Well, the reality is a lot more complicated than that because for too many people in this country, no matter how hard they work, there are structural barriers working against them that just make the road longer and rockier. Follow whats happening in your city hall, your statehouse, Washington, D.C. When they ventured off base, the white sheriff here in town called them boy and ticketed them for the most minor offenses. I have learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs and values -- and follow my own moral compass -- then the only expectations I need to live up to are my own. Because no matter what happened, I had the peace of mind of knowing that all of the chatter, the name calling, the doubting -- all of it was just noise. There Is Nothing New Under the Sun Writing on the Wall Transcript of Michelle Obama s commencement address June 10th, 2015 - Michelle Obama returns to her South Side home to deliver the commencement bespoke.cityam.com 1 / 10 I'm so proud of you all. It deadens your spirit and it hardens your heart may seem like a winning strategy in the short run. Aniyah, thank you for. Now, the process of democracy might not always be as fast or as smooth as wed like. Thank you so much. (Applause.) You have developed that muscle. Love you all. No, not when many young people just like you -- the men and women we honor this Memorial Dayhave sacrificed their lives for your freedom to make your voice heard. Ask your friends, your family, ask everyone you see in your neighborhood. They act as if name-calling is an acceptable substitute for thoughtful debate, as if anger and intolerance should be our default state rather than the optimism and openness that have always been the engine of our progress. Youre here! And when he was up in the sky, Charles sometimes looked down to see black folks out in the cotton fields not far from here -- the same fields where decades before, their ancestors as slaves. And finally, most of all, I want to congratulate the Oberlin Class of 2015! Read Obama's inspiring commencement address to 2020's high school graduates. And get out and vote in every electionnot just the big national ones that get all the attention, but every single election. Recently . Surely their kids could go to school together. Well done. (Applause.) And the truth is, graduates, after four years of thoughtful, respectful discussion and debate here at Oberlinthose seminars where you explored new ideas together, those late-night conversations where you challenged each other and learned from each otherafter all of that, you might find yourself a little dismayed by the clamor outside these wallsthe name-calling, the negative ads, the folks yelling at each other on TV. (Applause.). What kind of person do you want to be? (Applause.) So Im here today because Im proud of you all. And Im here because of all of you. And if you think todays gridlock is bad, let me remind you that it was a good century between the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and the passage of the civil rights legislation of the 1960s. Her opponents declared that letting women vote was unnatural, would lead to child neglect and all kinds of social ills. Thank you so much. You have exceptional musical talent and intellectual enthusiasm.We have a place just for you. That means raising your hand when you get a seat in that board meeting and asking the question, well, whose voices arent being heard here? I am proud to have this degree -- very proud. Thank you. I want you all to stay true to the most real, most sincere, most authentic parts of yourselves. (Applause.) "Leave behind all the old ways of thinking that divide us: sexism, racial prejudice, status, greed," Obama said . Make sure the folks who represent you share your values and aspirations. For those of you who feel invisible, please know that your story matters, your ideas matter, your experiences matter, your vision for what our world can and should be matters. And many of you know what its like to live not just month to month or day to day, but meal to meal. I cant wait to see how high you soar. Barack Obama gave a speech in a HBCU virtual commencement, in which he criticized US leadership. It is such a -- you all, rest yourselves. (Applause. -- Below is the full text of Michelle Obama 's speech to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, July 25, 2016. And thats why, in his remarks 50 years ago, Dr. King urged the class of 65 to stand up and be a concerned generation. And, graduates, that call to action applies just as much to all of you today. I wish you the best of luck. We can do that all day. Michelle Obama actively used pathos in the commencement speech because her key message was that Spelman graduates needed not only to develop their personalities but also help others. I have so much faith in who you will be. Because talent and effort combined with our various backgrounds and life experiences has always been the lifeblood of our singular American genius. "As a child, my first doll was Malibu. In fact, I sometimes have that instinct myselfrun! Its okay if you dont understand exactly what youre feeling, were all sorting through this in real time. (Applause.) But I also worked to ensure that my efforts would resonate with kids and families -- and that meant doing things in a creative and unconventional way. Become a freelancer and work on your own terms. Obama grew up near the school, and during her emotional commencement address, she said she wanted to share "the real story" about the South Side, a story about resilience and courage in the face of . Transcribe Your Own Content Try Rev for free and save time transcribing, captioning, and subtitling. You might be tempted to just recreate what you had here at Oberlinto find a community of like-minded folks and work with them on causes you care about, and just tune out all of the noise. (Applause.) And you have as much