commencement speaker

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oprah Winfrey paused before talking politics Friday as she stood in front of a crowd of graduates at the University of Southern California. Then she decided it was safe. “The rumors from my last big speech have finally died down,” she said to laughter and applause. That speech at the Golden […]

First Lady Michelle Obama stood on the stage at Tuskegee University and told her truth. In a passionate and candid speech, the First Lady told a 2015 graduating class at Tuskegee University how she overcame her own personal insecurities and sleepless nights after she was mocked by the media and conservatives who took deliberate aim […]

A group of Rutgers University students have taken their stand against Condoleezza Rice being their commencement speaker to the next level. Fifty or so of them have staged a sit-in at an administrative building on the New Brunswick, N.J., campus, NJ.com reports. They are carrying signs with slogans like “No Honor for War Criminals” and […]

Shonda Rhimes is heading back to her alma mater in June. The Emmy-nominated creator of “Scandal,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice” has been chosen to deliver the main 2014 commencement address at Dartmouth College, the school has announced. Rhimes graduated from the college in 1991, with a bachelor’s degree in English literature and creative writing. […]

You would think most Americans would be eager to attend a speech when the keynote speaker is Michelle Obama, one of the most popular First Ladies in U.S. history. But not in Topeka, Kansas some parents and students would prefer if Mrs. Obama stayed home instead of speaking at a local high school graduation ceremony. […]

Roland Martin talks to H. Patrick Swygert, President Emeritus at Howard University about the controversial decision to allow Diddy to speak at the 2014 Spring commencement, at the disapproval of some of its students. “The decision to invite a commencement speaker is a decision of the board of trustees, typically made upon the recommendation of the […]

First Lady Michelle Obama will deliver the 2014 commencement speech at Dillard University in New Orleans, LA on May 10th. The University is supporting the First Lady’s higher education initiative and doing their part to answer the President’s call to ensure that by the year 2020, America once again has the highest proportion of college graduates in […]

Not everyone is pleased that Sean “Diddy” Combs plans to deliver the commencement speech at Howard University on May 10. In fact, some black folks are actually scratching their heads in disbelief. They took to Twitter to ask Howard University officials to explain their decision. Some argue that Howard should have selected a Howard graduate […]

It’s graduation season and high-profile commencement speakers are being announced left and right! The latest celebrity to grace the pages of a graduation program is Scandal star Kerry Washington. According to reports, the actress will give the commencement address at her alma mater, George Washington University, on May 19th. Along with giving the keynote speech, the 1998 graduate […]