Harris congratulates HBCU graduates in video message for graduation season

WASHINGTON -- Graduating students astatine historically Black colleges and universities crossed the state are receiving good wishes via a video greeting from a salient chap alumna: Vice President Kamala Harris.

“As a arrogant HBCU graduate, I cognize firsthand the worth of attending an instauration similar yours,” the vice president says successful a congratulatory video that has already been met with daze and applause during graduation ceremonies.

The astonishment video, which has debuted astatine a fistful of HBCU commencement ceremonies successful the past week, volition look astatine astir fractional of each HBCUs successful the country, according to the White House.

“You permission present having been taught that you tin bash and beryllium anything. And that you person a work beryllium excellent. To enactment to uplift the information of each people. And to combat to support our astir cardinal rights and freedoms,” Harris says successful the pre-recorded message.

Harris is the archetypal HBCU postgraduate elected to the vice presidency and has been embraced by the tight-knit communities that situation galore of those historical schools since her clip successful nationalist politics. Last year, she included HBCUs successful a nationwide circuit to rally young voters to “fight for cardinal freedoms and rights.”

“We were ecstatic to get the message,” said Quinton Ross, president of Alabama State University, which aired the video during graduation ceremonies earlier this month. “Everyone was excited erstwhile her look came connected the surface to springiness that message.”

The Biden medication has allotted a grounds $7 cardinal successful backing for HBCUs, an concern that the Biden run has highlighted successful its outreach to Black voters.

Harris’ connection to graduates comes arsenic the White House faces aggravated disapproval and protests connected galore assemblage campuses from young voters implicit its handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Students are besides dissatisfied with the authorities of acquisition domestically, arsenic galore universities grapple with accrued scrutiny connected DEI programs from blimpish activists and lawmakers and the fallout of the Supreme Court's ruling that ended affirmative action.

But Harris' commencement connection does not broach those hot-button issues; Instead, she strikes a enactment of solemnisation for students' world achievements.

“We request your dependable and we request your leadership," Harris says successful the video. "In our schools, hospitals, courtrooms, arsenic tech founders, entrepreneurs, engineers, scientists and leaders astatine the highest levels of government. We request you to proceed to enactment to physique a brighter aboriginal for our federation and our world. And you are ready.”

Dietra Trent, enforcement manager for the White House Initiatives connected HBCUs, said the vice president is sending the close message, "especially successful an situation wherever the state arsenic a full is, to immoderate extent, rolling backmost immoderate of the gains that radical of colour and peculiarly African Americans person made.”

Trent cited restrictions connected the teaching of African American past and stringent election laws enacted successful immoderate states arsenic examples of policies adversely affecting Black Americans.

The White House received a precocious fig of requests for Harris to talk successful idiosyncratic astatine HBCU commencements since the opening of the year, Trent said.

“This is the COVID class. These are students who came into assemblage successful 2020, truthful this 2024 people is truly conscionable a peculiar people due to the fact that they faced obstacles that, honestly, galore of america person ne'er had to look arsenic relates to education,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat who has spearheaded outreach to HBCUs and young voters of color.

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Matt Brown is simply a subordinate of the AP’s Race and Ethnicity team. Follow him connected societal media.

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