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President Obama’s speeches at HBCUs

We look back at the speeches the president has had at HBCUs during his tenure

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    Barack Obama
    President Barack Obama gives his commencement address to the 2016 graduating class of Howard University in Washington, Saturday, May 7, 2016. Obama says the country is “a better place today” than when he graduated from college more than 30 years ago, citing his historic election as “one indicator of how attitudes have changed.” AP Photo/Susan Walsh
    Rhiannon Walker By @InstantRHIplay

    On Tuesday morning, ESPN’s The Undefeated announced A Conversation with The President: Sports, Race and Achievement – a one-hour student forum with President Barack Obama hosted by North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Oct. 11 at 10 p.m. EST.

    “We are honored to host this town hall featuring the president at one of the leading historically black universities in the country,” said Kevin Merida, ESPN senior vice president and editor-in-chief of The Undefeated. “We expect a vibrant conversation about the present and the future, and about the challenges facing black students.”

    President Obama will discuss lessons in leadership; the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative, which aims to address opportunity gaps faced by all youth including boys and young men of color; the current role and legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities; athletes and social activism; the Obama Administration’s actions to provide opportunity for students and more. The President will also take questions from the audience.

    In total, President Obama has given three of the 11 speeches U.S. presidents have given at HBCUs. By comparison, Ivy Leagues have only had nine commencement speeches given by sitting presidents. Here is a look back at the conversations that Obama has had at HBCUs during his tenure:

    May 9, 2010: Hampton University commencement speech:

    May 19, 2013: Morehouse College commencement speech:

    May 7, 2016: Howard University commencement speech:

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Rhiannon Walker is an associate editor at The Undefeated. She is a drinker of Sassy Cow Creamery chocolate milk, an owner of an extensive Disney VHS collection, and she might have a heart attack if Frank Ocean doesn't drop his second album.

    This Story Tagged: Barack Obama Hampton University North Carolina A&T Aggies Morehouse College Race … View All A Conversation with The President Howard University