I know that you can climb a long way up the ladder selling falsehoods and blaming others for your own shortcomings, shunning those with less privilege and advantage. King's Arkansas speech came a year after federal troops protected nine black students attending all-white Little Rock Central High School. I'm so proud of you all. First Lady Michelle Obama addresses the class of 2015. So its your time. And you dont have to be President of the United States to start addressing things like poverty, and education, and lack of opportunity. Obama spoke . Read the full transcript of her speech here. And I think this was the perfect place to be, because this is my last chance to share my love and admiration, and hopefully a little bit of wisdom with a graduating class. They were joining the Equal Suffrage League and speaking out for womens right to vote. They don't know that part of you. Not just when my husband or somebody you like is on the ballot. We dont build up walls to keep people out because we know that our greatness has always depended on contributions from people who were born elsewhere but sought out this country and made it their home - from innovations like Google and eBay to inventions like the artificial heart, the telephone, even the blue jeans; to beloved patriotic songs like God Bless America, like national landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge and, yes, the White House - both of which were designed by architects who were immigrants. Transcribe Your Own Content Try Rev for free and save time transcribing, captioning, and subtitling. Read more. Calculate how much it costs to transcribe, caption, or subtitle your content. It was also Michelle Obama's first commencement address as First Lady. 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. Every time we look at our phones or hear helicopters circling our neighborhoods. 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. It needed to be voiced, not just on the streets, but in the halls of power. Because while weve come so far, the truth is that those age-old problems are stubborn and they havent fully gone away. Translated on-screen subtitles for videos. The world wont always see you in those caps and gowns. I want you to act with both your mind, but also your heart. Your day. (Applause.) This is Mrs . It's a hard time, and everyone's feeling. Read the full transcript of her speech here. See, this is my very last commencement address as First Lady of the United States. And Im honored to be here to share the beginning of the next phase of that journey with you. We will be there with you every step of the way. Send any friend a . 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. . (Applause.). And you have as much responsibility and just as much power to wake up and play your part in our great American story. As many of you know, I grew up in a working class family in Chicago. No, were all in this together. And Eric was taken from us far too soon. Just look at the story of Oberlin College. MRS. OBAMA: Wow! But these were my choices, my issues. Read Obama's inspiring commencement address to 2020's high school graduates. He became a high school English teacher and a college lecturer. But just like all those folks who came before us, youve got to do something to lay the groundwork for future generations. Michelle Obama: (13:03) The website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work. Beyonc delivered a special message to graduates during YouTube's Dear Class of 2020 broadcast. Full Transcript of Michelle Obama's D.N.C. Look at you! Now, Im not naive. What kind of person do you want to be? Do you know when your primary elections are held? And those interactions have been such a critical part of your education at this school. Then there was the first time I was on a magazine cover -- it was a cartoon drawing of me with a huge afro and machine gun. Or when they helped you with a question that you couldnt have possibly answered on your own. And, graduates, thats what we need from all of you. Transcript: Read Michelle Obama's full speech from the 2016 DNC It certainly caught the attention of the press both on Monday and when the first lady tested it out last month during a. But heres the thing, while this period is certainly unprecedented, it is not a complete anomaly, simply some random coincidence to be dismissed. I am proud to have this degree -- very proud. To those mornings you woke up early to get a spot under The Shed to watch the Golden Tigers play. Making her debut as a commencement speaker before a crowd of 12,000 on Saturday, FIrst Lady Michelle Obama praised graduates at the University of California, Merced, the state's smallest, youngest public university. (Applause.) And Im so proud of you both -- and to your families, congratulations. Michelle Obama gave her final remarks as First Lady on Friday, choking up as she urged young Americans to remain hopeful and engaged in the country's future. 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. Back in those days, I had a lot of sleepless nights, worrying about what people thought of me, wondering if I might be hurting my husbands chances of winning his election, fearing how my girls would feel if they found out what some people were saying about their mom. And our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with his family, his friends, and this entire community. Michelle Obama at City College of New York in 2016. 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. Or when they opened your eyes to an injustice you never knew existed. 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. First lady Michelle Obama delivers. (Applause.) So what does that mean for your time? So I am here today to talk to you, not as the former first lady, but as a real life person, a mother, a mentor, a citizen concerned about your future and the future of our country. Everybody has got to vote when the time comes, but the activism that leads up to that day comes in many forms. Yeah, this is your day. (Applause.) And FDR? And most importantly, it couldnt hold me back. So please enjoy this moment. But that is a heavy way to live. Some want to march right up in front, others prefer to stay back, some kneel in the pews, others on the street corner, some canvas their neighborhoods, others run for office. Thank you -- thank you so much for this warm welcome, this tremendous hospitality. (Applause.). 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. And you look good. Michelle Obama: (02:44) He kept fulfilling his double duty long after he hung up his uniform. 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. First Lady Michelle Obama Commencement Speech 2015 click for pdf [AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio] Thank you all. And youll be flying through the air, out of this world -- free. Now, did these compromises make these leaders sellouts? (Applause.) Its folks all across the country who for too long have had the luxury and privilege of looking away. MRS. OBAMA: Well, goodness. 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.) It is a lesson that most of us get the chance to learn over the course of years and years, even decades, but one that youre learning right now. So proud of you all back there. 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. Let me tell you it is a pleasure and an honor -- yes, Chicago -- (laughter and applause) -- to be with all of you today. If were only willing to do whats easiest, weve got to make hard choices and sacrifices in our own lives. I am so proud of you. So many kids need you. Would I be more like Laura Bush, or Hillary Clinton, or Nancy Reagan? Fair use is permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Heres the thing, you have the opportunity to learn these valuable lessons faster than the generations before you. Follow whats happening in your city hall, your statehouse, Washington, D.C. How are you all doing? A path, fortunately, more focused on meaning and service. ), I should be here today. So Id say that debate was pretty polarized, wouldnt you? They had every material possession a college kid could want - cars, computers, spending money. (Applause.). 