Great expectations for Generation Obama

I was invited to speak at graduation commencement ceremonies at two South Side high schools last weekend: King College Prep and Kenwood Academy. And I tell you, there’s nothing more inspirational than looking across a field of young faces full of ho

I’ve been talking a lot in this column lately about poorly funded and underperforming schools that dominate rural and urban communities. Black and brown children attend the worst schools in the state because of the discriminatory way the state funds public schools. The odds are stacked against them, which makes their success stories all the more impressive.

But success begins with expectation. At both King College Prep and Kenwood Academy, the expectation is that every student will graduate high school and go onto college. The state cannot mandate that kind of attitude, nor can the head honchos at the Chicago Public Schools. It’s instilled by caring teachers, counselors and principals, and engaged parents.

I told the students that like previous generations, they will be defined by how they handle the troubles and challenges of their time. In history, the next generation always gets slapped with some sort of label. Sometimes it is plucked from some significant event. For instance, the Baby Boomers were so named because they were born during war times and a period of extraordinary population growth.

I’m from Generation X, and we’re just as ambitious and hardworking as the Boomers. We just don’t like anyone trying to define what and who we are. We like to fill in the “X” box ourselves.

After X came Generation Y. And these youngsters didn’t grow into their individualism and enterprising nature; they were born with it. They were launching their own businesses before they even finished college. Now, today’s youth are writing business plans in high school.

I told the students at King and Kenwood that I thought a good name for their generation would be Generation Obama. They, after all, are among the first graduating class in the Age of Obama. But more importantly, this generation has embraced hope that America can change if we help to change it. This generation has already demonstrated extraordinary activism and leadership, and the students at King and Kenwood are representative of the best their generation has to offer.

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