Betsy DeVos booed while delivering commencement speech

Betsy DeVos.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Mario Tama/Getty Images, travelview/iStock, jessicahyde/iStock)

When she took the stage to deliver Bethune-Cookman University's commencement address Wednesday, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was greeted by the backs of about half of this year's graduates.

Her appearance at the historically black college in Daytona Beach, founded by civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune, was controversial as soon as it was announced. Several students spoke out against her planned attendance and signed petitions urging the school to disinvite DeVos; her appearance was part of an effort by the Trump administration to forge connections with historically black colleges, and many students said they felt the move was disingenuous, especially after Trump last week suggested that a federal financial assistance program that benefits historically black colleges and universities could be unconstitutional (he later said he has "unwavering support" for the colleges and universities).

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.