Maria Hinojosa Speech Transcript - Commencement 2024

What’s up!? Oh my god, I’m so nervous! But the earrings are really good–thank you. Do you want to see the shoes? Oh, I’m sorry for the closed captioning people, y’all are going to be very upset with me. Because I’m a journalist, so of course I went in this morning and rewrote a lot of my stuff so…..sorry.

It’s so great to be here at Knox. You know, people are like, “You know Knox?” and I’m like “I’ve known about Knox since I was 13 years old.” And that’s because I grew up in Chicago, and my sister’s boyfriend, Todd Peterson, came to Knox. And so my father was at the University of Chicago, but we had never gone. My sister was a first-generation college [student] here in the United States, and so it was like “My sister’s going to Knox?! She’s taking a train from Chicago and going to Knox to visit her boyfriend? This is so cool!” So Knox was kind of in my head as this legendary place, and then I get invited to come and give a lecture here, a speech here, about 10 years ago. And then there were a lot of mishaps, I was actually asked to be here in 2020 and…well we know what happened there, so finally I’m here, and it is truly my thrill and honor to be here, so thank you to President Andy McGadney. Thank you to Tony Etz, the chairman of the Board of Trustees, to all the Board of Trustees, to the Provost who held my arm as I walked so I didn’t trip on the high heels, to all my fellow honorary degree recipients, and to the fabulous faculty and staff at Knox, y para ustedes for the students and their families: You did this!!! Yes, come on, let it out–this is amazing! I’m so proud of you. I’m so, so, so proud of you. 

I just went in and I edited (I hope) several minutes out of my speech, cause I know you really want me to be done fast, but I was asked to give a little bit of a speech so let’s see how quickly I can do this. 

So, as a journalist, I deal in the truth. And I’m just going to tell you the truth. I give speeches all of the time to all different kinds of people. I’ve given speeches to groups as small as 10, and to groups as large as 10,000. And I get nervous, always, but I can tell you that Commencement speeches are the thing that freaks me out the most. I mean, they’re scary. So, I’m just going to tell you about how I wrote this speech as a way to tell you how we go towards things that we find challenging, or things we dislike, but that we ultimately have to do, because this college asked me to pre-write my script. I never pre-write a speech, and they’re like “you gotta write it beforehand.” Of course, I’m changing it now so they’re really upset. But ultimately I knew I had to write this speech, so I hunkered down and actually dictated this speech because I write as I talk. I’m a radio journalist, a television journalist, so I write as I talk. And just one last time before I go into what happened in the writing of this speech, I really just want to say congratulations to the moms, and the dads, and the grandparents, and the families, because this is your celebration, too. Congratulations on raising amazing kids! Who are no longer kids, right? They’re no longer kids. 

Alright, so you know we all talk about anxiety, right? And there’s productive anxiety, which is the anxiety that I used to write this script. And at the same time, we have to realize that you, perdón Señor Presidente, perdón, where are you? I’m about to drop some four letter words, I’m sorry. The truth is that you, class of 2024, are a serious group of badasses. I know your parents are like “Did she just say that? Oh my god, no puedes ser.” Because you lived from 2020 to 2024. We, as a society, don’t even realize how much debt we owe you and your generation, and the impact that you’re going to have, not only in this country but worldwide, I know this. You, who have survived a pandemic. You, who have witnessed the murder of George Floyd. You, who have witnessed the resulting uprising of yet another moment of the Black Lives Matter movement that began the first day a Black person was brought here without will into this land was when the Black Lives Matter movement was born. You, who have lived through Uvalde and Gaza. So, yes, I am counting on you, and I do hope, in fact, and I know, that you feel the weight of history on your shoulders. And I’m sorry to tell you that it is heavy, and it is your burden. But I know you love life, and I know you love justice. And so I know that you, like our dear Abraham Lincoln, will work for equality, respect, and a society that is not racist. 

Okay, just a couple of quick truths for me. I believe the women. I believe the immigrants. I believe the refugees. And I believe the students, and I believe in the students. Those are my truths. And all you can do right now is to put one foot in front of another and know that you can do this because you survived this. And I love to say that Dr. Martin Luther King, my hero, had a dream, but you know, he did not have a 5 year strategic plan. I’ll let that sink for a moment. 

Those of us who run nonprofits, we’re always being asked “So what is your 5 year strategic plan?” And we’re like (screams) “Survive!” But in order to survive you have to have this thing right? Dreams, like Martin Luther King. And those dreams lead you to the plans that may or may not turn out to be paper strategic, but they are strategic. So there are very few times in your life that are going to feel like this, and I’m asking you to bask in this moment. It took me almost five and a half years to finish college, so by the time I got my first full time job–and by the way, to the parents: I was waiting tables until I was 25, and then I got my first job. So, for those of us who end up working in the service industry first, it’s all good. We learn a lot from being servers, and waiters, and waitresses. I salute you. It’s how I made it, and it’s the core of something I talk about a lot, which is that you have to have a big ego and you have to have arrogance to have gotten here, but you need that humility, and nothing makes you more humble than being stiffed.

