As she surveyed members of the graduating class of Notre Dame de Namur University, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi told them they are entering a world “calling for their leadership” at a time when American democracy is enduring attacks on the rule of law, free and fair elections, and judicial independence.
The moment echoes similar challenges in America’s history, she said, recalling the challenges the founders faced battling Britain and its superior navy, or Abraham Lincoln’s role in saving the union.
“You must be the patriots of our time,” she said. “That means not just holding onto the rights and freedoms that fellow Americans have fought for, but refusing to surrender the courageous spirit that inspired them.”…