Now, the process of democracy might not always be as fast or as smooth as wed like. Lucretia Mott, Cesar Chavez, the folks at Stonewall, they were all angry, but those folks were also driven by compassion, by principle, by hope. Remarks by the First Lady of the United States. What kind of person do you want to be? This is a time in your life when it feels like everything is turned upside down and perhaps youre wishing that things could just go back to the way they were. So I just want to take it all in. Patrick meehan would sign of michelle obama signed. This is a transcript of Michelle Obama's Commencement Address at King College Prep High School from 2015. So I just want to take it all in. And if you rise above the noise and the pressures that surround you, if you stay true to who you are and where you come from, if you have faith in Gods plan for you, then you will keep fulfilling your duty to people all across this country. And my husband and I know how frustrating that experience can be. (Laughter.) Theyre rooted in decades of structural challenges that have made too many folks feel frustrated and invisible. Or when they helped you with a question that you couldnt have possibly answered on your own. "Over the past couple of months, our foundation has been shaken," It is beyond a pleasure and an honor for me to be here with all of you today. (Applause.) And thats, as the President said, why Im here today. Surely their kids could go to school together. The student-led initiative to have her speak included a YouTube video, Facebook campaign and more than 900 Valentine's Day cards. (Applause.) ), And of course, let us not forget Elizabeth Aklilu for her amazing performance of the National Anthem earlier today. Barack Obama gave a speech in a HBCU virtual commencement, in which he criticized US leadership. Apple executive Lisa Jackson will give the keynote Commencement address; scientist Joanne Chory and broadcast journalist Robert Krulwich 69 will also receive honorary degrees. And I know that these days, that can seem counterintuitive, because we live in such an instantaneous age. Spencer Platt / Getty Images. If you listen to them, then nothing will ever change. They even threw prayer books at her as she tried to speak. And of all the women at the Seneca Falls womens suffrage convention in 1848, just one lived to see women cast their votes. So for those Airmen, the act of flying itself was a symbol of liberation for themselves and for all African Americans. He kept fulfilling his double duty long after he hung up his uniform. God bless you, graduates. But these were my choices, my issues. Or consider the story of the former CEO of Intel, Andrew Grove, class of 1960. Read the full transcript of her speech here. (Applause.) Beyonc delivered a special message to graduates during YouTube's Dear Class of 2020 broadcast. Oberlin is likely the only college in America that I could have attended nearly two centuries ago, and I am honored to be part of the extraordinary legacy of this great institution. As the annual blitz of commencement speeches get underway, CNN highlights some of the most memorable from years past. They had every material possession a college kid could want - cars, computers, spending money. 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. But when some of them got their first bad grade, they just fell apart. Graduates this is how you can finish the work that the generations before you have started, by staying open and hopeful, even in the tough times. I also want to recognize Senator Schumer, Chancellor Milliken, Trustee Shorter, Edward Plotkin, as well as your amazing valedictorian, Antonios Mourdoukoutas -- did I get it right? For others, it was the notion that Obama's speech, tied to the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. . Sometimes its easy to stand with strangers that are protests than it is to challenge someone in your own backyard. (Applause.) So I immersed myself in the policy details. Instead, after he left the Army, he finished his education. Michelle Obama gave a powerful commencement address to the high school and college graduates in the class of 2020. Let me just take it in. (Applause.) Read the latest blog posts from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Check out the most popular infographics and videos, View the photo of the day and other galleries, Tune in to White House events and statements as they happen, See the lineup of artists and performers at the White House, Eisenhower Executive Office Building Tour. Transcript of First Lady Michelle Obama's Commencement Address May 25, 2015 Communications Staff For immediate release May 25, 2015 Remarks by the First Lady of the United States 11:05 A.M. EDT MRS. OBAMA: Hi! And thats completely understandable. Graduates, you all are exactly what we need right now and for the years and decades to come, youre learning so much so quickly. First Lady Michelle Obama Commencement Speech 2015 click for pdf [AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio] Thank you all. (Laughter.) You are the living, breathing proof that the American Dream endures in our time. Just keep working hard and keep the faith. And, graduates, thats what we need from all of you. Michelle Obama: (01:02) Every elected official who represents you, from dog catcher all the way to President of the United Statesthey are your concern. That is how you will have a meaningful journey on those clamorous highways of life. By channeling that discomfort you feel into activism and a democracy that was designed to respond to those who vote. Discover why Rev is the #1 speech-to-text service in the world. (Applause.). Not just when my husband or somebody you like is on the ballot. Michelle Obama: (06:00) And, graduates, you all have faced challenges far greater than anything I or my family have ever experienced, challenges that most college students could never even imagine. Read more. (Applause.) And then they went on to become scientists, engineers, nurses and teachers in communities all across the country -- and continued to lift others up along the way. There is no substitute for it. This is it. So graduates, it is your time now and look, our democracy isnt perfect. Youre here! But also by the rumbling of the age old fault lines that our country was built on the lines of race and power that are now once again. Let me tell you it is a pleasure and an honor -- yes, Chicago -- (laughter and applause) -- to be with all of you today. Former President Barack Obama gave the virtual commencement address at a ceremony for graduates of historically black colleges and universities on Saturday. Not when women still make less than men for the same work. MRS. OBAMA: Thank you all. In fact, I sometimes have that instinct myselfrun! The world wont always see you in those caps and gowns. That is how you will do your part to live up to the oath that you all will take here today - the oath taken by generations of graduates before you to make your city and your world greater, better, and more beautiful.. It will be hard. May 16, 2020 at 9:59 p.m. EDT. Because they knew it wasnt enough to welcome women and African American students to Oberlin if they would only graduate in four years to be second-class citizens in their own country. I am proud to have this degree -- very proud. And its the story of my family, too. Michelle Obama: (09:57) Thats the only real currency in life. (Applause.) Ive seen you gathering donations for those in need during this pandemic. They did it so that others could follow them and learn on this campus, too. Because right now, all that superficial stuff of titles and positions, all of that has been stripped away. 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. 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. First Lady Michelle Obama delivered one of her final commencement speeches to the Santa Fe Indian School Thursday. The vibrancy that comes from a diversity of ideas and perspectives, the chance to leave this world a little better than you found it. Former First Lady Michelle Obama gave a commencement address online to the graduating class of 2020. ), And, graduates, I think we should give another shout-out to your families, of course, all the families. He said " this pandemic has fully finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they're doing .". So really, it is no accident that this institution has produced 10 Nobel Prize winners -- (applause) -- along with countless captains of industry, cultural icons, leaders at the highest levels of government. (Applause.) Yet when they hit the ground, folks treated them like they were nobody -- as if their very existence meant nothing. Look at where were gathered today. See, that is how you will rise above the noise and shape the revolutions of your time. Now, Im not naive. (Applause.) But when anger is focused, when its channeled into something more, oh, that is the stuff that changes history. No, of course not. 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. And you have as much responsibility and just as much power to wake up and play your part in our great American story. Let me start, of course, by thanking President Coico for that wonderful introduction, for her leadership here at City College, for this honorary degree. May 11, 2015. (Applause.) 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