You won’t be defined by what’s lost
Amid protests and coronavirus, commencements are anything but traditional
President Donald Trump,
U.S. Military Academy at West Point: “You have come from the farms and the cities, from states big and small, and from every race, religion, color and creed. But when you entered these grounds, you became part of one team and one family, proudly serving one great American nation . ... To the 1,107 who (Saturday became) the newest officers in the most exceptional Army ever to take the field of battle, I am here to offer America’s salute. Thank you for answering your nation’s call.”
Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, National Defense
University: “I am outraged by the senseless and brutal killing of George Floyd . ... Racism and discrimination, structural preferences, patterns of mistreatment, unspoken and unconscious bias have no place in America. And they have no place in our armed forces . ... As senior leaders, everything you do will be closely watched, and I am not immune. As many of you saw the result of the photograph of me at Lafayette Square ... sparked a national debate about the role of the military in civil society. I should not have been there. My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics. As a commissioned uniformed officer, it was a mistake that I’ve learned from, and I sincerely hope we all can learn from it.”
Michelle Obama, former first lady: “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 . ... It’s up to you to couple every protest with plans and policies, with organizing and mobilizing and voting . ... Graduates, anger is a powerful force. It can be a useful force, but left on its own it will only corrode and destroy and sow chaos on the inside and out.”
Meghan, the Duchess of
Sussex, Immaculate Heart High School: “I was 11 or 12 years old when I was just about to start Immaculate Heart Middle School in the fall and it was the Los Angeles riots, also triggered by a senseless act of racism. I remember the curfew and I remember rushing back home, and on that drive home seeing ash fall from the sky, and smelling the smoke, and seeing the smoke billow out of buildings, and seeing people run out of buildings, carrying bags and looting . ... I am sorry that, in a way, we have not gotten the world to the place that you deserve it to be . ... The other thing though, that I do remember about that time, was how people came together and we are seeing that right now . ... We are seeing people stand in solidarity . ... You are going to be part of this movement.”
Beyoncé: “We’re so proud of you, for using your collective voice and letting the world know that Black Lives Matter. The killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and so many others have left us all broken. It has left the entire country searching for answers. We’ve seen that our collective hearts ... could start the wheels of change. Real change has started with you.”
Malala Yousafzai, 2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner: “Like all of you, I’m also missing my graduation ceremony. ... Across the world, COVID-19 has forced more than 1 billion students out of school. For most of us this is temporary. We’ll continue our education and follow our dreams. But many girls, especially in developing countries, will never return to the classroom. Because of this crisis they will be forced into early marriages or low-paying jobs to support their families . ... Remember them today as you go out and change the world . ... The Class of 2020 won’t be defined by what we lost to this virus but by how we responded to it.”
Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, College of the Holy
Cross: “I am profoundly aware that graduating during this time and in this virtual way, unable to celebrate in person this important milestone in your lives, with your friends, classmates and teachers, is extremely difficult. I encourage you to stay strong and unflinching. The country and the world need your talent, your energy, your resolve and your character.”
Andrew Yang, former Democratic presidential candidate, The Brian Lehrer Show: “People talk a lot about how when you graduate from school, you’re going to have to work hard. (But) that’s actually the easy part. It’s not that difficult to work hard when you know what you’re supposed to do. The harder part is figuring out what to do in an environment of uncertainty . ... The void is when ... there’s a ton of space and uncertainty, and it’s up to you to actually make choices and fill your own time . ... If you can master the void there will be no stopping you. You will be able to do anything you want under the sun . ... You may not be walking across a physical stage, but you all are walking across the biggest stage of them all.” John Roberts, chief justice of the Supreme Court, Westminster
School: “Your class is probably one of a handful of the most challenged high school graduating classes since the Class of 1942, whose members went from graduation to war, or to harsh work in the factories. Today we call those graduates part of the Greatest Generation. What are they going to call you? Your challenge is not as great, but it’s big, and it’s yours.”
