President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Oklahoma GovernorMary Fallin in the Oval Office, May 20, 2013. The President spoke with Gov. Fallin to express his concern for those who have been affected by the severe weather beginning last night and continuing today. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
As the President told Governor Fallin tonight, the administration — through FEMA — is committed to providing all the assistance it can to Oklahoma as the response effort unfolds. Already, FEMA has deployed an Incident Management Assistance Team, Urban Search & Rescue Teams, and an Medical Emergency Response Support Team to provide resources to hard-hit areas in Oklahoma.
FEMA is urging those in impacted areas to listen carefully to instructions from local officials, and to take the recommended protective measures. Residents should monitor local radio or TV stations, or the National Weather Service at www.weather.gov.
As the response effort develops, here is a list of resources for those affected:
“It is one of the great honors of my life to be able to address this gathering here today,” President Obama told the graduates. “Your generation is uniquely poised for success unlike any generation of African Americans that came before it.”
President Barack Obama is reflected in a mirror as he talks with Chief of Staff Denis McDonough prior to participating in the commencement ceremony at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., May 19, 2013. A painting of the President stands in the foreground. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
“It is one of the great honors of my life to be able to address this gathering here today,” President Obama told the graduates. He spoke about Morehouse’s history, and “ the unique sense of purpose that this place has always infused — the conviction that this is a training ground not only for individual success, but for leadership that can change the world.”
“Your generation is uniquely poised for success unlike any generation of African Americans that came before it,” President Obama said.
But that doesn’t mean we don’t have work — because if we’re honest with ourselves, we know that too few of our brothers have the opportunities that you’ve had here at Morehouse. In troubled neighborhoods all across this country — many of them heavily African American — too few of our citizens have role models to guide them. Communities just a couple miles from my house in Chicago, communities just a couple miles from here — they’re places where jobs are still too scarce and wages are still too low; where schools are underfunded and violence is pervasive; where too many of our men spend their youth not behind a desk in a classroom, but hanging out on the streets or brooding behind a jail cell.
My job, as President, is to advocate for policies that generate more opportunity for everybody — policies that strengthen the middle class and give more people the chance to climb their way into the middle class. Policies that create more good jobs and reduce poverty, and educate more children, and give more families the security of health care, and protect more of our children from the horrors of gun violence. That’s my job. Those are matters of public policy, and it is important for all of us — black, white and brown — to advocate for an America where everybody has got a fair shot in life. Not just some. Not just a few.
Graduates react as President Barack Obama delivers remarks during the commencement ceremony at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., May 19, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
“But along with collective responsibilities, we have individual responsibilities,” the President said. “As Morehouse Men, you now wield something even more powerful than the diploma you’re about to collect — and that’s the power of your example. So what I ask of you today is the same thing I ask of every graduating class I address: Use that power for something larger than yourself.”
So, yes, go get that law degree. But if you do, ask yourself if the only option is to defend the rich and the powerful, or if you can also find some time to defend the powerless. Sure, go get your MBA, or start that business. We need black businesses out there. But ask yourselves what broader purpose your business might serve, in putting people to work, or transforming a neighborhood. The most successful CEOs I know didn’t start out intent just on making money — rather, they had a vision of how their product or service would change things, and the money followed.
Some of you may be headed to medical school to become doctors. But make sure you heal folks in underserved communities who really need it, too. For generations, certain groups in this country — especially African Americans — have been desperate in need of access to quality, affordable health care. And as a society, we’re finally beginning to change that.
“And finally, as you do these things, do them not just for yourself, but don’t even do them just for the African American community. I want you to set your sights higher,” President Obama said. “It’s not just the African American community that needs you. The country needs you. The world needs you.”
Success may not come quickly or easily. But if you strive to do what’s right, if you work harder and dream bigger, if you set an example in your own lives and do your part to help meet the challenges of our time, then I’m confident that, together, we will continue the never-ending task of perfecting our union.
