2011 Black Commencement Speakers Leave Their Mark
See who made the graduation ceremony rounds.
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President Barack Obama, Miami Dade College - As commencement season wraps, the words that numerous Black leaders left with graduates and loved ones will live on forever. From the president of Liberia to the president of the United States, powerful Black speakers came out and gave their words of wisdom. On April 29 President Obama addressed Miami Dade College and more than 3,000 graduates heard from the 44th president, up-close and personal. President Obama also addressed 150 graduating seniors at Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis, Tennessee on May, 16, 2011. (Photo: Robert Sullivan-Pool/Getty Images)
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John Legend, Kean University - "Take that gift and go forth in the world with a mission for good. Find ways to give. Find ways to serve. Find ways to contribute to society,” The Grammy award winning artist and social activist, John Legend, told graduates at the May 12 commencement ceremony at Kean University. Graduates also received a treat when Legend sat in his graduation gown and played hits including the 1970 social anthem, “Wake Up Everybody.” It is reported that he was paid $25,000.(Photo: Kean University)
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Ursula Burns, MIT - The chairman and chief executive officer of Xerox Corp., will deliver the address at MIT’s 145th Commencement on Friday, June 3. In 2009 Burns became the first African-American woman to be named CEO of a Fortune 500 company.(Photo: MIT)
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Radio Host Tom Joyner, Tuskegee University - “A lot of people are educated, but won’t offer a hand to serve others. They’re worth a lot of money … but not worth anything if they don’t serve,” the founder of REACH Media Inc., the Tom Joyner Foundation, BlackAmericaWeb.com, and host of Tom Joyner Morning Show,' told the 500 graduating students as Tuskegee University on May 9. (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
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Ed Gordon, University of Tennessee - On April 30 BET host Ed Gordon spoke at the annual Multicultural Graduation Celebration at the University of Tennessee. “Opportunity does not call you and say I will be there tomorrow," Gordon said when advising students to be ready for any big break. He also spoke at Jackson State University's commencement ceremonty on May 7.(Photo: Jackson State University)
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Queen Latifah, Delaware State University - In her first commencement address, Queen Latifah spoke to 225 graduates at Delaware State University on May 22. “I want to commend you first of all for staying focused, for staying clear-minded, for staying determined enough to make it to this day.”(Photo: Delaware State University)
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Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker, Fisk University - Newark Mayor Cory Booker spoke and received an honorary doctorate degree at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 2. Booker was re-elected last May after first being elected in 2006. He also delivered the commencement address at the University of Rhode Island on May 22. (Photo: Fisk University)
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Toni Morrison, Rutgers University - The first African-American to win the Nobel Peace Prize in literature, Toni Morrison, spoke at Rutgers University’s 245th anniversary commencement on Sunday, May 15. Morrison also received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree at the ceremony.(Photo: Rutgers University)
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Denzel Washington, University of Pennsylvania - "I was a 1.8 GPA one semester, and the university very politely suggested that it might be better to take some time off. I was 20 years old and I was at my lowest point," Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington recalled as he delivered the University of Pennsylvania’s 255th commencement address on May 16. (Photo: Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images)
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Michelle Obama, Spelman College - With over 550 graduates present, first lady Michelle Obama inspired the Spelman graduates that women of color can change the world. "You have an obligation to see each setback as a challenge and as an opportunity to learn and grow. You have an obligation to face whatever life throws your way with confidence and with hope," she said on May 15. Mrs. Obama also gave the commencement address at the University of Northern Iowa on May 7 and Quantico Middle High School in Quantico, VA on June 3.(Photo: Spelman College)
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Bill Cosby, Hampton University - On Sunday, May 8, Bill Cosby told Hampton University’s 2011 class, “Now is the time for you to act upon all the things you see that are wrong in this world. Be honest. Look at them, and begin to work on them. Take your pick.”(Photo: Hampton University)
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Essence Editor-at-Large Susan Taylor, Clark Atlanta University - Editor-in-chief emeritus of Essence magazine and founder of National CARES Mentoring Movement, Susan Taylor delivered Clark Atlanta University’s 2011 commencement address on Monday, May 16. (Photo: Clark Atlanta University)
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Marc Morial, Howard University - “Class of 2011, you have not simply earned a degree from any university, you have earned your degrees today from Howard University, one of this nation’s very, very best and don’t you ever forget it,” the president & CEO of the National Urban League told the graduating class on May 14. (Photo: Howard University)
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Rev. Al Sharpton, Bethune-Cookman University - “You are not responsible for all that happens to you in your life, but you are responsible for what you do with what happens to you in your life. It doesn't matter in life who's on your side if you're not on your own side,” civil rights activist, Reverend Al Sharpton told Bethune-Cookman University’s largest graduating class in history on May 5. (Photo: Bethune-Cookman University)
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Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Havard University - Just because something has not been done as yet doesn’t mean it cannot be done,” Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia’s president since 2006 told graduates at her alma matter of Harvard University on May 26. She gave the commencement address at their 360th graduation commencement. Sirleaf is the first female elected head of an African county.(Photo: Harvard University)
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