THE FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEE
A Convocational Address Given by Dr. Samuel P. Massie
One of the most interesting insects in our animal kingdom is the bumblebee. As one looks at his body, one notes that he has a wide body, but short wings, and by all of the laws of physics and thermodynamics, the bumblebee cannot fly. But you see, the bumblebee has never had physics, so he does not know that, and he flies all over the place. And so my young friends, as I congratulate you on your academic and other achievements, I wish to take you on a trip, and share with you some thoughts on "The Flight of the Bumblebee" -- reaching goals that others think impossible. For many of you will be told, "you can't do that, you're black or poor or have other limitations, and black people don't do this." But because you're bumblebees, you don't accept these limitations, and you carry your life to great heights.
"Somebody said that it couldn't be done, but he with a
chuckle replied,
That maybe it couldn't, but he'd be one, who wouldn't say so until
he tried,
So he took off his coat with a bit of a grin, and he started to
sing,
As he tackled the thing that couldn't be done, and he did it."
This month's issues of Ebony carried two stories of great interest. The first of these is the story of a young man from Lake City, South Carolina. Now there's nothing much in Lake City. This young man wanted to go further, so he left South Carolina, and went to North Carolina and A.&T. University. He said, "I'd like to major in physics." Did you have physics in high school, he was asked. No, they didn't teach physics at the black school in Lake City, he replied. Well, Ron, we don't know whether you can do it or not. But Ron McNair was a bumblebee, who did not know that black boys from Lake City, South Carolina should not study physics. And so, he graduated from A.&T. University with honors, with a major in physics.
What then should he do with his life? Someone said, why not go to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology? Ron McNair thought, I can't even spell it, how can I succeed there? But he went there, and he did so well that he became one of the few black scholars to receive a Ph.D. in physics from M.I.T.
Next he went to California, and he heard about a wonderful program, called the astronaut program, where men and women would fly into space, out of the earth, and even to the moon. So Ron said, I'd like to be an astronaut. However, he was reminded that there are no black astronauts, "you're a bumblebee, and everyone knows that bumblebees don't fly." But Ron McNair paid no attention, he went on, and he became an astronaut, the second black into space. He made one flight, and as we all know tragically, we lost him on the second trip. We lost his body, but we shall never lose his spirit. No matter where you're from, the town can't be much smaller than Lake City, SC. You can be a bumblebee, you can fly -- remember Ron McNair, who did not know that black boys from South Carolina were not supposed to fly.
The second story describes a young black girl from California who is a premedical student at Stanford University -- quite an achievement in itself. But she also wanted to be a figure skater. Now everyone knows Sonja Heine, Peggy Fleming, or Dorothy Hamill, all great figure skaters, but there was only Tia Bablonia in figure skating, and she was not in school. So when Debi Thomas wanted to figure skate she was told, "you're a black woman, and black women don't skate. Be satisfied with your medicine" but Debi Thomas didn't know that, and you know what? In March 1986, she won the U.S. figure skating championship, and in April, she became the figure skating champion of the world -- a black woman who did not know that she could not be a premed student and a world champion figure skater.
I read a book the other day, Adventures in Faith. It told the story of a black preacher born into slavery who came to a city in Southern Virginia named Lawrenceville, and he thought, "there should be a college here where black children could be taught." Everyone said, "James Solomon Russell, you can't teach blacks to go to college. They're just out of slavery. Teach them to plow, to cook and to sew -- something productive. After all, they're black, they do not need college." But James Solomon Russell was a bumblebee, who did not know that you should not establish a college in Lawrenceville. And so he founded St. Paul's College, and you today are heirs to his wisdom and courage.
But this is not surprising to those of us who are biblical students, for we have read the story of a young carpenter from Nazareth who wanted to preach. But as told in St. John 1:46, Nathaniel echoed the feelings of many when he asked: "can there be any good thing come out of Nazareth?" But Jesus did not know that because he was from Nazareth he was incapable of teaching. He became the Savior of our world -- he changed the course of history -- a bumblebee who did not know that he could not fly.
