Sat
May 16 2020
05:01 pm
Tonight, Pres. Obama delivers Class of 2020 commencement address
By: bizgrrl

Former President Barack Obama will deliver a televised prime-time commencement address for the Class of 2020 during an hour-long event that will also feature LeBron James, Malala Yousafzai and Ben Platt, among others.

ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC will simultaneously air the special May 16 at 8 p.m. Eastern along with more than 20 other broadcast and digital streaming partners...

Complete sentences begin at 8.

Topics:
calloway1972's picture

65% of the audience was

Submitted by calloway1972 on Sat, 2020/05/16 - 9:16pm.

65% of the audience was depressed boomer neoliberals. That's a lowball estimate.

fischbobber's picture

Dude.

Submitted by fischbobber on Sat, 2020/05/16 - 11:49pm.
(in reply to calloway1972)

What a miserable life you must lead.

Midori Barstow's picture

And???So??? My youth

Submitted by Midori Barstow on Sun, 2020/05/17 - 10:44am.
(in reply to calloway1972)

And???So???

My youth flourished, was invigorated by
the Love, Peace, Civil Rights movements.

C'mon, let's nurture the budding young to carry on.

Flower power to you!

CathyMcCaughan's picture

Families gathered to watch

Submitted by CathyMcCaughan on Sun, 2020/05/17 - 5:28pm.
(in reply to calloway1972)

Everyone laughed at silly bands and other forgotten fads. High school vocalists and musicians carefully edited into performances were the most normal thing we've experienced in months. Go rain on someone else's parade, Cal.
#graduatetogether

R. Neal's picture

Yes. Thank you. I laughed. I

Submitted by R. Neal on Sun, 2020/05/17 - 6:05pm.
(in reply to CathyMcCaughan)

Yes. Thank you. I laughed. I cried. I added Jonas Bros. to my playlist.

Loved Obama's advice to graduates:

1. Don't be afraid
2. Do the right thing
3. Build a community

"No one does big things by themselves."

Mike Daugherty's picture

(No subject)

Submitted by Mike Daugherty on Mon, 2020/05/18 - 11:55pm.
(in reply to calloway1972)

Very sad that your comments are always mean spirited and show a lack of kindness and decency to others. We are praying that you will change and become a decent and moral person that is not misguided by your evil President and that does not support the evilness and hatefulness that has always consumed your mentally ill leader.We believe in miracles. Please do not give up on yourself. There is always hope.

Midori Barstow's picture

Obama called for today’s

Submitted by Midori Barstow on Sun, 2020/05/17 - 9:36am.

Obama called for today’s youth to honor “honesty, hard work, responsibility, fairness, generosity, respect for others.”

He rejected the aggressive individualism
that has defined America since the Reagan years.

“[I]t doesn’t matter how much money you make
if everyone around you is hungry and sick….

[O]ur society and democracy only works
when we think not just about ourselves, but about each other.”

He placed America’s strength in community.
“No one does big things by themselves.

Right now, when people are scared,
it’s easy to be cynical and say let me just look out
for myself, or my family, or people who look or think or pray like me.

But if we’re going to get through these difficult times;
if we’re going to create a world where everybody has the opportunity to find a job, and afford college;

if we’re going to save the environment
and defeat future pandemics,
then we’re going to have to do it together.

So be alive to one another’s struggles.
Stand up for one another’s rights.
Leave behind all the old ways of thinking that divide us — sexism, racial prejudice, status, greed —
and set the world on a different path.”

He urged young people to change the world.
“If the world’s going to get better,
it’s going to be up to you.

With everything suddenly feeling like it’s up for grabs,
this is your time to seize the initiative.

Nobody can tell you anymore
that you should be waiting your turn.

Nobody can tell you anymore
'this is how it’s always been done.'"

"More than ever," the former president said,
"this is your moment—your generation’s world to shape.”

bizgrrl's picture

What a great message from all

Submitted by bizgrrl on Sun, 2020/05/17 - 11:04am.

What a great message from all the contributors.

It was even better than I expected.

Obama motivated.

Midori Barstow's picture

What a great message from all the contributors.

Submitted by Midori Barstow on Sun, 2020/05/17 - 1:33pm.
(in reply to bizgrrl)

What a great message from all the contributors.

Yes! Enjoyed performances from students and celebs alike.

Some highlighted messages:

LeBron James asks graduates "do not forget your safety net" of teachers, coaches, pastors, friends and family.
He asked the graduates to "recommit to your community."

Pakastani activist Malala Yousafzai says graduates won't be defined by loss
that she, too, was missing her graduation.
"The class of 2020 won't be defined by what we lost to this virus but by how we responded to it. The world is yours now. And I can't wait to see what you make of it," she said.

Wonderwoman Gal Gadot told graduates that even though the next steps in their lives are unclear and they may feel powerless, they should trust themselves.

Quoting Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir,
the first female prime minister for Israel,
Gadot told graduates to "create the kind of self
that you will be happy to live with all your life.
Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement."

Bill Clinton told graduates the world needs them
the Covid-19 pandemic "has given you a graduation you will never forget and it's released you into an uncertain future.
I urge you to embrace the challenge.

The world needs you. Your country needs you. Even before the outbreak, you knew you were entering a world of growing inequalities, and divisive tribalism, with people pulling away from those who are different from them.

Seething resentments and a broken information system have empowered those who for profit and power for themselves, are willing to inflame our worst instincts.
It's put your future, our democracy, and our very planet at risk," he said.

"I know you've been dealt a hard hand, but you can play it well."

"With a tough but open mind and a caring heart, you can help keep us together,"

R. Neal's picture

Yes, this: LeBron James asks

Submitted by R. Neal on Sun, 2020/05/17 - 6:14pm.
(in reply to Midori Barstow)

Yes, this:

LeBron James asks graduates "do not forget your safety net" of teachers, coaches, pastors, friends and family.
He asked the graduates to "recommit to your community."

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