Barack Obama
44th President of the United States
In his 2016 Howard University commencement address, President Obama argues that America, the world, and race relations have measurably improved over his lifetime while acknowledging persistent gaps in economic opportunity, education, pay, and criminal justice. He urges the graduating class to recognize this progress not as cause for complacency but as motivation for continued action. He offers advice for young leaders, beginning with being confident in their heritage and blackness and embracing the many ways of being black.
Key moments
- 01 Claims America, the world, and race relations are better than when he graduated in 1983
- 02 Cites data on poverty, crime, education, and global gains alongside persistent racial disparities
- 03 Notes remaining gaps in unemployment, pay, incarceration, and the school-to-prison pipeline
- 04 Advises graduates to be confident in their blackness and reject a single definition of it
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