And now I go to Alabama in late 1910. They were holding a congressional hearing on tariffs and peanuts. Someone said, "there's a black professor at Tuskegee who has been studying peanuts. Let's ask him some questions." Others scoffed -- a black man from Alabama, what can he know about peanuts that would be important? If we must listen to him, put him at the end of the day, so we can walk out. Give him five minutes. So they invited George Washington Carver -- and he talked about what the Lord had revealed to him about the peanut, and five minutes became ten, and twenty, and then an hour. They sat stunned and fascinated. And George Washington Carver -- a black professor traded for a mule as a child -- who did not know that he was not supposed to know anything about peanuts and sweet potatoes -- changed the economy of a nation -- a bumblebee who was not supposed to fly.
Now we go to California again. A young black student, Paul R. Williams wanted to be an architect, but black men were not supposed to be architects. So Paul learned to draw upside down. Clients were fascinated by this skills, but guess what? When he had finished, his drawings were the best plans available. And thus, Paul R. Williams, a black man who was not supposed to be an architect, became one of the greatest -- he overcame his handicaps -- by learning to draw upside down, a bumblebee who was not supposed to fly.
Let us return to Alabama -- this time to a small farm near the Alabama-Georgia line -- a girl was born to parents who did not complete the sixth grade. She wanted to be a chemical engineer. Everyone said, "Jennie Patrick went first to Tuskegee, then received an undergraduate degree from Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from M.I.T." -- at the old age of her late twenties. And when you drive down Interstate 95 past Richmond, you pass the Philip Morris Laboratories where Jennie Patrick is an engineering leader -- a black woman who did not know that she was not supposed to be a chemical engineer.
Those of us who watch 60 Minutes saw the story of Arthur Mitchell -- a black man who wanted to be a ballet dancer. Now black men were not supposed to be ballet dancers. The Lindy Hop, the twist, yes -- ballet, no. So Arthur Mitchell had to go to Europe to receive the recognition he deserved. And when he returned, he thought, "there must be other young black youth who also want to ballet dance." Again everyone said, "teach black kids ballet dancing, don't be stupid. They can jitterbug, but ballet -- no." But Arthur Mitchell ignored his critics, founded the Dance Company of Harlem, and today, one of the outstanding dance groups in America and the world is -- The Dance Company of Harlem -- all because bumblebee Arthur Mitchell did not know that black men and women were not supposed to be ballet dancers.
I could give many other examples, I only wish to give one more. Recently I attended the memorial celebration, not a funeral, of one of my closest friends, the late H. Carl Moultrie, chief judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The interesting fact about Carl's life is that he didn't finish law school until he was 41 years old. Everyone said, Carl, you're too old, forget it, it's too late to start over. If you haven't decided by now, what chance do you have against the younger lawyers? But Carl wanted to be a lawyer, so he went to law school at night, and graduated at age 41. He became a good lawyer, so that in 1972, President Nixon appointed him to be a Superior Court Judge. And in 1978, when they needed a Chief Justice, he became the first black Chief Justice. A position he held until his death -- a bumblebee who did not know that he was not supposed to fly.
"If you think you're beaten you are, you've got to think high to rise
You've got to be sure of yourself, before you can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or swifter man.
But sooner or later, the one who wins, is the one who thinks he can."
It would not be fair to tell you to go out into the world and fly, without giving you some directions for flying. And so I wish to suggest ten pointers as you fly.
" I have to live with myself, and
so, I want to be fit for myself to know.
I want to be able as the days go by, always to look myself straight
in the eye
I don't want to stand with the setting sun, and hate myself
For the things I've done."
These, my friends are some thoughts on "The Flight of the Bumblebee." I'd like to close with one of my favorite poems, Langston Hughes' "Mother to Son."
"Well, Son, I tell you, life for me aint been no crystal stair.
Its been hard and bare and rough places on the floor,
But all the while I'se been climbing, and going forth
In the dark, cause there ain't been no light.
So dont you sit down cause its kinds hard,
Dont you quit because its rough
Cause you see, I'se still climbing
And life for me aint been no crystal stair."
And so my bumblebee friends, in the words of Robert Frost, "we have miles and miles to go before we sleep." So fly bumblebees fly, and may the grace of God go with you.