"Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished members of faculty, staff members, families, and fellow graduates. Good morning. On behalf of the graduating class of 2018 I would like to say welcome and thank you for celebrating this special day with us as we begin this exciting and exuberant post-graduation chapter.

We are all filled with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, a deep pride in the work we've put in with these last super-accelerated 12 months, and a self-assured confidence that we will be the change agents that our neighborhoods, communities, and institutions are crying out for.

But bringing positive, lasting, and meaningful change is not just about taking on big public policy challenges. Taking consistent little steps towards everyday democracy is just as important. Imagine a world where there is no unearned privilege. The color of your skin, your gender, your disability, your sexual orientation, your religion, your identity, your class, nor your immigration status -- none of that determines how long you live, if you're not paid equally for the work you do, if you are put on the school to prison pipeline, if you're disbelieved by your doctor when you say you are in pain, if you're sexually harassed at work, if you're racially profiled by law enforcement or randomly selected for security screening at the airport every time you fly.

Still I am an optimist. Those of you who know me know this. I believe a world without privilege, and its step-sibling, oppression is possible. I mean, no one ever thought the sun would set on the British Empire, but it did, and my home country of Somalia was one of many nations, proud nations, that finally broke the shackles of racism and rose up from the crushing weight of colonialism. It's possible to dismantle institutions and systems that are well-funded and well-guarded and look like they'll last the ages, but it will take all of us doing our part in our little corner, within our sphere of influence, and those of us who are the beneficiaries of compounded privilege have a special duty to put that privilege towards the service of breaking down barriers, evening the playing field, and chipping away at the institutional and structural barriers that allow inequities to persist.

For instance, if you are a white, heterosexual, able-bodied, college-educated, cis male you have a special role to play in this fight. But it's not just this group that bears a responsibility, it's all of us. Because each of us, if you look carefully, undoubtedly holds privilege of some kind including the fact that you are a graduate of this elite institution called the Goldman School of Public Policy. So, you ask, how can we do this? Well I believe the first step is allyship.

To win this fight, we need allies. So, what exactly is allyship? Allyship is an active, consistent, and arduous practice of unlearning and re-evaluating. Where a person who has privilege seeks ways to be in solidarity with individuals and communities that are marginalized. Allyship is not an identity. It is a lifelong process of building relationships based on trust, consistency, and accountability with marginalized individuals and communities. As someone who has seen good effective and meaningful allyship, and as someone who strives to do the same, there are some steps I'd like to share with you today if you'll indulge me.

Rule number one: listen. Really listen. Be genuine in seeking to learn from the experiences of other people. Really listening can be difficult. I know -- I've tried it -- because it may seem like you and your community are being called out as responsible for oppression, and often natural reactions to this or guilt shame fear and defensiveness.

Which brings me to rule number two. It's not about you. So, it’s a good idea to take the ego out of the picture and do that early on and deal with those feelings of guilt and shame and fear and defensiveness. Often, we spend a lot of energy to prove ourselves as not those oppressors. To really be useful as allies but it's not about you. Step back let go of the power and the control. Be curious and be open and be ready to sit with that discomfort. Don't fight it.

Rule number three: it's all about you. Too often the work is outward what it needs to be inward. We can fall into the trap of changing others and changing institutions but not changing ourselves. Center your own healing and learning and understand your own privilege and power. This means also reckoning with how you have benefited from systems of oppression at the expense of others.

Rule number four: do the work at home. Educate and work within your sphere of influence -- with your families and your friends and your neighbors and your co-workers. Be an example to them. Be willing to put your body on the line by holding others in your community accountable.

The next rule: please learn about history and understand the legacies of repression and resistance. Ground your work and knowledge of what has happened historically and the ongoing legacies of oppression that are still present in our institutions and systems.

And last: to hell with good intentions. Sometimes people have well-intentioned actions that are downright harmful and paternalistic. So please make sure that you have more than just good intentions in your ally toolbox. Please look within to find the degree of privilege that you hold and put it to work every day because white supremacy and patriarchy and xenophobia and transphobia and Islamophobia and all of the other ugly prejudices don't take a day off. Be a good authentic tireless ally. Speak up. push back. Question the status quo kick up some dust. Take some risks, and yeah show some outrage. Equality is possible. Equity is possible. We need you. Humanity needs you. Thank you."