Last Saturday, First Lady Michelle Obama took the stage at Tuskegee University as the commencement speaker for the class of 2015.
As a recent graduate, someone who graduated on the same day that these particular students did, I did not have to hear how my color may hinder my progress. I did not have to hear that because of America’s past, I may not make it. The commencement speech the president of my university gave was inspiring and it gave me hope and inspired me to want to change the world around me. That was not the case for the First Lady’s Speech.
I find it ironic that the First Lady of the United States of America, whose husband ran on campaign slogans such "Hope” and "Change,” did not give those feelings to the graduates of Tuskegee University.
While Mrs. Obama emphasized America’s difficult past and reminded her audience of the history of Blacks in America, she did not depict a bright future or a future of reality for these students. She conveniently left out facts that determine whether or not these students will be able to find a job, buy a home, or support their future families.
According to the Wall Street Journal writer and Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow, Diane Furchtgott-Roth, the 3.5 million students that will graduate this spring, including the Tuskegee graduates, will have difficulties trying to find a job.
The unemployment rate for young people ages 20 to 24 is 9.6%. For those who are 25 and over it is 4.5%. For the students who majored in education, their future is not bright when there is a system in place that won’t fire bad teachers.
According to Harvard economist Ray Chetty, if teachers in the bottom 5% were replaced with a teacher of average quality it could produce an extra $9000 in a lifetime per student. If the nation’s 3.3 million public-school teachers were placed it would increase a student’s lifetime income by $31 billion.
There are currently seventy percent of graduates that will have student loan debt. According to the New York Federal Reserve, the average debt per student is $27,000. With the current student loan system that is raising tuition, this will be a continuous burden for graduates.
When I listened to First Lady Obama’s speech I did not hear hope, change or truth. Instead, I heard her remind those inspiring and bright graduates about hardships Black people face. I did not hear her address the realities they will face when they decide to start a business. State occupational requirements may persuade them to give up.
So while First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the struggle of the Black community, she forgot one very important factor; her party caused those struggles. She promotes voting for big government policies that one day will tell those very same graduates that she attempts to inspire, they have to serve someone they don’t agree with or they cannot start a business because they don’t meet outlandish requirements.
When she recounts the killing of black males such as Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri she forgets that those cities are ruled by Democrats and impacted by Democratic policies.
Many people may believe that this was a good speech, an inspiring speech, but I disagree. While everyone is focusing on race, which was the bulk of the speech, I have to remember the audience. These students do have a future, they have a future brighter than they can imagine, but those students will never get to their futures if they continue to look back on the past.
As a recent graduate, someone who graduated on the same day that these particular students did, I did not have to hear how my color may hinder my progress. I did not have to hear that because of America’s past, I may not make it. The commencement speech the president of my university gave was inspiring and it gave me hope and inspired me to want to change the world around me. That was not the case for the First Lady’s Speech.
I find it ironic that the First Lady of the United States of America, whose husband ran on campaign slogans such "Hope” and "Change,” did not give those feelings to the graduates of Tuskegee University.
While Mrs. Obama emphasized America’s difficult past and reminded her audience of the history of Blacks in America, she did not depict a bright future or a future of reality for these students. She conveniently left out facts that determine whether or not these students will be able to find a job, buy a home, or support their future families.
According to the Wall Street Journal writer and Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow, Diane Furchtgott-Roth, the 3.5 million students that will graduate this spring, including the Tuskegee graduates, will have difficulties trying to find a job.
The unemployment rate for young people ages 20 to 24 is 9.6%. For those who are 25 and over it is 4.5%. For the students who majored in education, their future is not bright when there is a system in place that won’t fire bad teachers.
According to Harvard economist Ray Chetty, if teachers in the bottom 5% were replaced with a teacher of average quality it could produce an extra $9000 in a lifetime per student. If the nation’s 3.3 million public-school teachers were placed it would increase a student’s lifetime income by $31 billion.
There are currently seventy percent of graduates that will have student loan debt. According to the New York Federal Reserve, the average debt per student is $27,000. With the current student loan system that is raising tuition, this will be a continuous burden for graduates.
When I listened to First Lady Obama’s speech I did not hear hope, change or truth. Instead, I heard her remind those inspiring and bright graduates about hardships Black people face. I did not hear her address the realities they will face when they decide to start a business. State occupational requirements may persuade them to give up.
So while First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the struggle of the Black community, she forgot one very important factor; her party caused those struggles. She promotes voting for big government policies that one day will tell those very same graduates that she attempts to inspire, they have to serve someone they don’t agree with or they cannot start a business because they don’t meet outlandish requirements.
When she recounts the killing of black males such as Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri she forgets that those cities are ruled by Democrats and impacted by Democratic policies.
Many people may believe that this was a good speech, an inspiring speech, but I disagree. While everyone is focusing on race, which was the bulk of the speech, I have to remember the audience. These students do have a future, they have a future brighter than they can imagine, but those students will never get to their futures if they continue to look back on the past.