Barack Obama’s 2020 Graduation Speech

Barack Obama’s 2020 graduation speech is the message for 2 minutes 20 seconds that makes even the middle-aged people admire.

“The truth is you don’t need us to tell you what you need to do. Because in many ways it’s your job to lead the way.”

On May 17, Barack Obama’s 2020 graduation speech was published on his Twitter account. The purpose was to congratulate the high school graduating class in 2020 as well as teachers, parents – who have been guiding their children. You are on your way to the future. This new generation of students is heavily influenced by the COVID-19 epidemic and faces unprecedented challenges at the threshold of life.

Mr. Obama’s speech was both concise and witty but also included deep and timely issues. In particular, his 2-minute and 20-second message is something that not only new graduates in 2020 but anyone from young to middle-aged people should be well aware of and act on in context. COVID-19 epidemic now:

Hi everybody! I am extremely proud of what you have done during your time with the Obama Foundation. And of course, I am extremely proud of all the students in the High School Graduation Class in 2020 (Class of 2020) – as well as the teachers, the coaches, and above all the parents and relatives. guided you along the way.

In any case, high school graduation is still a great achievement. To come today, many of you have had to overcome great obstacles, be it illness, your parents losing your job, or living in a place where people often discriminate against you.

In addition to the usual challenges of adolescence, all of you had to deal with the growing pressure of social media development, news of school shootings, and obsession. of climate change. Then, just as you are about to celebrate what you have overcome to overcome difficulties, and when you are looking forward to the evening classes of the last class, the graduation ceremonies, a global pandemic suddenly turns upside down.

Although I am sure that you love your parents, I would also bet that being stuck at home with them and playing games or watching the Tiger King documentary on TV doesn’t look like what you thought about the last months. same of student time.

I would like to share with you sincerely that the frustrations of missing a graduation ceremony will pass quite quickly. I myself don’t remember much about my high school graduation ceremony. Not having to sit around and listen to a speaker speak at graduation is also not bad – the same ceremonies I’ve attended often last too long.

Also, not everyone wearing a graduation cap looks good, especially if you have ears as big as mine. Besides, you will still have the opportunity to see your friends again when this medical crisis ends.

Yet it is still true that your graduation marks your entry into adulthood – the moment you start taking charge of your life. That’s when you are deciding what is important to you: what career you want to pursue. Who do you want to get married to? The values ​​you want to live up to. And given the current state of the world, making those decisions can be a little scary.

If you were planning to go to college, get your parents to enroll in school in the fall – this is no longer a natural thing. If you have a plan to work and go to school, finding that first job will be more difficult. At a time when even the well-off families were coping with great uncertainty. Those who had struggled for a living before, are now living like hanging on a hair.

All of this means that you will have to grow faster than a few other generations. This pandemic rocked the status quo and exposed many long-standing problems of the United States – from widespread economic inequality to the still racial inequities still present to the lack of basic health care is absent for those who need care.

The pandemic has awakened so many young people to realize the fact that the old ways of operating simply are no longer effective; that it doesn’t matter how much money you make when everyone around you is hungry, suffering; that our society and democracy only work when we think not only for ourselves but also for others.

A pandemic reveals a harsh truth, something that we all must accept after all from our childhood. Remember the adults we thought were in control of the situation and knew what they were doing? Turns out they didn’t have all the answers themselves. Many of them don’t even know how to ask the right questions. So if this world can make progress, it is up to you.

This perception sounds frightening indeed. But I hope it inspires you too. With all the challenges this country now faces, no one can tell you, “No, you’re too young to understand” or “This is how we used to do this. “Because the situation has so many uncertainties, and suddenly there is a strong situation. Everyone starts spontaneously, this world suddenly becomes a world that your generation needs to reshape.

Barack Obama’s 2020 graduation speech then continued with some tips for young graduates.

Since I’m one of those people who are also old, I won’t tell you what to do with the power you have. But I will leave you with three brief tips:

Firstly, do not be afraid. America has had hard times before – slavery and civil war, famine and disease, the Great Depression, and the 9/11 event. And each time we overcome and become stronger, often thanks to a new generation of young people like you. You have learned from past mistakes and realized how to make things better work.

Second, do what you think is right. Only do what we like, what is convenient, what is easy – the way children think. Unfortunately a lot of people who are temporarily called adults, including some people with important titles and jobs, still think that way. And this is why things are so chaotic now.

I hope that instead of being like them, you decide to attach yourself to enduring values. These are honesty, hard work, sense of responsibility, fairness, generosity, respect for others. Not every time you do everything right, then you will make the same mistake as we all do.

But if you listen to the truth hidden within yourself, even if the truth is harsh, even if it causes inconvenience, others will be aware of it. They will reach out to be with you. And you will be part of the solution, not a difficult problem.

And finally, let’s build a community. Nobody can do big things on their own. Right now when people are scared it’s too easy for us to feel cynical and start thinking about it, we just worry about ourselves, our family members, people who look like us, people who think like me, people who pray like me.

But if we can get through this hard time successfully. If we can create a world where everyone has the opportunity to get a job, to have enough money to pay for college. We can now preserve the environment and defeat future pandemics. Then we will have to do all of that together.

So feel thrilled, sympathetic to the struggles of another person. Stand up to protect the rights of another. Leave behind the old ways of thinking that divide us, such as gender discrimination, racial prejudice, low caste, greed. And let’s put this world on another trajectory.

When you need help, Michelle and I have set up our Foundation’s mission to provide young people like you with the skills and support to help you lead your own communities and connect with connects you with other young leaders across the country and across the globe.

But, the truth is you don’t need us to tell you what you need to do. Because in many ways you have started to lead the way.

Congratulations, Graduation Course 2020. Please continue to make us proud!

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