hearts afire.

a moment of clarity.

words.

"...Obama also recognized that despite the hard work of today’s graduates, there were different, equally persistent barriers to their success. The power of her words enhanced by sharing the experiences of herself and her husband.

'The world won’t always see you in those caps and gowns. They won’t know how hard you worked and how much you sacrificed to make it to this day — the countless hours you spent studying to get this diploma, the multiple jobs you worked to pay for school, the times you had to drive home and take care of your grandma, the evenings you gave up to volunteer at a food bank or organize a campus fundraiser. They don’t know that part of you. 

Instead they will make assumptions about who they think you are based on their limited notion of the world. And my husband and I know how frustrating that experience can be. We’ve both felt the sting of those daily slights throughout our entire lives — the folks who crossed the street in fear of their safety; the clerks who kept a close eye on us in all those department stores; the people at formal events who assumed we were the “help” — and those who have questioned our intelligence, our honesty, even our love of this country. 

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 you’re 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.'

...In the end, Obama delivered a universal message specifically tailored to African American graduates who will go on to do great things for this nation. If that’s “playing the race card,” then we should get the entire deck."



THE WHITE HOUSE BLOG: In Case You Missed It: The First Lady's Powerful Remarks to Tuskegee University's Class of 2015

ALSO:

THE WASHINGTON POST: Michelle Obama’s forceful speech on race at Tuskegee University