responsibility and just as much power to wake up and play your part in our great American story. (Applause.) And in so many ways, that never-failing miracle -- the constant work to rise above the bumps in our path to greater freedom for our brothers and sisters -- that has always been the story of African Americans here at Tuskegee. (Applause. Youll experience illnesses and losses, crises and setbacks that will come out of nowhere and knock you off your feet. I am so proud to honor these American heroes todayand every dayfor their extraordinary service to our nation. Would I be more like Laura Bush, or Hillary Clinton, or Nancy Reagan? Michelle Obama: (11:51) (Applause.) It made me wonder, just how are people seeing me. See, that blue-collar job helped to pay the small portion of my college tuition that wasnt covered by loans or grants or my work-study or my summer jobs. Finally, graduates, our greatness has never, ever come from sitting back and feeling entitled to what we have. All right? Ive seen you speaking out in gun violence and fight climate change. They were leading civil rights marches and sit-ins, organizing exchange programs with historically black colleges and universities, and so much more. That leads me to my second lesson, in an uncertain world time tested values like honesty and integrity, empathy and compassion. Let me just say a few thank yous. Whoa. Build great lives for yourselves. At the White House we have all kinds of ways. You know, it's hard to believe that it has been eight years since I first came to this convention to talk with you about why I thought my husband should be President. Thank you all. I want you to be safe and I cant wait to see you take the reins. Photo: AP. They sat down with leaders they disagreed with because they knew that if they wanted their vision to be made real, it needed to be made law. It is an honor to be here with you to help celebrate this amazing milestone in your lives. We will be there with you every step of the way. If you cant even approach the police without fearing for your life. You all, I mean, this has been the most fun I think I've had at a commencement ever. In that speech, Michelle said Maya's poem, "Phenomenal Woman," "spoke to the essence of black women." "As a young woman, I needed that message," she said. No, really, who am I? I cant wait to see what you all achieve in the years ahead. I mean, weve talked about it -- Antonios, Im going to talk a little bit about diversity, thank you. Maybe they dont even want to see you at all, but those people dont know your story. Its up to you to march hand in hand with your allies to stand peacefully with dignity and purpose on the front lines, in the fight for justice. Be great. Now, yeah, it was satire, but if Im really being honest, it knocked me back a bit. I dont think so. MRS. OBAMA: Thank you all. What Michelle Obama's commencement speech at the Santa Fe Indian School says about the importance of self-determination in education. Back when my husband first started campaigning for President, folks had all sorts of questions of me: What kind of First Lady would I be? Because here is the truth -- if you want to have a say in your community, if you truly want the power to control your own destiny, then youve got to be involved. Let me just say a few thank yous. I asked folks across the country to wear their alma maters T-shirts for College Signing Day. MRS. OBAMA: Wow! (Laughter.). Former First Lady Michelle Obama gave a commencement address online to the graduating class of 2020. (Applause.) (Laughter.). Speech-to-Text live streaming for live captions, powered by the worlds leading speech recognition API. Heres the thing, you have the opportunity to learn these valuable lessons faster than the generations before you. So graduates, I hope that what youre going through right now can be your wake up call that it pushes you, not just to think about what kind of career you want to build. Michelle Obama: (01:41) Michelle Obama calls for sticking to the personal individuality. Are you sure? The Best Commencement Speeches, Ever Looking for some new words of wisdom? (Applause.). Speech Michelle Obama, the former first lady, was the keynote speaker on the first night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Generation after generation, students here have shown that same grit, that same resilience to soar past obstacles and outrages -- past the threat of countryside lynchings; past the humiliation of Jim Crow; past the turmoil of the Civil Rights era. See, he never wanted me to miss a registration deadline because his check was late. FDRs plan for Social Security was called socialist, a fraud on the workingman. One opponent even stated that it would end the progress of a great country. So that debate was pretty contentious, too. Let me start, of course, by thanking President Coico for that wonderful introduction, for her leadership here at City College, for this honorary degree. But heres the thing -- our history provides us with a better story, a better blueprint for how we can win. God bless you, graduates. Over these past couple of months, our foundation has been shaken, not just by a pandemic that stole too many of our loved ones, up ended our daily lives and sent tens of millions into unemployment. Former President Barack Obama spoke Saturday at "Graduate Together: High School Class of 2020 Commencement," an event organized by XQ Institute, a think tank that works with schools, in. Think about how just 10 years ago, gay marriage was legal in just one state in this countryjust oneand today, it is legal in 37 states and Washington, D.C. 1. (Applause.) T-U! As he mentioned, my office did this wonderful competition to highlight colleges that are helping underserved young people graduate from high school and then go on to higher education. ), I want to recognize Major General Williams; Congresswoman Sewell; Zachary; Kalauna; to all