President Barack Obama delivers remarks during the commencement ceremony at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, May 19, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
First Lady Delivers Commencement Addresses at Bowie State, Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School
First Lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks during the Bowie State University commencement at the Comcast Center in College Park, Md., May 17, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
On Friday, First Lady Michelle Obama delivered the commencement address to the Bowie State University Class of 2013. Bowie State, which opened just two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, “was founded not just to educate African Americans, but to teach them how to educate others,” the First Lady explained.
And since then, generations of students from all backgrounds have come to this school to be challenged, inspired and empowered. And they have gone on to become leaders here in Maryland and across this country, running businesses, educating young people, leading the high-tech industries that will power our economy for decades to come.
That is the story of Bowie State University, the commitment to educating our next generation and building ladders of opportunity for anyone willing to work for it. All of you are now part of that story. And with that tremendous privilege comes an important set of responsibilities — responsibilities that you inherit the moment you leave this stadium with that diploma in your hand.
On Saturday, she traveled to Nashville to speak to the graduating class of Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School. The First Lady took the opportunity to talk to the students – all of whom are going on to higher education or the military – about some of the skills they’ll need as they make their way through college and through life: resilience, grit, and the ability to pick themselves up when they fall.
And here’s the thing, graduates: These qualities are not ones that you’re born with. They’re not like the color of your eyes or your height. They’re not qualities that are beyond your control. Instead, you can dictate whether you’ll have grit. You decide how hard you’ll work. So I want you to make those choices right now, today, if you haven’t already done so. Make those choices. I want you to tell yourself that no matter what challenges you face, that you will commit yourself to achieving your goals, no matter where life takes you.
But, she said, “do not waste a minute living someone else’s dream.”
Each of us has unique gifts. But it takes a lot of work, a lot of real work to discover what brings you joy. It just doesn’t happen; it requires you spending some time. And you won’t find what you love simply by checking boxes or padding your GPA. You won’t figure it out only by listening to your guidance counselor, or your friends, or even your parents. You can only find your passion by looking inside yourself. And that’s hard work.
First Lady Michelle Obama Delivers Commencement Address at MLK, JR. Magnet High School Commencement
Published on May 18, 2013
The First Lady, Michelle Obama, delivers the commencement address to graduates of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Academic Magnet High School for Health Sciences and Engineering at Historic Pearl High in Nashville, TN on May 18 at 1:00 PM. The school serves approximately 1,200 students in grades 7 through 12 with a curriculum that emphasizes mathematics and science. Housed in the historic Pearl High School building, MLK is consistently ranked among the best public schools in the nation for its academic rigor and high graduation rate.
The First Lady Michelle LaVaughn Obama At Bowie State University Commencement.
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Weekly Address: The President Talks About How to Build a Rising, Thriving Middle Class
President Obama talks about his belief that a rising, thriving middle class is the true engine of economic growth, and that to reignite that engine and continue to build on the progress we’ve made over the last four years, we need to invest in three areas: jobs, skills and opportunity.
The First Lady, Michelle Obama, delivers the commencement address to graduates of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Academic Magnet High School for Health Sciences and Engineering at Historic Pearl High in Nashville, TN on May 18 at 1:00 PM. The school serves approximately 1,200 students in grades 7 through 12 with a curriculum that emphasizes mathematics and science. Housed in the historic Pearl High School building, MLK is consistently ranked among the best public schools in the nation for its academic rigor and high graduation rate.
President Obama came to Morehouse College, the alma mater of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on Sunday to tell graduates, 50 years after Dr. King’s landmark “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, that “laws, hearts and minds have been changed to the point where someone who looks like you can serve as president of the United States.”
The president tied Dr. King’s journey to his own, speaking in forthright and strikingly personal terms about his struggles as a young man with an absent father, a “heroic single mother,” supportive grandparents and the psychological burdens of being black in America.
“We know that too many young men in our community continue to make bad choices,” Mr. Obama said. “I have to say, growing up, I made quite a few myself. Sometimes I wrote off my own failings as just another example of the world trying to keep a black man down.”
“But one of the things you’ve learned over the last four years is that there’s no longer any room for excuses,” the president told the 500 or so graduates, who greeted him enthusiastically.