But my focus of what I was going to do didn’t come into clarity until my mid-50s, so give yourselves a little bit of patience too. And by the way, if you have ever thought of being an artist (and thank you to our amazing musical entertainment here) students,  I really beg of you to take your consideration–oh, sorry, parents–take your consideration of being an artist very seriously. We need artists more than ever, and I know that, because I am a hard nosed investigative journalist that comes home to an artist every day, and it is my husband’s creativity, el pintor dominicano Hernan Perez, who allows me to believe. So believe in the arts, they will save us as much as our intellect.

I love it, yes! Alright.

Now there’s a word that maybe you’ve heard a lot as you’ve been listening to commencement speeches–as if you’ve been listening to a lot of commencement speeches, I have–the word is curious. And I want to say dive into your curiosity. Maybe some of you don’t have a job lined up, so be curious of what’s happening inside of you and in this moment. And even if you do have a job, be curious about all of these experiences, because it is my profound curiosity that moves me. The curiosity that was born out of the fact that I was the “other” in this country, I wasn’t born in this country, but it didn’t bother me because I didn’t know anything else! I knew that I wasn’t an American citizen, and so I was like let me just be curious about this place. And I owe this to my Mexican immigrant mother, Berta Hinojosa, who instead of shutting down, she opened herself up to change in this country, which is (all I’m asking for from you, and your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins) which is: Do not be afraid of change in this country! Do not be afraid of what I represent–a Mexican immigrant on your land who is a proud American citizen now! Do not be afraid of me!

Alright, so let’s get back to the issue of writing, because the speech, right? So I’m afraid of writing, I was always afraid of writing, and that’s because I grew up thinking I wasn’t good enough, in English or in Spanish, because I was bilingual. And of course, that’s a myth! Because being bilingual is your superpower! And I know many of you are bilingual, and many of your parents are bilingual. But we internalize this thing about not being good enough, right? I remember when I first started reading Ernest Hemingway in high school, and I was like phew, what am I gonna learn from this guy? And Ernest Hemingway changed my life! A man who could not be more different from me, a white guy from Idaho, right? Decades later, I’m actually asked to write the introduction to the new Penguin paperback version of The Sun Also Rises. Oye me, how did that happen, like what?! But here’s the thing: I got really curious about Ernest Hemingway when I was younger, and here’s what I found out. Again, I’m an investigative journalist, that means I go deep. I’m a radical, which means I go to the root! What was the root, that I found out, was that Ernest Hemingway, pobrecito, took his own life on the same day and year that I was born. And so he is my soulmate. Someone who is more different than me than anyone, so be curious of the things that are different. 

So much avoidance of curiosity in our country is based on fear, and I know that you, and I, and hopefully your families, refuse to fall into that. I am not, you know when I wrote this I was like, I’m not afraid. So I’m not afraid, but then again, for us women…yeah. We have to be afraid. We may not have access to contraception in this country. We may not have access to control our own bodies and so that’s where I–I’m a little fearful about that for my daughter, but I’m not afraid of change in this country, because I am that change! And people are going to tell you, oh my God, day in and day out–and that’s why I’m talking to you about this–that there is something terrible happening on our border. And you know what I’m going to tell you? I’m going to tell you the story that there is nothing to be afraid of. If we are to buy into this image that everything that is happening, and that immigrants and refugees are going to destroy our country, mi gente, our country would have been destroyed in the last 50 years. Crime has gone down in our country, not up. Unemployment has gone down in our country, not up. And so, don’t be afraid because you know, you think these stories of taking our children just started from the day that they first arrived in this land, and indigenous children were taken away, or when our dear Black African brothers and sisters–I actually say slavery is international corporatized government-supported human trafficking. And so, when I think about the fact that children have been taken, for a long time, and then it turns out that it actually almost happened to me. And you’re like, what? 

We came in 1962 by plane to meet my dad, who was at the University of Chicago, a genius from Tampico who helped to create the cochlear implant, because he had these big crazy dreams. And my mom, and my brothers and sister and I were on our way to meet my dad in Chicago. And when we arrived at the Dallas airport, with green cards, with privilege, the immigration agent, who was a very tall Texan, said that I had a rash and so he said to my mom, “Oh ma’am,” (sorry if there are any Texans here, I’m about to imitate a Texas accent) he said. “Well now ma’am, I’m very sorry. I see that you have your green cards, and you and your three other children are welcome to come into the United States. You can make your way out into Chicago, but I’m just gonna keep this baby girl of yours. We’re just going to keep her here in quarantine.” My mom, who was 5 feet tall, and who was not wearing the 6 inch heels like me, in that moment there was no way to fight or flee. So she did the only thing that she could in that moment: She used her voice. And she looked up at that super tall immigrant agent, and she said, “Sir! My name is Berta Hinojosa, and my husband is Dr. Raul Hinojosa, and he was invited by the University of Chicago to come to this country with our green cards, sir. You can call the president of the University of Chicago and tell them who I am and that I’m meeting my husband, because I am coming into this country, sir, WITH my four children!” And he said “Here’s your baby, ma’am, yes you are. Come on in.” 

