Posts

Showing posts with the label First Lady Obama Jackson State Commencement 2016 speech

WATCH: First Lady Michelle Obama addresses racist past at Jackson State commencement

Image
buzzz worthy. . . Admittedly somewhat jet-lagged from her recent trip to London, First Lady Michelle Obama mustered up all the energy she had to address the 2016 graduates of Jackson State University today.  Mrs. Obama reminded the audience that " the shadows of the past have not completely disappeared" while inspiring hope for the future of race relations in America. O bama referred to the Mississippi school's history of unity during the Civil Rights era by citing a beautiful story about sportmanship between the football teams at Jackson State and Grambling State University.  Below is an excerpt from the powerful speech. "Back in 1962, during an Ole Miss football game, this stadium became the site of what was essentially a pro-Jim Crow rally, with fans waving Confederate flags and singing a song called “Never No Never” to protest the admission of an African American student to their university.  By halftime, they’d convinced the governor to even speak.  He sai...