Elaine Chao, secretary of Transportation, SUNY Maritime College: “Whether on land, sea or even air, the education you received at SUNY Maritime will serve you well no matter where your life voyage takes you. Since 1874, this institution has provided generations with a great education and foundation in life. The two words on the seal of SUNY Maritime are ‘loyalty’ and ‘valor,’ powerful guiding words in one’s life . ... May you always have the wind at your back. And I hope you will always appreciate life’s most important treasures — family, friends, the respect of your peers and a life well lived. May God bless you, and may God bless America!”
LeBron James: “We honor 12 years of your hard work, the studying, the tests, early mornings and late nights . ... You should have had a real graduation. I know. You should have had an incredible senior year. I know that as well, but you made a sacrifice and you did that to keep your community safe and healthy. On behalf of all of us, thank you. There is no doubt in my mind that the Class of 2020 is going to be something really special. After all this, you guys are prepared for anything . ... Every family in America is experiencing the critical role our schools and charities play in our lives and what happens when they shut down. In our poorest neighborhoods, schools are about much more than learning . ... Class of 2020, the world has changed. You will determine how we rebuild, and I ask that you make your community your priority.”
Tom Hanks, Wright State University: “You started in the olden times and the world back before the great pandemic of 2020. You will talk of those earlier years in your lives just that way . ... Part of your lives will forever be identified as ‘before.’ In the same way other generations tell time like, well that was before the war, or that was before the internet, or that was before Beyoncé. (Sometime) you will continue on into the ‘after.’ As in, that was after the virus was tamed. After we were safe to go out again. After we took up our probable lives once more . ... You chosen ones are going to form the new structures and define the new realities and make the new world — the world after all that we have been through.”
Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award winner, Wesleyan University: “I’m thinking about the impact this virus is having on communities of color. My partner Juliette is down in the city, she’s a physician. She’s working with homeless patients who are COVID positive . ... And I’m writing, trying to change the narrative of what it means to be a person of color at various points in time in history, through fiction . ... Stay strong. Don’t be racist. That seems so like something one should not need to say. ... I’m saying it because it still needs to be said. Go break down that wall and all the walls. Make this place safer.”
Ravi S. Rajan, president, California Institute of the Arts: “Artists create models of the world. The lens through which you see the world, shapes that model. And you do this, because you are an artist . ... As we mark your graduation from CalArts in our screen-filled existence, I have a request of you — Remember that epiphanal moment, when you first knew you were an artist. Remember the strength of that moment, the clarity of vision, the tingle of self-awareness and the pride of self-definition. These are the things you must tap into today to navigate the road ahead. While this was always true for graduates, it has never been more important than for the Class of 2020.”
Lady Gaga: “I think about a broad forest filled densely with tall trees. Trees as old as this country itself. Trees that were planted with racist seeds. Trees that grew prejudice branches and oppressive leaves and mangled roots that buried and entrenched themselves deep within the soil, forming a web so well developed and so entangled that push back when we try to look clearly at how it really works. This forest is where we live; it’s who we are. It’s the moral and value system that we as a society have upheld and emboldened for centuries. I make this analogy between racism and nature in this country because it’s as pervasive and real as nature. It is some part of everything the light touches . ... It’s you who are the seeds of the future. You are the seeds that will grow into a new and different forest that is far more beautiful and loving than the one we live in today.”
Former President Barack Obama, historically Black colleges/
universities: “You’re being asked to find your way in a world in the middle of a devastating pandemic and a terrible recession . ... And let’s be honest, a disease like this just spotlights the underlying inequalities and extra burdens that Black communities have historically had to deal with in this country. We see it in the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on our communities. Just as we see it when a Black man goes for a jog and some folks feel like they can stop and question and shoot him . ... More than anything, this pandemic has fully finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they’re doing. A lot of them aren’t even pretending to be in charge . ... Your participation in this democracy, your courage to stand up for what’s right, your willingness to forge coalitions, these actions will speak volumes. And, if you’re inactive, that will also speak volumes . ... You’ve earned your degree, it’s now up to you to use it.”