Michelle Tells Grads They Must Call Out Their Grandparents’ Racism

"And so, graduates, it’s up to all of you to lead the way, to drag my generation and your grandparents’ generation along with you. 

And that’s really my challenge to all of you today.  As you go forth, when you encounter folks who still hold the old prejudices because they’ve only been around folks like themselves, when you meet folks who think they know all the answers because they’ve never heard any other viewpoints, it’s up to you to help them see things differently. 

And the good news is that you probably won’t have to bring a lawsuit or go all the way to the Supreme Court to do that. You all can make a difference every day in your own lives simply by teaching others the lessons you’ve learned here in Topeka. 

Maybe that starts simply in your own family, when grandpa tells that off-colored joke at Thanksgiving, or you’ve got an aunt talks about “those people.”  Well, you can politely inform them that they’re talking about your friends.  (Applause.)  

Or maybe it’s when you go off to college and you decide to join a sorority or fraternity, and you ask the question, how can we get more diversity in our next pledge class?  Or maybe it’s years from now, when you’re on the job and you’re the one who asks, do we really have all the voices and viewpoints we need at this table?  Maybe it’s when you have kids of your own one day, and you go to your school board meeting and insist on integrating your children’s schools and giving them the resources they need. 

But no matter what you do, the point is to never be afraid to talk about these issues, particularly the issue of race.  Because even today, we still struggle to do that."