“Along with collective responsibilities, we have individual responsibilities,” Mr. Obama added. “There are some things, as black men, we can only do for ourselves.”
Senior Profiles
Anre Washington
Betesegaw Tadele
Nathaniel Goulbourne
Reginald Sharpe
Georgia Father and Son Graduate Together from Morehouse College
Published on May 19, 2013
Two men named Dorian Joyner graduated on Sunday from Morehouse College in Georgia. They are a father and son who have supported each other as classmates and family.
Dorian Joyner Sr., 46, was a student at Atlanta’s Morehouse College in 1988 when he decided to take some time off from school to pursue a career opportunity in computers. Over the next 20 years, he worked as a senior analyst in data and finance for several major corporations, including a large law firm.
After growing more and more interested in law, he went back to school in 2006 to get an associate’s degree in paralegal studies to make sure he really loved law before investing time and money in law school.
In 2010, Joyner Sr. approached his son to tell him about his decision to go back to Morehouse.
“I just told him to repeat the question one more time and repeat the answer one more time because I thought I heard a different answer,” Dorian Joyner Jr., 23, told ABCNews.com with a laugh. “I thought he was coming to visit friends. He was coming back as a student.”
The two were never in the same class, but shared some of the same teachers. Joyner Sr. chuckled as he recalled teachers doing a double-take when they saw that they had a Dorian Joyner in their class when they had previously taught one of a different age.
“When we saw each other, we’d greet each other, talk to each other and see how the other was doing in classes,” Joyner Jr. said. “Sometimes, people would walk past us when we were talking and say, ‘Wow, you two look just alike.’”
“The only thing he doesn’t do is say, ‘Dad,’ on campus. He’ll call me Dorian,” Joyner Sr. said.
Joyner Sr. said that on campus, he fit in by dressing like the other guys and carrying his backpack. He said that most students kept their distance from “the old guy” for the first few months of each semester until after the first group project, when he realized how he excelled in presentations from all of his work experience. Then, they flocked to be in his group.
Their roles were reversed, with Joyner Jr. keeping a watchful eye on his father at school.
“He acts like he’s my father on campus,” Joyner Sr. said. “He’ll say, ‘Did you get your class? Did you register?’ He makes sure to check up on everything.”
On Sunday, both donned caps and gowns to graduate with a mutual pride in each other.
“I’m definitely proud of him,” Joyner Jr. said. “I’m proud of him as a man to go back and fulfill a degree. A lot of people his age have a family, have a career and really don’t have the time or finance to go back to school. The fact that he took the opportunity to find financing and time to go back to school while maintaining a social life and a family is very astounding. That’s hard to do.”
“It’s just going to be an exciting time all around,” Joyner Sr. said. “It makes me proud. I watched him struggle through school and he’s my firstborn, so it really makes me proud.”
President Obama gave the commencement speech at Morehouse’s graduation ceremony.
The school is one of the country’s leading historical black colleges and universities. Alumni include Martin Luther King Jr., Spike Lee and Samuel L. Jackson, among others.
Dorian Joyner, Sr. and Dorian Joyner, Jr.
President Obama’s Morehouse College Commencement Speech – Part I
Published on May 19, 2013
ATLANTA – President Barack Obama delivered the commencement address during the 129th commencement exercises at Morehouse College on Sunday.
President Obama’s Morehouse College Commencement Speech – Part II
Published on May 19, 2013
ATLANTA – President Barack Obama delivered the commencement address during the 129th commencement exercises at Morehouse College on Sunday.
President Obama’s Morehouse College Commencement Speech – Part III
Published on May 19, 2013
ATLANTA – President Barack Obama delivered the commencement address during the 129th commencement exercises at Morehouse College on Sunday.
Rain poured down on the crowd throughout the ceremony, forcing many in attendance to don plastic ponchos, and thunder rang out and lightning flickered in the sky as Obama wound down his speech. The president stayed dry on stage but sympathized with the rain-soaked graduates and attendees, even noting that his wife, Michelle Obama, would not be pleased with the rainy day because of what it would do to her famous hair.
