Former First Lady Michelle Obama made sure to remind the Democratic party that their historical presidential candidate graduated from a historically black college (HBCU) on Wednesday. During her speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC), she praised Kamala Harris’ achievement of being an HBCU graduate before an audience of over 50 thousand people.
Obama’s speech at the DNC helped usher Harris into her new official role as the Democratic presidential candidate of the 2024 Elections. If Harris wins, she will be the first African American woman, HBCU graduate and member of the Divine Nine to serve as president of the United States. Notably, she will also become the first ever female president.
Obama connected a quote from her late mother to the former vice president’s achievements, saying, “Don’t sit around and complain about things…do something!” The best-selling author cited this motto, passed down from her mother, as a driving force behind Harris’ success.
“So with that voice in her head Kamala went out and she worked hard in school, graduating from an HBCU, earning her law degree from a state school, and then she went on to work for the people–fighting to hold lawbreakers accountable.” Obama shared passionately while onstage.
The fashion icon and philanthropist herself, who previously stated that historically black universities (HBCUs) were “foreign” to her during her Chicago childhood, was the keynote speaker at Jackson State University’s 2016 spring commencement where she received an honorary doctorate degree. She also delivered the keynote speech at North Carolina A&T’s spring commencement in 2012.
Harris wore her HBCU roots with pride as she accepted the Democratic nomination, telling the audience that she is “no stranger to unlikely journeys” in her acceptance speech.
The daughter of immigrants, Harris received her bachelor’s degree from Howard University in 1986. During her undergraduate career, she joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and was active in both civil rights protests and student advocacy on campus. She has described her educational experience at Howard as her “formative years”, and calls it the place she discovered her love for politics.
The Democratic National Convention occurs every four years and aims to further promote the Democratic Party as well as encourage activity amongst its members. The DNC was especially popular this year, as over 30,000 people applied to be volunteers at the convention which only permitted credentialed delegates, media and special guests to attend otherwise.
