Michelle Obama is here to deliver the words we all really needed to amid the COVID-19 crisis and Black Lives Matter movement.
The former first lady just released her commencement address for the class of 2020… and honestly, we are in tears. She has a powerful message during this time of great uncertainty–and we are so grateful. Here’s what you need to know:
MObama admitted that she struggled to put her address together because of these trying times, but ultimately calls graduates to activism. So necessary!
The “Becoming” author begins her address by acknowledging the tenor of “these tumultuous times:”
“Over the past couple of months, our foundation has been shaken,” Michelle heartbreakingly reveals. “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.” Heartbreaking!
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She touches on some of the emotions and anxieties so many of us are experiencing now--even admitting that she herself is suffering, too!
“If any of you are scared, or confused, or angry, or just plain overwhelmed by it all, if you feel like you’re searching for a lifeline just to steady yourself, you are not alone. I am feeling all of that too. I think we all are," she reveals.
So--what does the mom of Sasha and Malia tell graduates to do? Her message about the state of the world, and our fractured nation amid this latest civil rights movement, is so powerful:
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“What’s happening right now is the direct results of decades of unaddressed prejudice an inequality. The truth is, when it comes to all those tidy stories of hard work and self-determination that we like to tell ourselves about America, well, the reality is a lot more complicated than that. Because for too many people in this country, no matter how hard they work, there are structural barriers working against them that just make the road longer and rockier. And sometimes it’s almost impossible to move upward at all."
She continues, "Because what if you’re required to work during a pandemic but don’t have enough protective equipment or health insurance from your employer, or paid sick leave? What is more essential: your work or your life? If you don’t feel safe driving your own car in your own neighborhood? Or going for a jog, or buying some candy at 7-11, or birdwatching? If you can’t even approach the police without fearing for your life, then how do you even begin to chart your own course?”
Ah--chills! So, what do you think: did her graduation words rings true?