Now the point of this story is, yeah, my mom is una chingona, is a badass, but I didn’t know this story until I was in my middle age. So, over your celebratory lunches today, please ask your parents and grandparents, “What is your story?” Because unless you were brought here during enslavement, or unless you were indigenous to this land, and if you are, thank you for being here, otherwise all of you–absolutely every single one of you, mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, tío, tía–you all have immigrant roots, so what are they? Can you get curious about this? What are the stories? Can you begin to understand that from immigrant families, when your families came here, let’s say from Italy or Ireland, they were hated by others who had come before, like the British and the French, right? And what has that hatred gotten us? Not much. So, be curious about why we are being fed images of fear constantly. 

Now, just a moment about arrogance and humility. I know all of you have egos, and you have big ones, because you got yourselves here. And this is no small feat, to get into a beautiful, elite college like Knox. But you need to balance that with humility, because the ego, if it’s too big, it will take you out. It will be the thing that takes you down. And let me tell you, I have–if you read my memoir, you’ll see–I’m very honest about having to deal with my own ego and crush it because it was destroying myself and my family. So, you destroy your ego by being humble. In real life, looking around you, and seeing all of the people and things that make you up. So, yeah you know this, the people around you with all of the similarities and differences from you, that you made it all through together. And you’re all from different backgrounds. Some of you are Latino, Latina, Latinx, Latiné, Black, African American, AAPI, indigenous, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, undocumented, queer, trans–you’re all here, right? You are ALL here! And there is nothing to be afraid of! You know this. 

Okay, so getting on to writing of this speech. Why is it hard? It’s because you don’t want to be listening anymore, it’s like time to say goodbye, right? So what I did last Saturday morning, first thing in the morning, as if I needed to work one more day–yes, I’m a Mexican immigrant so I’ve got 16 jobs, but I’m just like here we go, Saturday morning, I’ve got to work. Yes! Because you know that, we never say no to work, us immigrants. So what I did is I just woke up, and I did it. I dictated this speech. I started to talk to you because I knew that would be the only way that I could get through this. And to tell you stories! To tell you stories and leave you with just a few little tidbits. 

So by the way, one little piece of advice. When people told me, a decade ago when things were going not so well because of the ego and et cetera, and somebody told me I needed to meditate, and I was like please, give me a break. I’m an adrenaline junkie. I told them they were crazy, and then I was about to lose everything, and I started to meditate. So now I’ve been meditating for almost 10 years straight, you can watch my streak on instagram. But it’s not about the streak, it’s to inspire you, because I was that person who was like hell no! I’m never going to meditate. So try it! There’s so many apps, and you all have your phones first thing when you wake up, or even while you’re scrolling, put the meditation app on. Just have it there, and it will begin to be the thing that you just turn to, and even though you’re like this isn’t working, it is, in fact. Because another hard truth, my dear students, is that I know you think like “well, I may be confused now, I’m in my early 20s, but by the time I get to be 30 I’m going to figure it all out, or by the time I’m 40, it’ll definitely all be figured out. 50 I’m over the hill.” No, you’re not. Sorry to tell you, your parents are still figuring it out. Your grandparents are still figuring it out. We actually don’t have that five year strategic plan, and so when your parents get anxious about you and your future, it’s because they’re scared. But we know that there’s nothing to be afraid of, that you’ve got this. And remember, even though I’ve interviewed really cool people, like presidents and vice presidents, and a supreme court justice, people are like “What did you learn?” and actually, I’ve learned the most amazing life lessons from the people who are said to be powerless. The people who are invisible. They teach me the greatest lessons. 

Okay, last minute. So, maybe today, in your celebratory meals, apart from asking “So what is our arrival story?” and “Why should we be afraid of people arriving here since it’s just us, anyway, and all they have is dreams just like our ancestors have dreams?” So ask those questions but also, hopefully your parents can ask you “What is your craziest, wildest dream?” Like, say it out loud. Like, what is it? I mean, I couldn’t even say my crazy, wildest dream is I want to win a Pulitzer, because I never in my wildest dreams thought that I could win a Pulitzer. It happened! Crazy, wildest dream because I was once an actor, which is why I ended up in New York, is that I’m actually an actor in a major Hollywood film that you’ve probably all seen, and you’re going to go watch it again, which is In the Heights! That’s right! I’m in it as the protest leader! So what is your craziest, wildest dream? Say it! Say it to your mom and your dad or your moms and your dads, and your grandparents. Say it out loud because you have to believe in it! Because it’s possible. 

So congratulations to the class of 2024, who has lived through a pandemic, Black Lives Matter, the removal of women’s rights, the banning of books, you have been through it all. And I hold you in the highest esteem, because I know that you’re never going to forget everything that you have been through. And so the point of this story is, I was afraid of writing this speech, I just did it, and sometimes the things that you’re afraid of you just gotta go straight into it. So, did my fear and my anxiety actually serve anything? No. Made me sit down and actually do it. So don’t let your fear and anxiety take over you. We are being told to only live in our fear, reject that, mis queridos, y queridas, y queridés. It may be hard, but I believe in you, because you have shown us that you can do this. Muchas gracias, congratulations, have a beautiful day, and I love you! I’m so proud of you! Muchas, muchas gracias, thank you students!