Over the weekend presidential candidate Barack Obama, standing in for Senator Edward Kennedy, gave the Wesleyan University Commencement address and urged graduates to devote themselves to public service. Senator Obama stated that serving abroad is especially important "at a time when our security and moral standing depends on winning hearts and minds in the forgotten corners of the world" and vowed to double the Peace Corps over the next few years if elected President. He specifically pointed to the one hundred and sixty-four Wesleyan graduates who have joined the Peace Corps since 2001 as examples of people who, by dedicating themselves to serving abroad, are "writing the next great chapter in America's story." He called attention in particular to two members of the class of 2008 who are headed to Kenya to bring alternative energy sources to impoverished areas.
Senator Obama emphasized that his speech was inspired by the dedication to public service of Senator Kennedy and his family. He referenced how Ted's brother, President John F. Kennedy, "called a generation of Americans to ask their country what they could do" in part by fostering service abroad through the Peace Corps. An article in the Huffington Post highlights the connections Obama drew to the Peace Corps and the Kennedy legacy.
The video of Obama's May 25, 2008 speech can be seen here.
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