Our first lady Michelle Obama gave the commencement address at the historic Oberlin College this memorial day. Our first lady was introduced as “inspiring role model, an advocate for poverty awareness, access to higher education and healthy living, lawyer, civic leader.” Michelle Obama was named Doctor of Humanities by Oberlin preceding her commencement address. Oberlin college was the first institution in higher learning in America to grant bachelors degrees to women, and the first to embrace the admission of black students since its foundation in 1833. 1833. That’s 30 years before President Abraham Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation, and 87 years before women gained the right to vote in this country. You’re encouraged to read those last two sentences again. Indeed an ineffably tremendous honor to give the commencement address at such a prestigious, revolutionary institution.
Michelle Obama’s speech was empowering and challenging to anyone with a passionate heart and mind to see the world become a better place. I will proceed to present what I perceived to be the highlights of her speech along with some commentary of my own.
Her words about the dismay that one experiences “outside these walls” resonated deeply in my being. She encouraged the graduates to run to the noise and not away from it. She proceeded to tell the story of a leading suffragist Lucy Stone who was Oberlin alum who ran right into the noise. People screamed at, spat on, and threw prayers books at her when she tried to speak. Her opponents declared allowing women to vote was “unnatural.” And would lead to child neglect and all kinds of social ills. Where have I heard those arguments before?
Her speech was not peachy and romanticized. Indeed, the progress of humanity is incredibly messy business. My knee jerk response to some of what she had to say was distaste. Distaste, because she was honest about human progress. And I don’t have time to wait, I want to see change happen now.
Gridlock was the word that jumped out at me. Gridlock. Gridlock. Gridlock. Gridlock. Gridlock is what I experience when I’m outside of the safe haven of like-minded people at Brite Divinity. This is what I experience at my job as a youth pastor when I try and explain to a group of energetic young students. That sexism is about subverting patriarchy and androcentrism. Therefore gender discrimination is something only women experience. Heterosexism is about the marginalization of and violence towards sexual minorities therefore people who identify as straight cannot experience heterosexism. And on that same note, the conversation of racism is about subverting white supremacist consciousness that many today are unaware they have. Saying white people experience racism would be almost like saying straight people experience heterosexism. Or that people who fit into kinesthetic norms experience ableism. Those statements would be asinine, because those words do not belong in the same sentence. And then *blank stares* Gridlock.
Gridlock is what I experience after I leave the pulpit and people are angry that I condemned the unjust and corrupt “criminal justice system” where police officers can get away with murder. As long the person who they murdered was a minority and “their life was in danger.” I can’t comprehend how that upsets people. There has yet to be a time in America when white people with some kind of state sanctioned power are not taking the lives of racial minorities and not being prosecuted. When people read history books 50 years from now they will see that systemically, not much change happened between 2015 and 1960. If you think I’m wrong, ask yourself how you feel about the progress made America made for black people following the emancipation proclamation in 1863 and the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950’s and 60’s. Although, in my opinion, it was a lot of progress, it was minimal. Blacks went from slaves and property to slightly human - on a good day. Thankfully, we’re beginning to see glimpses of justice for people In the black community, but I predict things will get worse before they get better. I pray I’m wrong.
People will read everything I just wrote, and after I have run out of words, passion and intellectual capacity and they will still argue with me. Then, I will proceed to question whether anything I’m standing for is worth my being. Gridlock.
Back to Michelle Obama.
She reminded the graduates of Dr. King and his colleagues who faced fire hoses and dogs, insults and assaults and beatings for their cause, and of the 1 woman at the Seneca Falls Womens Suffrage Convention in 1848, who lived to see women cast their votes.
All of those brave women who fought for their cause, all of them but one lived to see their victory. Countless lives of people in the black community were taken during the days of Dr.King and his movement. Human progress is painfully slow. Anyone who has hopes and dreams to see the world change for the better must accept the reality that your efforts more than likely not be seen in your lifetime. Maybe not even in your children’s lifetime. Your hopes and dreams may very well go to the grave with you.
Michelle Obama claimed that change happens in increments. Little by little. How bitingly frustrated and angry this truth makes me. Another thing she said that made me uncomfortable was that the graduates would have to make some “painful compromises.” Compromise? She lost me. I’m too passionate and too committed to the causes that I’m committed to. I can’t compromise. Can we? Should we?
Lucy Stone spent most of her life advocating for partial suffrage. She had to compromise. Because she knew full suffrage for women in her context was simply too radical and too controversial. After much scrutiny FDR eventually agreed to a social security plan that only covers 60% of workers in America.
She went on to ask if they were sellouts and traitors to their cause. My answer: Absolutely. Michelle Obama: “I don’t think so.” I deeply appreciate her humility. She claimed that If those leaders could just get everyone to take that first step then folks would keep moving in the right direction. Even if was painfully slow. Week after week. Season after season. Year by year. Decade after decade. Generation by generation.