“You all are going to get wet, and I’d be out there with you if I could, but Secret Service gets nervous. So I’m going to have to stay here dry, but know that I’m there with you in spirit,” he said. “Michelle would not be sitting in the rain. She has taught me about hair.”
President Barack Obama, in a soaring commencement address on work, sacrifice and opportunity, told graduates of Morehouse College Sunday to seize the power of their example as black men graduating from college and use it to improve people’s lives.
Noting the Atlanta school’s mission to cultivate, not just educate, good men, Obama said graduates should not be so eager to join the chase for wealth and material things, but instead should remember where they came from and not “take your degree and get a fancy job and nice house and nice car and never look back.”
“So yes, go get that law degree. But if you do, ask yourself if the only option is to defend the rich and powerful, or if you can also find time to defend the powerless,” Obama declared. “Sure, go get your MBA, or start that business, we need black businesses out there. But ask yourself what broader purpose your business might serve, in putting people to work, or transforming a neighborhood.”
History Will Be Made This Sunday, May 18th, 2013, When Barack Hussein Obama Becomes The FIRST Black President To Give The 129th Commencement Address At The Historically Black Morehouse College.
President Barack Obama will be the speaker for Morehouse College’s 129th Commencement in May, Morehouse President John Silvanus Wilson Jr. ’79 announced Saturday, Feb. 16.
Commencement 2013 Information
General Information
Parking decks will open at 5:00 a.m. for ticketed guests only.
All guests must show their Commencement tickets for entry into the designated parking areas.
Metered parking also will be available on the surface streets surrounding the campus.
Doors will open to ticketed guests at 6:00 a.m.
Airport-like security check-points for ticketed guests will be located in the Brawley Hall parking lot (Building #26 on the Campus Map). [Make the yellow highlighted words a live link to the campus map]
Seating will be allowed from 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m., after which all persons must be seated.
Seating on the Century Campus will be governed by color-coded tickets. There will be clear signage and ushers to assist in seating.
No food or drink will be allowed into the venue.
No umbrellas, large purses, large bags (including book bags and baby bags), metal sticks or pipes, and the like will be allowed.
No one will be allowed to access the stage.
Attendees may take photos using cell phones or small cameras from their seats. Only authorized photographers may take photos beyond the seating areas.
The 129thCommencement exercises at Morehouse College will take place – rain or shine – on the Century Campus (the yard between Graves Hall and Harkness Hall).
If weather is inclement or severe (heavy rain, thunderstorms, tornado watch/warning) a delay in the start of the ceremony may be necessary. Should that be the case, instructions will be announced on site to graduates and guests. If the ceremony is underway but is interrupted by severe weather, graduates and guests should follow instructions as announced.
Student Government Association President Major: Sociology Hometown: Hinesville, Ga. After graduation: Spending six months working for a Washington, D.C.,
consulting firm then for the Congressional Black Caucus
President, Morehouse College International Chapel Assistants Major: Religion Hometown: Lithonia, Ga. After graduation:Pursuing a master of divinity degree at Yale Divinity School Read Full Profile»
Nathaniel Goulbourne
Member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity; highest-ranking accounting graduate Major: Accounting Hometown: Toronto, Ontario After graduation: Working as an investment banker with the Bank of Montreal in Toronto Read Full Profile»
Dorian Joyner Sr. and Dorian Joyner Jr.
Father and son graduates Majors: Religion; English Hometowns: Roosevelt, N.Y.; Lithonia, Ga. After graduation: Father –pursuing degrees in law and business
administration; Son – attending film school
For family members and friends who are unable to attend Baccalaureate or the 129thMorehouse College Commencement, please note that the College will offer a live web stream during both events on Saturday, May 18, 2013 and Sunday, May 19, 2013.
RT @RaniaKhalek: Another reminder that teachers are heroes -- PHOTO: Teachers carry children after OKC tornado destroyed school http://t.co…Still A MilitantNegro 11 hours ago
First Lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks during the Bowie State University commencement at the Comcast Center in College Park, Md., May 17, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
Jueseppi B.
