Donna Brazile Talks "Life, Goals and Future"
Political analyst and strategist Donna Brazile discussed the merits of and need for education during a presentation held on Monday (March 28) in McAlister Auditorium. She was invited to speak as part of the Tulane Black Student Union's annual Black Arts Festival.
“We must make sure that education is on everyone's list,” says political strategist Donna Brazile during her visit to Tulane on Monday (March 28). (Photo by Sally Asher)
“The ripple effects of education and income don't stop,” Brazile told her audience. “They touch our lives and our communities. They reach our hopes, our dreams and definitely our reality.”
Brazile said that through interacting with both those who have and have not had the benefit of higher education, she has seen the extent to which an education can influence a person's outlook on life and ultimately shape the type of citizen they become.
“The benefits and burdens of society should not depend on what we look like or where we come from,” says Brazile. “We must make sure that education is on everyone's list, not just those who are at the top.”
Drawing from her professional experience, she lightheartedly gave an example of how one can never know how his or her education may be of benefit in the future. Noting how she was once required to learn all the state capitals, she said, “For me that has come in handy as I have put together [political] campaigns all across the country, 48 states to be exact.”
Brazile has worked on every presidential campaign from 1976 through 2000, when she served as campaign manager for former Vice President Al Gore.
In closing her speech, Brazile provided a list of recommendations that outlined what the mindset of the black college student should be. In suggesting that students should become advocates for education, she offered this piece of advice: “Where you start off in life should not determine where you end up.”
The topic of her speech was “Finding Ourselves: The Direction of the Black Academic.”
