During Bruce Springsteen's September 10th address the incoming freshmen students of his son Evan's alma mater, Boston University, he spoke primarily of passion and duty. “The Boss” was originally set to appear in person before the class of 2024 at B.C.'s First Year Academic Convocation, but due to the pandemic, he appeared online.
Springsteen underscored how the freshman were entering the adult world at a precarious time for Americans and offered up some sage — but simple — advice: “Vote, vote, vote. Only half of all Americans vote — it's a sin. Voting is an enormous privilege and one of our most sacred rights as citizens. You can change the course of history — the 2000 election was was decided by 500 votes, or less. We've recently seen how fragile our democracy can be. You stand sentry at the door of a free nation.”
He spoke about what this new class of academics need to leave behind in their wake: “We need your commitment. We need your vigilance and your commitment to a greater America; the America that we carry in our hearts. And the American experiment — as you are today — is an unfulfilled promise. The distance between the American dream and our American reality remains greater than ever. It will soon be in the hands of your generation to do your damnedest to make up and heal that divide. That's a lot to ask; but that's what it means — if you'll excuse me — to be born In the U.S.A.”