President Barack Obama said Saturday that 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.”
In a commencement speech at one of the nation’s leading historically black schools, Obama said there were no black CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and few black judges when Columbia University awarded him a bachelor’s degree in 1983.
“I’m not saying gaps do not persist. Obviously, they do,” Obama said. “Racism persists, inequality persists.”
He cited income inequality, an issue in the presidential campaign to choose his successor in November, as well as disparities in unemployment, pay and criminal justice. He also listed disease and conflict worldwide, along with terrorism and climate change as other issues needing attention.
“So make no mistake, Class of 2016. You’ve got plenty of work to do,” said Obama, who was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree. “But as complicated and sometimes intractable as these challenges may seem, the truth is that your generation is better positioned than any before you to meet those challenges.”
The line drew cheers and applause. “That’s a different discussion for another speech,” Obama said.
He urged them to vote and not to fear opposing voices. Many in the audience of about 15,000 chanted “four more years” as Obama received the degree. He cited low voter turnout in general and among younger voters in particular for control of Congress switching from Democratic to Republican during his presidency.
“You don’t think that made a difference in terms of the Congress I’ve got to deal with,” Obama said. “And then people are wondering, well, how come Obama hasn’t gotten this done? Just vote. It’s math.”
“I used to joke about being old. Now I realize I’m old. It’s not a joke anymore,” he said.
Obama is set to speak May 15 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and June 2 at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
source: WTOP.com