A childhood friend of mine of whom I was the best man in his wedding is a Marine and believes America is the Kingdom of God. Not literally, but pretty much. He believes in the goodness and righteousness of law enforcement and that everyone who has ever been murdered by the police has gotten what she or he deserves. He believes that probably just as passionately as I think that’s the biggest load of shit since that of the sick triceratops in Jurassic Park. I love my friend no less today than I did than when he we were in grade school. And I know he would say the same about me.
In the real world their are people believe differently than you. And Michelle Obama speaks a truth when she says “You can’t shut them out.” They’re people too. And we have to learn to share the cosmos. As much as I enjoy being around like-minded people, it’s detrimental to not get caught up in my ego and my ideologies and still have the grace to give all people their humanity.
Michelle Obama reminded us that all of our heroes compromised in some way or another. I despise that thought. But it’s true. Prophets are from another time, and they must have the wisdom to recognize the times that they wish to bring into the present are simply out of reach. They have not arrived, and probably won’t in her/his lifetime. However, they must continue to pave the way for what can and will be one day.
“…These are the revolutions of your time and you have as much responsibility and just as much power to wake up and play your part in our great American story because it is absolutely still possible to make a difference...The great moments in our history are not decades in our past, they’re happening right now, today, in our lifetime.” She says.
She begins to close her speech by encouraging the graduates to be involved in elections and be aware of who in office both locally and nationally. “Get out and vote in every election,” she says. I’m cynical about offices of power in our country, both republican and democrat, so I don’t dabble too much with voting, but as Michelle reminded that graduates, “You don’t get be cynical.” Although there is plenty to be cynical about perhaps I’ll begin to think more deeply about how offices in power can be avenue by which things are accomplished. I feel defeated, and hopeless a lot of times and therefore I can’t fully accept Michelle Obama’s statement that the “overwhelming majority of people in this country are open-minded and big hearted…”I don’t know if it is because I spent some of the most formative years of my life around fundamentalist Christians, but that just hasn’t been true in my life, nor do I feel like it’s true for this country historically. I feel like her speech only pointed out how close-minded, and uncompassionate people are and have been in this country.
Michelle Obama’s speech was empowering and challenging to anyone with a passionate heart and mind to see the world become a better place. I will proceed to present what I perceived to be the highlights of her speech along with some commentary of my own.
Her words about the dismay that one experiences “outside these walls” resonated deeply in my being. She encouraged the graduates to run to the noise and not away from it. She proceeded to tell the story of a leading suffragist Lucy Stone who was Oberlin alum who ran right into the noise. People screamed at, spat on, and threw prayers books at her when she tried to speak. Her opponents declared allowing women to vote was “unnatural.” And would lead to child neglect and all kinds of social ills. Where have I heard those arguments before?
Her speech was not peachy and romanticized. Indeed, the progress of humanity is incredibly messy business. My knee jerk response to some of what she had to say was distaste. Distaste, because she was honest about human progress. And I don’t have time to wait, I want to see change happen now.
Gridlock was the word that jumped out at me. Gridlock. Gridlock. Gridlock. Gridlock. Gridlock is what I experience when I’m outside of the safe haven of like-minded people at Brite Divinity. This is what I experience at my job as a youth pastor when I try and explain to a group of energetic young students. That sexism is about subverting patriarchy and androcentrism. Therefore gender discrimination is something only women experience. Heterosexism is about the marginalization of and violence towards sexual minorities therefore people who identify as straight cannot experience heterosexism. And on that same note, the conversation of racism is about subverting white supremacist consciousness that many today are unaware they have. Saying white people experience racism would be almost like saying straight people experience heterosexism. Or that people who fit into kinesthetic norms experience ableism. Those statements would be asinine, because those words do not belong in the same sentence. And then *blank stares* Gridlock.
Gridlock is what I experience after I leave the pulpit and people are angry that I condemned the unjust and corrupt “criminal justice system” where police officers can get away with murder. As long the person who they murdered was a minority and “their life was in danger.” I can’t comprehend how that upsets people. There has yet to be a time in America when white people with some kind of state sanctioned power are not taking the lives of racial minorities and not being prosecuted. When people read history books 50 years from now they will see that systemically, not much change happened between 2015 and 1960. If you think I’m wrong, ask yourself how you feel about the progress made America made for black people following the emancipation proclamation in 1863 and the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950’s and 60’s. Although, in my opinion, it was a lot of progress, it was minimal. Blacks went from slaves and property to slightly human - on a good day. Thankfully, we’re beginning to see glimpses of justice for people In the black community, but I predict things will get worse before they get better. I pray I’m wrong.
