Michelle Obama gave an inspiring speech to City College of New York graduates June 3, 2016, in New York City. In the speech—her final commencement address as first lady—she spoke about the White House and the fact that it was built by slaves.
“It’s the story that I witness every single day when I wake up in a house that was built by slaves,” she told the Class of 2016. “And I watch my daughters, two beautiful black young women, head off to school, waving goodbye to their father, the president of the United States; the son of a man from Kenya who came here to America for the same reasons as many of you: to get an education and improve his prospects in life,” the first lady stated.
The first lady also spoke about the diversity of the Class of 2016 and about how there are certain people out there who don’t embrace diversity.
“Here in America, we don’t give in to our fears. We don’t build up walls to keep people out because we know that our greatness has always depended on contributions from people who were born elsewhere but sought out this country," she stated as a direct slight to a certain person running for president.
In addition to giving a riveting speech, Obama was presented with an honorary doctorate of humane letters by James Milliken, the chancellor of the City University of New York.
Take a look at the speech below.