President Obama made his way to Howard University on Saturday to serve as the commencement keynote speaker at the 2016 spring graduation.

In addition to offering encouraging words about entering the real world and post-grad life, President Obama took time to remind the graduates to embrace their blackness in all that they do. He reminded the students how far people of color have come in this country, but how much is still used against them. However, he told them to use their understanding of these issues to push them to go further while following their dreams.

“…we cannot sleepwalk through life, we cannot be ignorant of history. We can’t meet the world with a sense of entitlement…You have to go through life with more than just a passion for change — you have to have strategy,” Obama said.

He also shared how different the graduating classes were today in comparison to when he graduated from Colombia University. While sharing and reflecting he acknowledged that there were not a lot of high positions held by blacks during that time but today, you can find black men and women in all fields excelling and holding esteemed positions, even running the United States.

“Be confident in your heritage. Be confident in your blackness… Create your own style, set your own standard of beauty, embrace your own sexuality… Because you’re a black person — doing whatever it is that you’re doing — that makes it a black thing!”

This speech was the first of three the President is scheduled to give for this spring commencement period. We are not sure what his other speeches will consist of, but this one is definitely going down in the books as one of the great ones. Not only was his message needed for the graduates but anyone who watches will be inspired. Thanks Obama, no sarcasm included.

What was your favorite takeaway from the President’s speech?

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2016 graduation

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