In fact, I sometimes have that instinct myselfrun! They seem to view our diversity as a threat to be contained rather than as a resource to be tapped. And, graduates, its the story that I witness every single day when I wake up in a house that was built by slaves, and I watch my daughters - two beautiful, black young women - head off to school -- (applause) -- waving goodbye to their father, the President of the United States, the son of a man from Kenya who came here to American -- to America for the same reasons as many of you: To get an education and improve his prospects in life. Official Army reports stated that black soldiers were childlike, shiftless, unmoral and untruthful, and as one quote stated, if fed, loyal and compliant.. 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. Thats the only real currency in life. It's a hard time, and everyone's feeling. Heres the last part. So we thought we'd take a look at some of the best celebrity commencement speeches that aren't just - believe it or not - 1) monosyllabic words 2) comments about the size of the crowd or 3) attacks against the press and "pathetic" haters. Wow, you guys are good! Michelle Obama Speech at Spelman's 2011 Commencement part 2/2 Press Release First Lady Michelle Obama To Deliver Commencement Address To The Spelman College Class Of 2011 Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad to receive Honorary Degrees Teach For America CEO Wendy Kopp to receive National Community Service Award And you look good. 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. Are you sure? And Im honored to be here to share the beginning of the next phase of that journey with you. 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.. (Applause.). Youve got it. Read more. But in the end, FDR realized that 60 percent was a whole lot better than zero percent. Oh and it felt like my whole world was collapsing in on itself. ), And Im also a little giddy to be joined on stage by another one of my heroes, Marian Wright Edelman. You prepare to continue your journey on the clamorous highways of life.. Michelle Obama: (14:05) Thank you. I dont think so. Ive seen you gathering donations for those in need during this pandemic. Its okay if you dont understand exactly what youre feeling, were all sorting through this in real time. So, again, Im proud of you all. On Saturday evening, May 16, Barack Obama delivered a commencement address to the high school Class of 2020, whose graduations were cancelled due to coronavirus. Every time we look at our phones or hear helicopters circling our neighborhoods. 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. I also want to tell you how proud and how moved I am to receive this honorary degree from this particular schoolthe first college in America to officially embrace the admission of black students, and the first co-ed school to grant bachelors degrees to women. (Applause.) Maybe it feels like youre supposed to go to law school -- but what you really want to do is to teach little kids. (Applause.). Thats whats always happened here at Tuskegee. They built coalitions with folks like them and different from them. If you dont feel safe driving your own car in your own neighborhood or going for a jog or buying some candy at 7-eleven or bird watching. But heres the thing, while this period is certainly unprecedented, it is not a complete anomaly, simply some random coincidence to be dismissed. I love you all. (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. With commencements and graduations across the country cancelled, Former First Lady Michelle Obama and her Reach Higher initiative teamed up with YouTube to celebrate students reaching this. Former First Lady Michelle Obama gave a commencement address online to the graduating class of 2020. . Resources and Support for College Students, Resources and Support for Conservatory Students, Oberlin Marks 2020 Commencement Weekend with Virtual Celebrations, College Announces 2019 Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipients, Main Library Will Be Named for Activist, Alumna Mary Church Terrell. Thats it; that's the way we move forward. Her opponents declared that letting women vote was unnatural, would lead to child neglect and all kinds of social ills. (Applause.) And youll be flying through the air, out of this world -- free. You all, I mean, this has been the most fun I think Ive had at a commencement ever. You dont get to be cynical. ), 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. Well done! And I want to thank President Tatum for her leadership and for that very kind and generous introduction. Your day. Michelle Obama: (03:42) Try Rev and save time transcribing, captioning, and subtitling. Instead, after he left the Army, he finished his education. She blew it out of the water. (Applause.) Sixteen million people who finally have health insurance. I am proud to have this degree -- very proud. 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. (Applause.) 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. Michelle Obama: (07:10) Ask your friends, your family, ask everyone you see in your neighborhood. But that experience gave me a kind of clarity with everything and pieces around me, I had to forge a new path. Michelle Obama delivered her final commencement address as first lady on Friday to thousands graduating from the City College of New York in Harlem. God bless. By channeling that discomfort you feel into activism and a democracy that was designed to respond to those who vote. (Applause.) (Applause.) Transcript of Michelle Obama's commencement address Chicago Tribune Jun 10, 2015 at 9:37 pm MRS. OBAMA: Wow! (Applause.) Because it is absolutely still possible to make a difference. Its your story and the story of those who came before you at this school. And the answers to those questions have resulted in the woman who stands before you today. 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. We need you to channel the magic of Tuskegee toward the challenges of today. ), Back then, black soldiers faced all kinds of obstacles. Well, let me just tell you, it is beyond a pleasure and an honor to be here with all of you today. I wanted to be here to celebrate all of you, this school, this city. Obama spoke . And even here at Oberlin, most of the time youre probably surrounded by folks who share your beliefs. Convert your audio or video into 99% accurate text by a professional. They even threw prayer books at her as she tried to speak. Well done! Aniyah, thank you for. 