Former US President, Barack Obama will honor the high school class of 2020 and give a televised commencement address. The event, hosted by The Lebron James Family Foundation in partnership with XO Institute and The Entertainment Industry Foundation is set to include an all-star celebrity line up including Pharrell Williams, Malala Yousafzai, the Jonas Brothers, Bad Bunny, Yara Shaidi, Ben Platt, Lena Waithe, and H.E.R.
This one-hour primetime special, dubbed “Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 20202”, airs simultaneously on ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, and will be streaming on multiple online platforms including Tik Tok, Facebook, and YouTube on Saturday, May 16th 8pm.
Obama tweeted “I’ve always loved joining commencements––the culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice. Even if we can’t get together in person this year, Michelle and I are excited to celebrate the nationwide Class of 2020 and recognize this milestone with you and your loved ones.”
“This high school graduation season will be anything but ordinary—but that’s all the more reason why the Class of 2020 deserves extraordinary advice, heartfelt encouragement, and hard-won wisdom about facing new challenges in an uncertain world,” said Russlynn Ali, CEO and co-founder of XQ Institute. “We are grateful to President Obama for giving this gift to our nation’s three million high school seniors as they #GraduateTogether.”
Graduating seniors of the Class of 2020 are encouraged to share what they want to see during the graduation ceremony via the Graduate Together website. Submit your own story and the stories others whose stories need to be told.
The former president will be joined by former First Lady Michelle Obama on June 6 to deliver a virtual commencement speech for YouTube’s “Dear Class of 2020” event. The virtual commencement ceremony celebration will honor high school and college seniors, including appearances by Alicia Keys, Kerry Washington, Chloe x Halle, Zandaya, Lady Gaga and more.
Mrs. Obama’s Reach Higher Initiative also will host a full hour of content to kick off the celebration.
On May 16, a two-hour virtual HBCU commencement program “Show Me Your Walk, HBCU Edition,” presented by Chase in partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the United Negro College Fund, the National Association for Equal Opportunity, the National Basketball Association, Paul Quinn College, Howard University and JPMorgan Chase’s Advancing Black Pathways Initiative will air. This national event will bring together graduates and families from 74 HBCUs and include a mix of celebrities, athletes and executives. The event will be livestreamed on May 16at 2 p.m. ET.
President Obama will share a message for HBCU students during this event.
