Celebrating our commencement at a neighborhood landmark underscores CUNY SPH’s commitment to our Harlem community.
Last June, CUNY SPH held its inaugural commencement ceremony at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem, celebrating master’s and doctoral graduates from the Class of 2017, as well as from the Fall Class of 2016.
The School presented Chirlane McCray, First Lady of New York City, with an honorary Doctor of Science in Public Health degree in recognition of her leadership of ThriveNYC, a comprehensive mental health plan for New York City. Her husband, Mayor Bill de Blasio, made a surprise appearance onstage to present her with a bouquet of flowers to commemorate her honorary degree.
Dr. Mary Bassett, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, was honored with the Champion of Public Health Award for her transformational work in addressing population health in New York City.
Linda Sarsour, co-organizer of the National Women’s March and former executive director of the Arab American Association of New York, delivered the keynote speech, in which she called upon the graduates to denounce sexism, violence, discrimination, racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-semitism, and homophobia.
“We in this room together must commit to never being bystanders to poverty, lack of jobs and healthcare,” Sarsour said. “We will stand up, we will speak truth to power no matter the consequences, we will demand change, we will center those most directly impacted because they, we, who are closest to the pain are also closest to the solution.”
Keynote speaker Linda Sarsour; Dean Ayman El-Mohandes with Champion of Public Health awardee NYC Health Commissioner Mary Bassett; NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio surprises his wife—honorary doctoral awardee Chirlane McCray—with flowers.
Sarsour went on to emphasize the importance of social justice and recognized the intersectionality of the practice of public health.
“We know that we can’t talk about economic justice without talking about racial justice, and we can’t talk about racial justice without talking about reproductive rights, or immigration reform, or environmental justice. There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives,” she said, quoting Audre Lorde.
Sarsour made an impassioned plea to graduates to act in their capacity as future public health practitioners, to address the suffering of those without a voice.
“I truly believe that dissent is the highest form of patriotism, that silence is an endorsement of the status quo and makes us complicit in the suffering of the most marginalized amongst us,” she said. “We must stay righteously outraged. We must never feel despair or complacency or submit to the idea that this is just how it is.”
Sarsour concluded by pledging to stand against injustice and suffering everywhere.
“I will be righteously outraged every day until we are all treated with dignity and respect, and we are all free in every part of this world; because when one of us is not free, none of us are free,” she said. “I will be righteously outraged and I will make sure to contribute something every day to alleviating suffering and pain in my midst.”
Following Sarsour’s address, Bassett led the graduates in the recitation of the public health pledge, in which graduates vowed to “safeguard human and environmental health through prevention, protection, promotion, and educational efforts.”
The CUNY SPH Dean, Ayman El-Mohandes closed the ceremony by inviting the graduates to turn their cell phones on and take a selfie.
“No one can take this moment away from you. It is yours, and yours only,” El-Mohandes reminded the graduates. “When bad times come, pull out that selfie and look at it. It is the flag that you have planted at the peak of Mount Everest. Congratulations! Go in peace.”