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 . (Applause. Thank you so much. Convert your audio or video into 99% accurate text by a professional. (Applause.) (Applause. 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! 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. Background Info Message: In her commencement speech, Michelle Obama talks about how everyone has the potential to become someone important. She appealed directly to the youth facing the incoming . But heres the thing -- our history provides us with a better story, a better blueprint for how we can win. Think about the millions of folks who got out to vote on Election Day, waiting in the cold and rain in lines that stretched for hours, refusing to leave until they made their voices heard. And with the education youve gotten at this fine school, and the experiences youve had in your lives, let me tell you, nothing - and I mean nothing - is going to stop you from fulfilling your dreams. So he dug through trash piles and collected old bottles, and tea cups, and fruit jars to use in his first experiments. I would have given anything, anything to bring them back. The biomedical science major who was born in Afghanistan and plans to be a doctor, a policy maker and an educator. Because heres the thing -- the road ahead is not going to be easy. Some do an honest days work and raise good kids. Congratulations. Thank you so much. These are the folks who pushed you and supported you. Because we know that our greatness comes when we appreciate each others strengths, when we learn from each other, when we lean on each other. I want you all to stay true to the most real, most sincere, most authentic parts of yourselves. 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. ), I want to recognize Major General Williams; Congresswoman Sewell; Zachary; Kalauna; to all of the trustees, the faculty, the staff here at Tuskegee University. I was in my late 20s. (Applause.) And I want you to consider this as a public service announcement for anyone who hasnt bought the flowers or the cards or the gifts yet -- all right? (Applause. What ideas are we missing? (Applause. Thats it; that's the way we move forward. And just think about the students in this very graduating class - students like the economics and pre-law major from Albania, who also completed the requirements for a philosophy major and dreams of being a public intellectual. You've worked hard for those seats! Surely their kids could go to school together. Ive seen you speaking out in gun violence and fight climate change. You give me chills. I felt it most profoundly when my father and my best friend died within a year of each other. Easily integrate Rev using our robust APIs to start building your product quickly. 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? God bless you, graduates. (Applause.) We can take on those deep-rooted problems, and together -- together -- we can overcome anything that stands in our way. Check out our hand-picked selection of commencement addresses, going back to 1774. And please, please, always, always do your part to help others do the same. Dont deprive yourselves of all that. The statements made by Michelle Obama are inspiring and appealing to a majority of the young . Even today, there are still folks questioning his citizenship. Michelle Obama: ( 00:07) Hey everybody. Graduates, that is not who we are. . Debating each others ideas, pushing each other to question old assumptions and consider new perspectives. Remarks by the First Lady of the United States. Traitors to their cause? Speech Michelle Obama, the former first lady, was the keynote speaker on the first night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. You rob yourself of the things that matter most. In that role, I encountered students who had every advantage - their parents paid their full tuition, they lived in beautiful campus dorms. 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. And thats, as the President said, why Im here today. 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. Back in the late 1800s, the school needed a new dormitory, but there was no money to pay for it. (Laughter.) Or consider the story of the former CEO of Intel, Andrew Grove, class of 1960. Following is a transcript of Michelle Obama's commencement speech at the University of California, Merced, as provided by the White House. (Applause. (Applause. Search over 350 speeches by name,. Its up to you to couple every protest with plans and policies, with organizing and mobilizing and voting and thats my final piece of advice. (Laughter and applause.) A RESTful API to access Revs workforce of fast, high quality transcriptionists and captioners. How to Write a Graduation Speech Advice from a. . Wow, you guys are good! But as you all know, instead of being defined by the discrimination and the doubts of those around them, they became one of the most successful pursuit squadrons in our military. So I want you all to go out there. Today, I want to urge you to actively seek out the most contentious, polarized, gridlocked places you can find. Youve worked hard for those seats! Barack Obama gave a speech in a HBCU virtual commencement, in which he criticized US leadership. If youre living in a constant state of fear, how much farther behind will you be after months in quarantine and without a job. And youve taken so many different paths to this moment. But I have traveled the world and seeing the governments and people in so many other countries. 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. Now, those Airmen could easily have let that experience clip their wings. Or was I too soft, too much of a mom, not enough of a career woman? ), And, graduates, I think we should give another shout-out to your families, of course, all the families. Was I too loud, or too angry, or too emasculating? I dont think so. But unfortunately, graduates, despite the lessons of our history and the truth of your experience here at City College, some folks out there today seem to have a very different perspective. You see, its wonderful to volunteer at your local homeless shelterplease do thatbut you also need to attend the city council meetings and make sure the zoning laws dont shut that shelter down. This is a transcript of Michelle Obama's Commencement Address at King College Prep High School from 2015. Now, will this be easy? You dont get to be cynical. SOAPStone Speaker: Michelle Obama Occasion: City College . And while the history of this campus isnt perfect, the defining story of Tuskegee is the story of rising hopes and fortunes for all African Americans. Well done! And in the years before Dr. King addressed those Oberlin graduates in 65, he and his colleagues faced fire hoses and dogs in Montgomery, beatings on a bridge in Selma, insults and assaults as they sat quietly at lunch counters and marched peacefully down public streets. Now, the process of democracy might not always be as fast or as smooth as wed like. Michelle Obama's Motivational Speech | Best Advice On How To Succeed In Life GOOD VIBES 11.4K subscribers Subscribe 6.6K views 2 years ago Michelle Obama Speech And Best Advice On How To. Beautiful song. "I want our young people to know. (Applause.) (Applause.) 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