of the trustees, the faculty, the staff here at Tuskegee University. Like I said before, I dont have any easy answers for you, but I do have some lessons I want to share about how to move forward in these tumultuous times. (Applause.) The obligation to use the opportunities youve had to help others. Because while weve come so far, the truth is that those age-old problems are stubborn and they havent fully gone away. Despite . I wanted to be here to celebrate all of you, this school, this city. It can make you feel like your life somehow doesnt matter -- that youre like the invisible man that Tuskegee grad Ralph Ellison wrote about all those years ago. A RESTful API to access Revs workforce of fast, high quality transcriptionists and captioners. So Booker T. Washington pawned his pocket watch to buy a kiln, and students used their bare hands to make bricks to build that dorm -- and a few other buildings along the way. If my generation did trust me, wed have fixed the whole of this long time ago, but that doesnt mean we should feel hopeless. And even after my father was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and he struggled to walk, relying on crutches just to get himself out of bed each morning, my father hardly ever missed a day of work. To celebrate the graduates whose final years of school have been upended, former first lady Michelle Obama and former president Barack Obama are taking part in a YouTube special. Michelle Obama's CCNY Commencement Speech - OUT LINE Prompt: How do Michelle Obama's rhetorical choices within her speech affect the overall message? ), Are you planning to rally for marriage equality on the steps of the Supreme Court? (Applause.) And Im not going to lie to youfor many of you, this is going to be a pretty big transition. In tones both aspirational and political, Michelle Obama on Friday used her last commencement address as first lady to salute graduates of the City College of New York as "living, breathing. (Applause.) But, graduates, I can tell you, as First Lady, I have had the privilege of traveling around the world and visiting dozens of different countries, and I have seen what happens when ideas like these take hold. And the first thing we have to do is vote. Thank you so much. King's Arkansas speech came a year after federal troops protected nine black students attending all-white Little Rock Central High School. What ideas are we missing? So there will be times, just like for those Airmen, when you feel like folks look right past you, or they see just a fraction of who you really are. Just look around. (Applause.). Was he thrilled about that? Just look at the story of Oberlin College. They went on to show the world that if black folks and white folks could fight together, and fly together, then surely -- surely -- they could eat at a lunch counter together. It was necessary to motivate students to take actions appealing to their emotions. Just the opposite, because what we finally do have is focus. First Lady Michelle Obama addresses the class of 2015. (Applause.) Section 107, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. (Applause.) YouTube Michelle also explained how to channel anger for good. Those Airmen who rose above brutal discrimination -- they did it so the whole world could see just how high black folks could soar. (Applause. And finally, think about how even with all the gridlock and polarization in Washington, we have made so much change these past six years: 12 million new jobs. So throughout this journey, I have learned to block everything out and focus on my truth. Graduates, anger is a powerful force. Look at you! Translated on-screen subtitles for videos. Folks like Lucy Stone and FDR, they didnt get caught up in their egos or their ideology. Thats it; that's the way we move forward. Every time we look at our phones or hear helicopters circling our neighborhoods. And its the story of my family, too. I really dont want to follow those two. Check out our hand-picked selection of commencement addresses, going back to 1774. Just keep working hard and keep the faith. But, as potentially the first African American First Lady, I was also the focus of another set of questions and speculations; conversations sometimes rooted in the fears and misperceptions of others. But just like all those folks who came before us, youve got to do something to lay the groundwork for future generations. (Applause.) Ive seen you marching with peace and with purpose and that is why even in tough times like these, you continue to be what gives me hope. It needed to be voiced, not just on the streets, but in the halls of power. Better yet, run for office yourself. The following is a White House transcript of first lady Michelle Obama 's speech to George Washington University graduates on Sunday . Her moral leadership on behalf of children in this country has inspired me throughout my career, as well as my husband, the President of the United States. The website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work. ), I also want to take a moment on this Memorial Day to pay tribute to all of the brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives so that we could sit here today, at peace, with rights and freedoms that others around the world can only dream of. Thank you -- thank you so much for this warm welcome, this tremendous hospitality. Youve got it. First lady Michelle Obama addressed a crowd of graduates and their families at the 2015 commencement ceremony at Tuskegee University, in Alabama, describing her personal battle with . Very proud. Michelle Obama Commencement Speech Transcript 2020, Congressional Testimony & Hearing Transcripts. If we dont agree with every last bit of their approach. No, were all in this together. If were only willing to do whats easiest, weve got to make hard choices and sacrifices in our own lives. 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