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. Many suffered verbal abuse at the hands of their instructors. And you dont have to be President of the United States to start addressing things like poverty, and education, and lack of opportunity. -- Below is the full text of Michelle Obama 's speech to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, July 25, 2016. And while neither of my parents went past high school, let me tell you, they saved up every penny that my dad earned at his city job because they were determined to send me to college. Just think about what that must have been like for those young men. Michelle Obama gave a powerful commencement address to the high school and college graduates in the class of 2020. Dr. King was angry. And of all the women at the Seneca Falls womens suffrage convention in 1848, just one lived to see women cast their votes. You are the living, breathing proof that the American Dream endures in our time. Speech-to-Text API for pre-recorded audio, powered by the worlds leading speech recognition engine. Without mentioning the presumptive Republican presidential candidate by name, the first lady made one of the most . Michelle Obama at City College of New York in 2016. Build with the best speech-to-text APIs around. (Laughter and applause.) The Complete Text Transcripts of Over 100 Barack Obama Speeches Where women are full participants in a country's politics or economy, societies are continue likely the succeed. Dont deprive yourselves of all that. Or you might remember the on-stage celebratory fist bump between me and my husband after a primary win that was referred to as a terrorist fist jab. And over the years, folks have used plenty of interesting words to describe me. Translated on-screen subtitles for videos. And Id like to begin today by reflecting on that history -- starting back at the time when the Army chose Tuskegee as the site of its airfield and flight school for black pilots. (Applause. (Applause.). (Applause.) (Applause.) But I also want to be very clear that with those successes comes a set of obligations - to share the lessons youve learned here at this school. No, you dont get to be precious or cautious or cynical. Create a better, more engaging experience for every student. Apple executive Lisa Jackson will give the keynote Commencement address; scientist Joanne Chory and broadcast journalist Robert Krulwich 69 will also receive honorary degrees. Michelle Obama: (16:20) And, more importantly, you embody the very hopes and dreams carved into the base of that iconic statue not so far from where we sit -- on that island where so many of your predecessors at this school first set foot on our shores. Well done. Lets let our graduates rest themselves. First lady Michelle Obama gave a commencement speech at Tuskegee University's graduation ceremony Saturday in which she discussed the school's importance in African American history . So I just want to take it all in. (Applause.) See, graduates, this is what happens when you turn your attention outward and decide to brave the noise and engage yourself in the struggles of our time. She is such an inspiration to all of the women who are part of the 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. First Lady Michelle Obama Commencement Speech 2015 click for pdf [AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio] Thank you all. So Im here today because Im proud of you all. And my husband and I know how frustrating that experience can be. God bless you. So I want you all to go out there. Because heres the thing -- the road ahead is not going to be easy. I think your valedictorian put it best -- and this is a quote -- he said, The sole irreplaceable component of my CCNY experience came from learning alongside people with life experiences strikingly different from my own. He said, I have learned that diversity in human experience gives rise to diversity in thought, which creates distinct ideas and methods of problem solving. That was an okay quote. Look at you! If anybody is wondering about the quality of education, just listening to those two speakers lets you know whats happening here. (Laughter.) Read the full text of Michelle Obama's address to the class of 2020. They answered your late-night phone calls even when you were just calling for money. And I know that these little indignities are obviously nothing compared to what folks across the country are dealing with every single day -- those nagging worries that youre going to get stopped or pulled over for absolutely no reason; the fear that your job application will be overlooked because of the way your name sounds; the agony of sending your kids to schools that may no longer be separate, but are far from equal; the realization that no matter how far you rise in life, how hard you work to be a good person, a good parent, a good citizen -- for some folks, it will never be enough. Now whats happening right now is the direct result of decades of unaddressed, prejudice, and inequality. It needed to be voiced, not just on the streets, but in the halls of power. (Laughter.) "As a child, my first doll was Malibu. (Laughter.) Whoa. Commencement Speeches First Lady Michelle Obama at Bowie State University Commencement First lady Michelle Obama delivered the commencement address to the graduating class of. Now, did these compromises make these leaders sellouts? Below, watch and read the 44th president's full inspiring message and speech closing out the "Graduate . Are you sure? We can take on those deep-rooted problems, and together -- together -- we can overcome anything that stands in our way. It is beyond a pleasure and an honor for me to be here with all of you today. I have seen how leaders who rule by intimidation - leaders who demonize and dehumanize entire groups of people - often do so because they have nothing else to offer. Helicopters circling our neighborhoods experience gave me a kind of clarity with everything and pieces around,! 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