The Honorable Judson W. Robinson III made the following remarks during Prairie View A&M University’s 110th Summer Commencement Convocation on Aug. 14, 2021. Robinson spoke to undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degree candidates.
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – To President Ruth Simmons, Dr. James Palmer, Ms. Merilyn X. Pulikkathara, Mr. Marquinn Booker, Ms. Kimberly Runnels, to this distinguished Dias of scholars, and, to you, the 2021 Summer Graduating Class of Prairie View A&M University, I bid you greetings and congratulations from me and my wife’s family of proud Prairie View graduates, distinguished alumni, and from the proud legacy of the Guinn and Robinson families.
The Robinson and Guinn families date all the way back to my grandfather, who was secretary of his class in 1926. My family is still experiencing the benefits of the Prairie View promise of a great opportunity to have a great future. Nearly a century ago, when my Grandfather Judson Robinson Sr., or Big Jud, as we called him, walked this very same campus, met his young Prairie View University bride, Miss Josie Bell Mc Cullough, whom he married in 1929 upon her graduation, to nearly 90 years later when my son Judson the fourth, PV Class of 2015 graduated into the Legacy of our family’s history here on this campus. Parents, trust me when I say, I know the pride you now feel as you prepare to watch your graduate from this prestigious university.
Today, I pay homage and share these words in hopes that they will be a reminder to you of the greatness that lies within all of you when you understand that the journey you embark upon today is, in fact, your journey to your destiny to create your legacy.
Today marks one of the many milestones you will pause to celebrate for yourself, a moment to take a breath, acknowledge the well wishes from your family and friends and truly breathe in the sweetness and excitement of the journey ahead.
Perhaps you are the first in your family to obtain a college degree; perhaps you are a legacy; perhaps today, you became keenly aware and appreciative of the sacrifice parents, or other caregivers have made on your behalf to make today possible.
Perhaps you are fulfilling a promise to a family member, no longer with us but who always believed in you even when you didn’t believe in yourself. But their voice remained in your head almost hauntingly that yes, you can do this. Or perhaps you are simply that “bad ass” that likes to prove all the haters wrong! Now that this day has come and whatever motivation you used to reach this plateau, remember it, bottle it, and keep it safely stored in a protected place, safe from the inner and outer voices of fear, doubt, and negativity.
It is your superpower, your secret weapon. Use it to answer the call when your journey to your destiny to create your legacy is threatened.
You see, legacy killers like fear, doubt, jealousy, negativity, ignorance all attack the human spirit. You must arm yourselves with the opposites of these villains and surround yourselves with positive influences and influencers.
How do you do that? Lesson #1 – You must cast out all that is negative and embrace only the positive that is good for your journey.
We all carry around emotional backpacks full of stuff. The stuff that’s in your head that eventually becomes a burden on your back. In this backpack, we have stuff we need that helps us stay the course and achieve our goals. But we all also carry that other stuff too that simply burdens us down.
Then we have others – those so-called friends who want to add that heavy, unnecessary stuff, like their DRAMA, to our backpack. You don’t need friends like that. You need real friends; you need to form your posse. People you got. And People who got you! As I remind my staff in the words of the great modern-day prophet Oprah Winfrey, “Surround yourself with people who will lift you higher.” Those who you can trust and that have the same dreams and aspirations.
When I ran for a Houston City Council at-large member position many years ago, I was only 31 years old. I was an IBM office products salesman, woefully inexperienced, not accustomed to speaking or making presentations to any group larger than 3 or 4 people at a time. On the Myers-Briggs personality assessment, I ranked as a bonafide introvert.
My father, the first African American ever elected to Houston City Council Post Reconstruction Era, was the complete opposite. He had looks, charm, and business savvy and was greatly respected as an expert in multiple disciplines. He was a respected and experienced community leader with an extensive track record of awards and accommodations by age 35 that most don’t assemble over multiple lifetimes.
I thought my legacy would be to work in the family business. I was taught the value of work and had summer jobs starting at age 12. I was encouraged to be a good student, especially in math and spelling and even graduated from an all-boys preparatory high school. Until my junior year in college, everything seemed to be moving as expected when suddenly there was a downturn in the economy. I became a young father, and it became apparent that my destiny to create my legacy was about to take a turn.
