''; Grambling State University 
                   Commencement Address, May 22, 2005

       To Dr. Judson, the president of this internationally 
     renowned, remarkable, historical institution; Chairman of the 
     Board of Trustees; faculty; administrators; staff; parents; 
     friends; loved ones; and last but certainly not least the 
     Graduating Class of 2005. When you travel and see the 
     condition of our young people . . . to see those who have 
     reached this level, they deserve a message from us that we 
     are proud of their accomplishments.
       Today represents a major milestone and one of significant 
     meaning and enormous joy and fulfillment for all of us. For 
     the graduates and their families, because your hard work, 
     sacrifice and perseverance has finally yielded the first 
     installment of your dividends. It's significant for this 
     great institution because there is a spirit of revival and 
     rebirth in the air at GSU.
       I am excited and encouraged about what is happening at my 
     Alma Mater. The campus is receiving a long overdue facelift, 
     buildings are being constructed, dorms are being renovated, 
     academic curriculums are being reevaluated, and there is a 
     vision and hope for tomorrow.
       For me it's significant because I have been invited back to 
     my roots, the place where I started my journey and received 
     my foundation for higher academic training. This is the 
     institution that equipped me and prepared me for my MBA work 
     in finance at the University of Dayton. It is this 
     institution that also equipped me to pursue legal studies at 
     Capital Law School; a Master's of Theology at Drew 
     University; and another master's degree from one of the top 
     schools in the world--the Massachusetts Institute of 
     Technology. It is this institution that paved the way for me 
     to become the Pastor of the Metropolitan Baptist Church in 
     Newark, N.J. which has nearly 6,000 members, and now the 
     President and CEO of JNET Communications. After 34 years I 
     have been invited back to give this commencement address and 
     that's a marvelous blessing. So do not let anyone tell you 
     Grambling is not a great school. Without this school I 
     wouldn't be where I am today.
       I am very humbled and emotional, but very excited. And I 
     want to thank Dr. Judson for inviting me to address this 
     class. I've received a number of prestigious honors in my 
     life, many of which were absolutely outstanding. However, in 
     my estimation, this tops them all. To stand here today is 
     extremely significant to me. Everywhere I go young people 
     constantly inquire, ``Dr. Jefferson, how have you achieved 
     such significant accomplishments and what advice would you 
     give college students?'' And that's what I want to focus on 
     briefly: achieving your dreams and hopes.
       The first thing I have to admit is it has not been easy--
     you really do have to learn how to lean and depend on God. 
     But you also have to have a dream, some hope, some aspiration 
     that takes you beyond the present to what you want for your 
     future. It's called reaching beyond the present. I had and 
     still have a desire to achieve.
       Even if you don't know exactly ``where'' you want to go, 
     you need to possess a desire to ``excel beyond your 
     present.'' Then you need to be inspired because aspiration is 
     not enough, you also need inspiration. I grew up in Doyline, 
     a small rural area just west of here--dirt roads, no running 
     water, outside bathrooms, and bathing in a #3 tub (something 
     many of you perhaps know nothing about). There are 15 
     children in our family. I'm #10 and nine of us graduated from 
     college. My father, a Baptist minister, was a strong man and 
     an outstanding role model. My mother, who is with me today, 
     is 89 years old and will be 90 in December. Neither of my 
     parents finished high school, but they understood the value 
     of a good education and inspired their children to be 
     somebody, to make something of themselves, to be their best. 
     Without aspiration and without inspiration there is no drive, 
     determination, or will to succeed. Success comes to those who 
     are willing to sweat. And then you need to work at it. It's 
     called preparation. And preparation involves perspiration. 
     Preparation and perspiration always precede realization. 
     Dreams and aspirations can never be achieved without 
     preparation and perspiration. And then you get to the moment 
     of celebration. That's where you are today. So graduates--it 
     is time to celebrate!
       But today's accomplishments are to be celebrated with 
     commas, not periods. As a punctuation mark, the period says 
     ``stop.'' It represents the end of a declarative statement. 
     But a comma says simply, ``pause,'' because there's more to 
     follow. I urge you to celebrate today with a comma, meaning 
     that there's more to follow! Seize the moment, but keep 
     going. Make the most of your life. Don't stop. Go for your 
     master's, go for your doctorate, take your life to the next 
     level. Do something that will make a difference, make your 
     mark in life, leave a legacy.
       L. Frank Baum in his 1939 epic, ``The Wizard of Oz,'' 
     starts the story when a nasty neighbor tries to have 
     Dorothy's dog put to sleep. Dorothy takes her dog, Toto, to 
     run away. A cyclone appears and carries her to the magical 
     land of Oz. Wishing to return, she begins to travel to the 
     city of Oz, where a great and powerful wizard lives. On her 
     way she meets a Scarecrow who needs a brain, a Tin Man who 
     wants a heart, and a cowardly Lion who desperately needs 
     courage. They all hope the Wizard of Oz will help them, 
     before the Wicked Witch of the West catches up to them. But 
     when they reach Oz and meet the magnificent Wizard they 
     encounter a remarkable discovery. And that is ``what they 
     were looking for on the outside was only to be found 
     within.'' What they wanted the Wizard to give them, they had 
     all along. You have within you brains, the courage and the 
     heart and the spirit to go the distance. Cultivate what you 
     have within! Sometimes up, sometimes down, it won't be easy 
     but go for it!
       And perhaps that's what Langston Hughes had in mind when he 
     wrote the poem ``Mother to Son,'' where the mother says to 
     her son . . .

     ``Well, son, I'll tell you:
     Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
     It's had tacks in it,
     And splinters,
     And boards torn up,
     And places with no carpet on the floor--
     Bare.
     But all the time
     I'se been a-climbin' on,
     And reachin' landin's,
     And turnin' corners,
     And sometimes goin' in the dark

[[Page 11800]]

     Where there ain't been no light.
     So, boy, don't you turn back.
     Don't you set down on the steps.
     'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
     Don't you fall now--
     For I'se still goin', honey
     I'se still c1imbin',
     And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

       So go for it graduates and one day you'll discover, like I 
     have, there is no place like home, no place like Doyline, no 
     place like Grambling State University! And although today is 
     a great accomplishment, your best is yet to come.
       God bless you and God bless Grambling State University!

                          ____________________