People will read everything I just wrote, and after I have run out of words, passion and intellectual capacity and they will still argue with me. Then, I will proceed to question whether anything I’m standing for is worth my being. Gridlock.
Back to Michelle Obama.
She reminded the graduates of Dr. King and his colleagues who faced fire hoses and dogs, insults and assaults and beatings for their cause, and of the 1 woman at the Seneca Falls Womens Suffrage Convention in 1848, who lived to see women cast their votes.
All of those brave women who fought for their cause, all of them but one lived to see their victory. Countless lives of people in the black community were taken during the days of Dr.King and his movement. Human progress is painfully slow. Anyone who has hopes and dreams to see the world change for the better must accept the reality that your efforts more than likely not be seen in your lifetime. Maybe not even in your children’s lifetime. Your hopes and dreams may very well go to the grave with you.
Michelle Obama claimed that change happens in increments. Little by little. How bitingly frustrated and angry this truth makes me. Another thing she said that made me uncomfortable was that the graduates would have to make some “painful compromises.” Compromise? She lost me. I’m too passionate and too committed to the causes that I’m committed to. I can’t compromise. Can we? Should we?
Lucy Stone spent most of her life advocating for partial suffrage. She had to compromise. Because she knew full suffrage for women in her context was simply too radical and too controversial. After much scrutiny FDR eventually agreed to a social security plan that only covers 60% of workers in America.
She went on to ask if they were sellouts and traitors to their cause. My answer: Absolutely. Michelle Obama: “I don’t think so.” I deeply appreciate her humility. She claimed that If those leaders could just get everyone to take that first step then folks would keep moving in the right direction. Even if was painfully slow. Week after week. Season after season. Year by year. Decade after decade. Generation by generation.
A childhood friend of mine of whom I was the best man in his wedding is a Marine and believes America is the Kingdom of God. Not literally, but pretty much. He believes in the goodness and righteousness of law enforcement and that everyone who has ever been murdered by the police has gotten what she or he deserves. He believes that probably just as passionately as I think that’s the biggest load of shit since that of the sick triceratops in Jurassic Park. I love my friend no less today than I did than when he we were in grade school. And I know he would say the same about me.
In the real world their are people believe differently than you. And Michelle Obama speaks a truth when she says “You can’t shut them out.” They’re people too. And we have to learn to share the cosmos. As much as I enjoy being around like-minded people, it’s detrimental to not get caught up in my ego and my ideologies and still have the grace to give all people their humanity.
Michelle Obama reminded us that all of our heroes compromised in some way or another. I despise that thought. But it’s true. Prophets are from another time, and they must have the wisdom to recognize the times that they wish to bring into the present are simply out of reach. They have not arrived, and probably won’t in her/his lifetime. However, they must continue to pave the way for what can and will be one day.
“…These are the revolutions of your time and you have as much responsibility and just as much power to wake up and play your part in our great American story because it is absolutely still possible to make a difference...The great moments in our history are not decades in our past, they’re happening right now, today, in our lifetime.” She says.
She begins to close her speech by encouraging the graduates to be involved in elections and be aware of who in office both locally and nationally. “Get out and vote in every election,” she says. I’m cynical about offices of power in our country, both republican and democrat, so I don’t dabble too much with voting, but as Michelle reminded that graduates, “You don’t get be cynical.” Although there is plenty to be cynical about perhaps I’ll begin to think more deeply about how offices in power can be avenue by which things are accomplished. I feel defeated, and hopeless a lot of times and therefore I can’t fully accept Michelle Obama’s statement that the “overwhelming majority of people in this country are open-minded and big hearted…”I don’t know if it is because I spent some of the most formative years of my life around fundamentalist Christians, but that just hasn’t been true in my life, nor do I feel like it’s true for this country historically. I feel like her speech only pointed out how close-minded, and uncompassionate people are and have been in this country.
Trying to change the world is messy business. There’s nothing romantic about it. And I applaud Michelle Obama for being a truth teller. Not that I like what she said, because I don’t. Because I want the freedom and equality of all human beings and the eradication of injustice to be a more romantic and flowery task, but it’s furthest from that. I and anyone else who desire to fight for a better humanity must accept this truth.
Our first lady is an impressive woman. I deeply appreciate Michelle Obama and her words to the Oberlin graduates on Memorial Day. Her truthful, honest, and authentic speech that I, for one wasn’t ready for, but needed to hear, reminded us of the dirty, messy, painstaking, excruciating, never-ending, maddening work of making the world a better place.
What she had to say reminded to the graduates and all that there is hope in the midst of hopelessness, and that although things may not seem like they’re worth fighting for they certainly are. Michelle Obama reminded us of the ugliness and gridlock we’re all getting ourselves into and probably won’t be able to get out of, but empowered us to get into it anyway. Because it is worth it. We desperately needed to hear that.
Thanks Obama. Michelle, of course.
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