Legend anticipates the objection he knows some graduates are thinking: 'Why is he bringing us down on our graduation day?' He's heard calls to 'shut up and sing' for his entire career. His response is to quote North Carolina native Nina Simone — 'It is an artist's duty to reflect the times in which we live' — and then extend it to every profession in the audience. The expansion is the point: reflecting on injustice and working to address it isn't a special obligation of artists or activists. It belongs to everyone. By listing professions from banker to plumber to mom, Legend demolishes the idea that civic engagement is someone else's job.