Former First Lady Michelle Obama and music superstar Beyonce used YouTube’s Dear Class of 2020 special to preach about hope for a better future amidst the strife brought on by the coronavirus and racial tensions in America.
During her commencement speech, Beyoncé highlighted the inequality in American society, with the recent killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, leading this year’s graduates and many other Americans to march in the streets.
“We’ve seen that our collective hearts, when put to positive action, can start the wheels of change,” she said. “Real change has started with you, this new generation of high school and college graduates who we celebrate today.”
Beyonce also highlighted her own struggles trying to come up in a music industry in which opportunities are limited for women and people of color.
“There was a pivotal turning point in my life where I chose to build my own company many years ago,” she said, referring to Parkwood Entertainment, her management and entertainment company.
“Not enough black women had a seat at the table, so I had to go and chop down that wood and build my own table. Then I had to invite the best there was to have a seat. That meant hiring women, men, outsiders, underdogs, people that were overlooked and waiting to be seen.”
“One of the main purposes of my art for many years has been dedicated to showing the beauty of black people to the world. Our history, our profundity, and the value of black lives,” she continued. “I’ve tried my best to pull down the veil of appeasement to those who may feel uncomfortable with our excellence.”
In her speech, Obama acknowledged that finding the right words for a speech had been a hard task, as she tried to make sense of a society once again in turmoil because of racial tensions that were always bubbling under.
“In light of the current state of our country, I struggled to find the right words of wisdom for you today,” Obama said. “am here today to talk to you not as the former first lady, but as a real live person: a mother; a mentor; a citizen concerned about your future and the future of our country.”
With Covid-19 also still a present menace, Obama acknowledged that young people are currently confused about the state of the world at the moment.
“Over these past couple of months our foundation has been shaken — not just by a pandemic that stole too many of our loved ones, upended our daily lives, and sent tens of millions into unemployment, 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, so nakedly exposed for all of us to grapple with.”
She encouraged the graduates to always stand their ground and remain outspoken.
“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. So, don’t ever, ever let anyone tell you that you’re too angry, or that you ‘should keep your mouth shut,'” she says.
