Commencement Speaker at Caribbean Maritime University in Jamaica

Your Excellencies, Ladies & Gentlemen, and Graduating Cadets –

I thank you for this great honor to address this fine group of graduating men and women who are set to sail forth and change the world. I am particularly pleased to represent the American Caribbean Maritime Foundation in New York and bring you greetings and warm regards from them today.

I am particularly honored to be here today as I head a foundation whose mission is to support young global leadership. To assist youth working to better humanity who embody the characteristics of honor, intelligence, benevolence, and integrity.

Your accomplishment here as graduating cadets of the Caribbean Maritime University put you at the forefront of young maritime leadership. Your accomplishment here today illustrates that you embody these very characteristics: honor, intelligence, benevolence, and integrity.

As you see in the news, authoritarian governments are gaining strength around the world. Human rights and our free seas are under threat. Climate change, xenophobia, and racial and secular violence menace humanity. We are being told to fear each other more than love each other.

The seas of hatred and divisiveness are rougher than usual. Tariffs, trade wars, and extremism make the world more dangerous with each passing day.

You, my friends, are the only anecdote I can think of to this poisoned mindset.

You, our next generation, must build bridges instead of wall, to sail unimpeded around the world, bringing us together and not apart.

You stand here proud today, and I charge you to stand on the bridge tomorrow as a stand for humanity and what is possible. On what unites us and not what divides us.

We as your elders gathered here with you today – respected public officials, professors, administrators, your parents, aunts and uncles  – have decades of experience and wisdom over you. You have, however, what we lack: Youth.

We therefore pass on the torch of freedom of the high seas, freedom of commerce, freedom of human rights to the next generation – we pass on the torch the graduating cadets of the Caribbean Maritime University.

A ship in harbor is safe, my friends, but as you know more than anyone, this is not what ships were built for. Cadets, today we salute you! We count on you. We depend on you. To better humanity. Sail forth!