In fact, I graduated into one of the worst recessions in our nation’s history, especially for Blacks, as many first-generation thriving businesses went belly up. It was the oil bust of the 1980s. The expectation of climbing the ladder in our own family businesses and providing in my new role as a responsible parent was now in peril in the blink of an eye.
I watched my Dad’s companies consisting of real estate, insurance, mortgage, media, transportation, and the hard-fought win to become the first Black to own a Burger King franchise all succumb to the devastation of the U.S. economy. The stress of it all not only burdened his mind but also his body. In 1984, he was diagnosed with cancer and, after a 6-year battle, passed at the age of 57.
What happened to the Kumbaya journey of this great destiny to create a great legacy? Well, it was never promised and simply did not materialize! All life ever promises you is life itself. We have the obligation and the opportunity to make the best of it and never give up. Our journey, destination and legacy are not inextricably tied together. If life ends at 57 or 107, a legacy can still exist.
Lesson #2 – Your legacy is the story of what you accomplished while on the journey to your destiny. It’s not the duration of the journey; it’s the dash along the way. The dash on your headstone is the story that others will tell about you when your mortal lives end. So, although my father’s life was relatively short by man’s timetable, the legacy, or the story he left behind, was rich and full and more valuable than any material thing. It was a living testament that allowed me to witness and appreciate the lessons of struggle, hard work, disappointment, victory, celebration and to value those things worthy of praise.
It re-centered my focus that the aim was not just money, but also integrity, honesty, loyalty, faith, community, and believing in values greater than our personal gain. You must find appreciation for the greater good in all your deeds and actions even when others don’t. And to always let God have a role in your life.
As my Dad prepared to leave us, he would whisper to my Mother, Margarette, just find a quiet place and listen. I have prepared for my departure from you, and so has He. And for me, he knew I had witnessed his life and was prepared to expect the unexpected and be ready for whatever would come, despite what the best-laid plans were. So, when it became apparent that my intended path would be altered by life, just as it did his, I chose to trust him being my father and to trust God being the Father.
So, I followed my Legacy despite the negative voices telling me what I could not do, why I couldn’t do it, my limitations, and simply what else I might consider. I embraced my real posse and others who embraced me. I listened to the ones who had spoken to me when I was in the quiet places, and I knew that my story would always be that no matter what, he gave it his best. He overcame his fears and drowned out the voices of can’t, shouldn’t and ought not. And I believe, if we do our part, HE will do His!
So, I went on to become the youngest At-Large City Council Member in Houston’s history, the first African American to follow both his Father and his Mother in the At-Large Council Seat, turning all disbelievers into believers. Not by gloating, but by proving through hard work and perseverance that I was who I was destined to become and for my purpose.
My journey continues in my 14th year as CEO of the Urban League, a position gained after 30 years of civic engagement and leadership and being focused on the betterment of all people while hopefully improving myself.
And yes, there was a time when I felt my life was off track, headed in the wrong direction, or seeming without passion and purpose, but we must weather these storms as we find our way back to the main roads of our journey to our destiny to our legacy. We must welcome the assistance of others who have been our advocates, who are loyal, trustworthy, patient, encouraging, and remind us to stay the course and see it thru.
Finally, Lesson #3 – In the words of Edgar Guest, let us be reminded: You must see it through when you’re up against a trouble, Meet it squarely, face to face; Lift your chin and set your shoulders, Plant your feet and take a brace. When it’s vain to try to dodge it, Do the best that you can do; You may fail, but you may conquer, See it through!
Black may be the clouds about you, and your future may seem grim, but don’t let your nerve desert you; Keep yourself in fighting trim. If the worst is bound to happen, spite of all that you can do, running from it will not save you; see it through!
Even hope may seem but futile, When with troubles you’re beset, But remember you are facing, just what other men have met. You may fail, but fall still fighting; Don’t give up, whate’er you do; Eyes front, head high to the finish. See it through! See it through, See it through.
To the 2021 Summer Graduates of Prairie View A&M University on the 145th Anniversary of the university, I salute you and stand by you in your journey to your destiny to create and protect your Legacy! Thank you.
-PVAMU-