Civil rights attorney Ben Crump delivers inspirational speech at NCCU graduation

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Civil rights attorney Ben Crump delivered an impassioned, inspirational message to North Carolina Central University's Class of 2023: "Lift as you climb, and never forget where you came from."

"Education is of no value if we keep it amongst the educated. You gotta take this education back to your 'hood. Back to your homeboys, back to your homegirls. Back to your cousins. You gotta take it, and you gotta share it with them," Crump said speaking in the fiery cadence of a preacher in the pulpit.

That's a message understood by graduate Jesse White.

"My mother passed on my 16th birthday, which created a very tumultuous time in my life as a high school student. Went from there to feeling very inadequate, feeling dismayed," He said.

White lived in Tennessee at the time, and took community college courses in Nashville before accepting a job assisting with the Early College program at Central. Now as he celebrates earning his mass communications degree at central, he's thankful for the support from his academic community.

"They took care of me, exposed me to opportunities that would improve my future. I'm just overjoyed," White said. "They owe me nothing."

Another member of the NCCU Class of '23 is Netanya Dennis, a psychology and chemistry student who is the first NCCU graduate to attend Yale's Interdisciplinary Neuroscience program this fall. For her, support from her advisors made all the difference.

"Writing my letters, and giving me the proper opportunities to actually make myself available and interesting enough to apply to Yale," said Dennis. "I love you guys You guys did so much for me, you made me who I am today. And I will definitely return for homecoming and other events in the future."

NCCU is counting on that kind of enthusiastic support.

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