FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MAY 31, 2018 2018 • THE THE QUEENS COURIER COURIER63
63
Inspirational Days
s
State School when budget cuts
caused us to fight a war for our
children’s rights and care.
Malachy used his wise voice,
and Murray used his legal power
and perseverance to fight fearlessly
lessly for our
our children.
Murray’s funeral
service on May 22,
Malachy recalled
the decades
At Mu
servic
Ma
th
o
of debates
and action he
and Murray
shared, persevering
and
aa
sh
se
nev
in th
justice
never wavering
their pursuit of
for our children.
dren.
A few
A few days later, I
was in Baltimore to celebrate
Zach Broner and his brilliant
years at Johns Hopkins.
Malachy McCourt
What tied the two events
together was the commencement
speaker, Bryan Stevenson,
a human rights attorney and
Sam, Mimi, Zach and Jim Bromer on the deck at the Pendry Hotel, a restored warehouse in Baltimore
social justice activist who urged
the more 1400 graduates to fight
for the rights of those vulnerable
people in our world.
With passion, speaking
for 20 minutes without notes,
Stevenson’s inspirational words
brought the thousands in attendance
in the arena to their feet
with a standing ovation that
went on for many minutes.
During his speech, Stevenson
pressed his point on the elite
group of graduates — who,
based on their names, had come
from around the globe to attend
this prestigious institution. He
urged each of them to follow
their passion, be persistent, show
up and never feel comfortable
with the status quo of injustice.
He was speaking to the best
and brightest of their generation,
and spared no fury speaking of
the cruelty of the prison system
now holding millions of people,
mostly of color. He spoke of
the cruelty of our country centuries
ago wiping out the Native
and stealing
rty and
on
e
Americans their property their lives.
Stevenson
pounded the
air with his
fists about
the murders
of
inno cent
A f r i c a n -
Americans,from slavery
s,
avprese
boldevery
to the present
day. He boldly
warned every person
of color graduating
to know they will not be
treated like white people.
He implored every student
to stay angry and uncomfortable
to make a difference with their
lives.
He inspi
as we
to a
wo
w
N
S
an
lucky
have St
one of his te
Commencement
speaker Bryan
Stevenson
know that the world is a better
place because of both of them.
per-
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VICTORIA’S
SECRETS
ETS
Victoria
SCHNEPS-
YUNIS
vschneps@gmail.com
m
tweet me @vschneps
It was a bittersweet week of
contrasts. First, there was
the funeral ral of my
ex-husband, Murray
Schneps, father er of
my four children;en;
and then, days
ys
later, I traveled
d
to Baltimore
e
to witness the
e
i mp r e s s i v e
graduation of
my grandson,on,
Zach, from Johns
ohns
Hopkins University.
ersity.
Both life--changing
experiences were were inspirational
inspi
in different ways.
For more than four decades I’ve
known the irreverent, inspiring,
brilliant writer/raconteur/actor
Malachy McCourt. His stepdaughter,
Nina, and my daughter,
Lara, were at Willowbrook
with injustice — and also
inspired us all
stood again
applaud his
words.
My Zach,
who graduated
on
top of his
class, will
be going to
NYU Law
School —
and will be
lucky enough to
Stevenson as
teachers.
Zach can make a difference
just as Murray
made a difference. I
Zach marching to receive his degree
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