Because here’s the thing -- the road ahead is not going to be easy. It never is, especially for folkslike you and me. Because while we’ve come so far, the truth is that those age-old problems arestubborn and they haven’t fully gone away. So there will be times, just like for those Airmen, whenyou feel like folks look right past you, or they see just a fraction of who you really are.

　　The world won’t always see you in those caps and gowns. They won’t know how hard youworked and how much you sacrificed to make it to this day -- the countless hours you spentstudying to get this diploma, the multiple jobs you worked to pay for school, the times you had todrive home and take care of your grandma, the evenings you gave up to volunteer at a foodbank or organize a campus fundraiser. They don't know that part of you.

　　Instead they will make assumptions about who they think you are based on their limited notion ofthe world. And my husband and I know how frustrating that experience can be. We’ve both feltthe sting of those daily slights throughout our entire lives -- the folks who crossed the street in fearof their safety; the clerks who kept a close eye on us in all those department stores; the people atformal events who assumed we were the “help” -- and those who have questioned our intelligence,our honesty, even our love of this country.

　　And I know that these little indignities are obviously nothing compared to what folks across thecountry are dealing with every single day -- those nagging worries that you’re going to getstopped or pulled over for absolutely no reason; the fear that your job application will beoverlooked because of the way your name sounds; the agony of sending your kids to schoolsthat may no longer be separate, but are far from equal; the realization that no matter how far yourise in life, how hard you work to be a good person, a good parent, a good citizen -- for somefolks, it will never be enough. (Applause.)

　　And all of that is going to be a heavy burden to carry. It can feel isolating. It can make you feellike your life somehow doesn’t matter -- that you’re like the invisible man that Tuskegee grad RalphEllison wrote about all those years ago. And as we’ve seen over the past few years, those feelingsare real. They’re rooted in decades of structural challenges that have made too many folks feelfrustrated and invisible. And those feelings are playing out in communities like Baltimore andFerguson and so many others across this country. (Applause.)

　　But, graduates, today, I want to be very clear that those feelings are not an excuse to just throwup our hands and give up. (Applause.) Not an excuse. They are not an excuse to lose hope. Tosuccumb to feelings of despair and anger only means that in the end, we lose.

　　But here’s the thing -- our history provides us with a better story, a better blueprint for how wecan win. It teaches us that when we pull ourselves out of those lowest emotional depths, and wechannel our frustrations into studying and organizing and banding together -- then we can buildourselves and our communities up. We can take on those deep-rooted problems, and together --together -- we can overcome anything that stands in our way.

　　And the first thing we have to do is vote. (Applause.) Hey, no, not just once in a while. Not justwhen my husband or somebody you like is on the ballot. But in every election at every level, all ofthe time. (Applause.) Because here is the truth -- if you want to have a say in your community, ifyou truly want the power to control your own destiny, then you’ve got to be involved. You gotto be at the table. You’ve got to vote, vote, vote, vote. That’s it; that's the way we moveforward. That’s how we make progress for ourselves and for our country.

　　That’s what’s always happened here at Tuskegee. Think about those students who made brickswith their bare hands. They did it so that others could follow them and learn on this campus, too. Think about that brilliant scientist who made his lab from a trash pile. He did it because heultimately wanted to help sharecroppers feed their families. Those Airmen who rose above brutaldiscrimination -- they did it so the whole world could see just how high black folks could soar. That’s the spirit we’ve got to summon to take on the challenges we face today. (Applause.)

　　And you don’t have to be President of the United States to start addressing things like poverty,and education, and lack of opportunity. Graduates, today -- today, you can mentor a youngperson and make sure he or she takes the right path. Today, you can volunteer at an after-schoolprogram or food pantry. Today, you can help your younger cousin fill out her college financial aidform so that she could be sitting in those chairs one day. (Applause.) But just like all those folkswho came before us, you’ve got to do something to lay the groundwork for future generations.

　　That pilot I mentioned earlier -- Charles DeBow -- he didn’t rest on his laurels after making history. Instead, after he left the Army, he finished his education. He became a high school English teacherand a college lecturer. He kept lifting other folks up through education. He kept fulfilling his“double duty” long after he hung up his uniform.

　　And, graduates, that’s what we need from all of you. We need you to channel the magic ofTuskegee toward the challenges of today. And here’s what I really want you to know -- you havegot everything you need to do this. You’ve got it in you. Because even if you’re nervous orunsure about what path to take in the years ahead, I want you to realize that you’ve goteverything you need right now to succeed. You’ve got it.

　　You’ve got the knowledge and the skills honed here on this hallowed campus. You’ve got familiesup in the stands who will support you every step of the way. And most of all, you’ve gotyourselves -- and all of the heart, and grit, and smarts that got you to this day.

　　And if you rise above the noise and the pressures that surround you, if you stay true to who youare and where you come from, if you have faith in God’s plan for you, then you will keep fulfillingyour duty to people all across this country. And as the years pass, you’ll feel the same freedomthat Charles DeBow did when he was taking off in that airplane. You will feel the bumps smoothoff. You’ll take part in that “never-failing miracle” of progress. And you’ll be flying through the air,out of this world -- free.

　　God bless you, graduates. (Applause.) I can’t wait to see how high you soar. Love you all. Veryproud. Thank you. (Applause.)

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