emarks by the First Lady at Tuskegee UniversityCommencement Address

　　Tuskegee University

　　Tuskegee, Alabama

　　12:30 P.M. CDT

　　MRS. OBAMA: Thank you all. (Applause.) Thank you so much. (Applause.) Let’s let ourgraduates rest themselves. You’ve worked hard for those seats! (Applause.)

　　Let me start by thanking President Johnson for that very gracious introduction, and for awardingme with this honorary degree from an extraordinary institution. I am proud to have this degree --very proud. (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you so much. (Applause.)

　　I want to recognize Major General Williams; Congresswoman Sewell; Zachary; Kalauna; to all of thetrustees, the faculty, the staff here at Tuskegee University. Thank you -- thank you so much forthis warm welcome, this tremendous hospitality. And I'm so glad to be here. (Applause.)

　　Before I begin, I just want to say that my heart goes out to everyone who knew and loved EricMarks, Jr. I understand he was such a talented young man, a promising aerospace engineer whowas well on his way to achieving his dream of following in the footsteps of the Tuskegee Airmen. And Eric was taken from us far too soon. And our thoughts and prayers will continue to be withhis family, his friends, and this entire community. (Applause.)

　　I also have to recognize the Concert Choir. Wow, you guys are good! Well done! (Applause.) Beautiful song. (Applause.) And I have to join in recognizing all the folks up in the stands -- theparents, siblings, friends -- (applause) -- so many others who have poured their love and supportinto these graduates every step of the way. Yeah, this is your day. (Applause.) Your day. (Applause.)

　　Now, on this day before Mother’s Day, I’ve got to give a special shout-out to all the moms here. (Applause.) Yay, moms! And I want you to consider this as a public service announcement foranyone who hasn’t bought the flowers or the cards or the gifts yet -- all right? I’m trying to coveryou. (Laughter.) But remember that one rule is “keep mom happy.” (Laughter.) All right? (Applause.)

　　And finally, most of all, I want to congratulate the men and women of the Tuskegee UniversityClass of 2015! (Applause.) T-U!

　　AUDIENCE: You know!

　　米歇尔·奥巴马的演讲从6′开始

　　(http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XOTU3MTY5ODQw.html?tpa=dW5pb25faWQ9MTAyMjEzXzEwMDAwMl8wMV8wMQ)

　　MRS. OBAMA: I love that. (Applause.) We can do that all day. (Laughter.) I'm so proud of youall. And you look good. (Applause.) Well done!

　　You all have come here from all across the country to study, to learn, maybe have a little fun alongthe way -- from freshman year in Adams or Younge Hall -- (applause) -- to those late night foodruns to The Coop. (Applause.) I did my research. (Applause.) To those mornings you woke upearly to get a spot under The Shed to watch the Golden Tigers play. (Applause.) Yeah! I've beenwatching! (Laughter.) At the White House we have all kinds of ways. (Laughter.)

　　And whether you played sports yourself, or sang in the choir, orplayed in the band, or joined a fraternity or sorority -- aftertoday, all of you will take your spot in the long line of men andwomen who have come here and distinguished themselves andthis university.

　　You will follow alums like many of your parents andgrandparents, aunts and uncles -- leaders like Robert RobinsonTaylor, a groundbreaking architect and administrator here whowas recently honored on a postage stamp. (Applause.) You will follow heroes like Dr. BoyntonRobinson -- (applause) -- who survived the billy clubs and the tear gas of Bloody Sunday in Selma. The story of Tuskegee is full of stories like theirs -- men and women who came to this city, seizedtheir own futures, and wound up shaping the arc of history for African Americans and allAmericans.

　　And I’d like to begin today by reflecting on that history -- starting back at the time when the Armychose Tuskegee as the site of its airfield and flight school for black pilots. (Applause.)

　　Back then, black soldiers faced all kinds of obstacles. There were the so-called scientific studies thatsaid that black men’s brains were smaller than white men’s. Official Army reports stated that blacksoldiers were “childlike,” “shiftless,” “unmoral and untruthful,” and as one quote stated, “if fed, loyaland compliant.”

　　So while the Airmen selected for this program were actually highly educated -- many already hadcollege degrees and pilots licenses -- they were presumed to be inferior. During training, they wereoften assigned to menial tasks like housekeeping or landscaping. Many suffered verbal abuse at thehands of their instructors. When they ventured off base, the white sheriff here in town called them“boy” and ticketed them for the most minor offenses. And when they finally deployed overseas,white soldiers often wouldn’t even return their salutes.

　　Just think about what that must have been like for those young men. Here they were, trained tooperate some of the most complicated, high-tech machines of their day -- flying at hundreds ofmiles an hour, with the tips of their wings just six inches apart. Yet when they hit the ground, folkstreated them like they were nobody -- as if their very existence meant nothing.

　　Now, those Airmen could easily have let that experience clip their wings. But as you all know,instead of being defined by the discrimination and the doubts of those around them, they becameone of the most successful pursuit squadrons in our military. (Applause.) They went on to showthe world that if black folks and white folks could fight together, and fly together, then surely --surely -- they could eat at a lunch counter together. Surely their kids could go to school together. (Applause.)

　　You see, those Airmen always understood that they had a “double duty” -- one to their countryand another to all the black folks who were counting on them to pave the way forward. (Applause.) So for those Airmen, the act of flying itself was a symbol of liberation for themselvesand for all African Americans.

　　One of those first pilots, a man named Charles DeBow, put it this way. He said that a takeoff was --in his words -- “a never-failing miracle” where all “the bumps would smooth off… [you’re] in theair… out of this world… free.”