Obama celebrates blackness in Howard commencement speech

President Obama
(Image credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

President Obama celebrated blackness in his commencement speech Saturday at Howard University, a historically black school in Washington, D.C. He reflected on the progress black people have made in the face of racism and inequality since 1983, when he graduated from Columbia University.

"A lot of folks didn't even think blacks had the tools to be a quarterback," Obama said. "When I was a graduate, the main black hero on TV was Mr. T."

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.