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If you're one of the many people missing a graduation ceremony this year because of coronavirus social distancing practices, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and many other celebrities want to help lift your spirits.
On May 5, the former president announced he'd be speaking at twovirtual graduation ceremonies this year. The first, called Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020,took place on Saturday, May 16, and was hosted by XQ Institute, The LeBron James Family Foundation, and The Entertainment Industry Foundation. The special was televised on all major networks and social media platforms, but if you missed it you can watch in full here.
Obama will also be delivering a commencement address during YouTube's virtual "Dear Class of 2020" event, which will stream at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 7. (The four+ hour event was originally scheduled to air on June 6, but the date has been moved in honor of George Floyd’s memorial service.)
In addition to Barack Obama, commencement speeches will also be given by Michelle Obama, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, BTS, Lady Gaga, Secretary Robert M. Gates, Sundar Pichai, Secretary Condoleezza Rice, and Malala Yousafzai.
View this post on InstagramSEE ALSO:15 best celebrity graduation speeches to watch online
YouTube partnered with the Obamas and Reach Higher — the education initiative Michelle started back in the White House — to carry out the event, and brought together 25 graduates from the Class of 2020 to write and deliver a joint speech to fellow seniors.
"Dear Class of 2020" will also feature performances by Lizzo and The New York Philharmonic, BTS, Chloe x Halle, Katy Perry, Megan Thee Stallion, and more. Celebrities including Stephen Colbert, Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart, Billie Eilish, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Michael B. Jordan, John Mulaney, Seth Rogen, Taylor Swift, and the cast of Schitt's Creekwill also make appearances. And the YouTube Originals event will feature more than a dozen YouTube creators as well.
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You can learn more about the YouTube event and "RSVP" to the virtual celebration here. And on June 7, you can tune into the YouTube Originals channelor the Learn@Home siteto watch. We're also including a link to the stream below.
As noted on Reach Higher's website, "Over the past month, President and Mrs. Obama have received dozens of requests from around the globe to address graduating classes whose in-person commencement events have been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic."
Several virtual graduation ceremonies have already taken place or are set to in the coming months, but 17-year-old Lincoln Debenham, a graduating senior at Eagle Rock High School in California, spearheaded the push for Obama to deliver a national commencement speech.
"Like most high school/college seniors, I'm saddened by the loss of milestone events, prom & graduation. In an unprecedented time, it would give us great comfort to hear your voice. We ask you to consider giving a national commencement speech to the class of 2020," Debenham tweeted at Obama in April.
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Debenham's tweet went viral and inspired many other Twitter users to tweet at Obama using the hashtag #ObamaCommencement2020.
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It looks like his efforts paid off, and shortly after the Obamas announced their virtual graduation plans Debenham tweeted his appreciation to both Barack and Michelle.
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"It feels amazing to see how well the tweet did. I never imagined it would get to this point but it goes to show how much it resonated with people," Debenham said in a Twitter DM when asked about his original tweet to Obama.
"Everybody, not just graduates, could use this to lift their spirits. It really means so much to me and the class of 2020 that Mr. and Mrs. Obama agreed to do this. Those are people who led our generation for so long and have left the greatest impact on us for sure," he added.
You've gotta love when the power of the internet is used for good.
UPDATE: May 5, 2020, 12:43 p.m. EDT Updated to include comment from Lincoln Debenham.
UPDATE: June 5, 2020, 9:12 a.m. EDT Updated with additional details on "Dear Class of 2020," which will now debut on Sunday, June 7, instead of Saturday, June 6.
TopicsMichelle ObamaYouTubeBarack ObamaPolitics
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