2020年奥巴马HBCUs毕业演讲稿

2020

年奥巴马

HBCUs

< br>毕业演讲

Hi,

everybody.

Congratulations

to

HBCU

class

of

2020.

Michelle

and

I

are

so

proud of you.

Graduating from college is a big achievement under any circumstances. And so

many of you overcame a lot to get here. You navigated challenging classes, and

challenges outside the classroom. Many of you had to stretch to afford tuition.

And some of you are the first in your families to reach this milestone.

So even if half of this semester was spent at Zoom University, you’ve earned

this moment. You should be very proud. Everybody who supported you along

the way is proud of you

–

parents, grandparents, professors, mentors, aunties,

uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins, second cousins, and cousins who you aren’t

even sure are cousins. Show them some gratitude today.

Now look, I know this isn’t the commencement any of you really imagined.

Because

while

our

HBCUs

are

mostly

known

for

an

education

rooted

in

academic rigor, community, and higher purpose

–

they also know how to turn

up.

Nobody

shines

quite

like

a

senior

on

the

yard

in

springtime.

Springfest

at

schools like Howard and Morehouse is the time when you get to strut your stuff

a little bit. And I know that in normal times, rivals like Grambling and Southern,

Jackson

State

and

Tennessee

State,

might

raise

some

eyebrows

at

sharing

a

graduation ceremony.

But these aren’t normal times. You’re being asked to find your way in the

world in the middle of a devastating pandemic and terrible recession. The timing

is

not

ideal.

And

let’s

be

honest

–

a

disease

like

this

just

spotlights

the

underlying

inequalities

and

extra

burdens

that

black

communities

have

historically had to deal with in this country.

We see it in the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on our communities, just

as we see it when a black man goes for a jog, and some folks feel like they can

stop and question and shoot him if he doesn’t submit to their questioning.

Injustice like this isn’t new. What is new is that so much of your generation has

woken up to the fact that the status quo needs fixing; that the old ways of doing

things

don’t

work;

that

it

doesn’t

matter

how

much

money

you

make

if

everyone around you is hungry and sick; and that our society and democracy

only works when we think not just about ourselves, but about each other.

More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the

idea that the folks in charge know what they’re doing. A lot of them aren’t

even pretending to be in charge.

If the world’s going to get better, it’s going to be up to you. With ev

erything

suddenly feeling like up for grabs, this is your time to seize the initiative. Nobody

can tell you anymore that you should be waiting your turn. Nobody can tell you

anymore “this is how it’s always been done.” More than ever, this is your

moment

–

your generation’s world to shape.

In taking on this responsibility, I hope you are bold. I hope you have a vision

that isn’t clouded by cynicism or fear. As young African Americans, you’ve