2020 is only half over, and major life events continue to be canceled or postponed, including graduation ceremonies for the class of 2020.
In response, YouTube put together an all-hands-on-deck special web event called Dear Class Of 2020, which was streamed live on Sunday.
Megastars such as Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Jennifer Lopez joined Barack and Michelle Obama, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson and many others to congratulate and celebrate graduating college and high school seniors remotely, while also taking time to acknowledge the unique moment the world finds itself in.
From the heart: Beyonce delivered a truly emotional and pointed commencement address as part of YouTube’s special web event called Dear Class Of 2020 on Sunday
Lizzo kicked off the virtual festivities with a beautiful flute rendition of popular graduation standard Pomp And Circumstance, followed by inspiring welcome messages from Alicia Keys and Justin Timberlake.
Soon after, Beyonce appeared to deliver a truly emotional and pointed commencement address, touching on everything from the unjust killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery to sexism in the entertainment industry.
The central message of Beyonce’s lengthy statement: ‘Keep investing and keep betting on yourself.’
Meaningful: Michelle Obama also appeared with her husband and alone to speak to graduates
Lighter note: Taylor Swift also shared her thoughts
‘You have arrived in the midst of a global crisis,’ Knowles, 38, began, before mentioning both the coronavirus pandemic as well as the recent instances of violence and murder inflicted on the American black community which she said has ‘left us all broken.’
‘It has left the entire country searching for answers,’ she continued, later saying ‘The earth is ripping that bandaid off so we can see our wounds. That’s when true healing begins.’
Then, addressing the graduates in particular, the Countdown hitmaker said, ‘The real change has started with you,’ and ‘You are the answer to a generation of prayers.’
Queen Bey then talked about the value of not following the path well-trodden, and how ‘stepping out is the best thing you can do in self discovery.’
‘There was a pivotal term in my life when I chose to start my own business a couple of years ago,’ she shared, noting how difficult and scary the prospect was – even for her.
‘The entertainment industry is still very sexist,’ Beyonce stated, specifying that there is ‘not a lot of female representation.’
‘There were not enough black women were at the table,’ she also said, ‘and that meant I had to chop down my own wood and make my OWN table.’
Later in her stirring speech, Beyonce talked about her art and her mission of ‘showing the beauty of black lives to the world.’
‘To our future leaders: know that you’re about to make the world turn. I see you.
‘And to the young kings: lean into your vulnerability,’ she said.
‘You do have to spread your gift around the world in a way that feels authentic. Your queerness is beautiful. Your blackness is beautiful. Your compassion, your fight — is beautiful. It’s your time now.’
Knowles also addressed people’s detractors and the value of respect.
‘If you’ve ever been called dumb, unattractive,’ Beyonce said, ‘…so have I.
‘Now is the time to turn those criticisms into fuel to become a beautiful beast!’
‘Respect is everything,’ she also said. ‘The world will respect you if you respect yourself.’
put in that work. There
blessed to have won 24 grammys, lost 46 times
losing can be the best motivator to get the wins
In closing, Beyonce said, ‘My prayer for you is that you invest in yourself
I pray that you continue to celebrate and value lives that appear diff from your own
w your wins you may start to notice others spending time trying to bring you down
let that vuln motivate you into greatness
I remain a work in progress
when you bet on yourself you’ve making an invest in to your own future
ev thought in your mind is powerful – word you speak
even action you take
we’ve seen the power of the collective
pls continue to be the voice for the voiceless
if you make a mistake, that’s ok too
hold ourselves accountable and change
i urge you to let this current moment push you
wherever you can find hope – follow it.
you are never alone – lean into the power of togetherness
be it. be about it. Keep your eye on your intention
this is a crucial time
brink of a huge world shift
keep investing and keep betting on yourself.
The livestream event enjoyed appearances from: Billie Eilish, Missy Elliot, Chris Martin and so many others over the course of three-four hours on Sunday