provides extensive remembrance. it highlights their lives. what they contributed to our local community. be artainly always will near and dear place for us. we are keeping a serenity garden, a prayer chapel. on american history tv, we will visit the san bernardino history and reverent museum, and talk about the importance of the railroad to san bernardino. located in the 1918 santa fe depot, a museum contains many objects related to the city's railroad history. >> construction was completed in 1918. every placed the wooden approximately was 100 yards east appeared that burn in 1960. to house the division headquarters at this

location at that time. >> watch the c-span cities tour -- city tour today at 2 p.m. eastern. the c-span cities tour, working with our cable affiliates and bidding -- visiting cities across the country. this year first lady michelle obama was the commencement speaker for the graduates of jackson state university. in her speech, the first lady discussed the schools segregated past and encourage students to exercise their right to vote. this is 30 minutes. >> let me start by thanking dr. myers for that wonderful introduction and more her leadership of the spine university. mayor want to thank garber, representative thompson, and all the elected officials and members of congress who are here with us today, as well as mr. perry. all of the trustees.

of course all of the faculty and staff here at jackson state, let's take a moment to give it up to the people who helped you to hear. thank you all for your incredible hospitality. i would not be anywhere else but here. i may be a little jetlagged, but i'm here right now to celebrate all of you. so i'm grateful. both of theto thank choirs and the band for that beautiful music. you all are amazing. before we go way in, we have to give it up to all the folks in the stands to help you all get here. but moms, dads, brothers, sisters, grandparents, cou sins, friends, neighbors. all of you. give it up. [applause] wantinally, most of all, i

us to join in congratulating -- what a good-looking group, the men and women of jackson state university class of 2016. [applause] you all deserve all of that and more, because i know how hard you work to make it to the day studying late into the night. writing and rewriting those papers. taking all those exams. oh my lord. but i also heard that you happen to be able to have some fun over these past years as well. , joining up on fridays of the horseshoe. don't get too excited, mom and dad are in the stands. homecoming and tiger fest. rocking the house with one of

the best bands in the country, the sonic booms of the south. all are the superb 16 as i hear you call yourselves. and you are about to join a storied legacy from this university. a school that began as a tiny, ptist just 22 and strong. today it has a legacy that reaches across the country in the state, and right here into this very stadium. that is actually where i would like to start my remarks today this storiedry -- stadium and its place in our nations history. back in 1950 when the stadium's bill, it was one of the finest stadiums in the country. quickly became the pride of mississippi. but the story of his beautiful complex also has a darker side.

of a steelinstead and concrete tribute to segregation. because jim crow law meant that only white teams and fans were allowed through these gates. 19 52 during an ole miss football game, the stadium became the site of what was essentially a pro-jim crow rally with fans waving confederate flag and singing a song called never know never. the admission of an african-american students of the university. by halftime, they convinced the governor to even speak. he said just three senses. he said i love mississippi, i love her people, our customs. i love and respect our heritage. the crowd went wild because they knew exactly what he meant. one smallwas just moment in a struggle of civil rights that inflamed this entire country. but often burned hotter right

here in mississippi. the state were a 14 euro boy named emmett till lesbian and murder. evers wasar assassinated. where freedom riders over florida jails were gunshots and bring out here on your campus. , killing young people and littering one of your dorms with what holds still seen today. bullet holes still seen today. it was against that backdrop, that one day in october of 1967, something truly extraordinary happened in the stadium. , legal and political pressures have been mounting for the state to be segregated. and that fall, the state finally announced that for the first teamsto black teens -- would get to play in the stadium. [applause]

moment, you can only imagine the pressure those teams and their fans were feeling. long, this field had been the pride of white and white on the mississippi. and now, black fans would fill the stands. black coaches would patrol the sidelines. lack players with sweat and lead on this deal. -- this field. how would the world respond? with those forces of sector -- segregation rise up and protest or worse? one of the players at the time said there were certainly potential for it to become a very ugly situation. so they jackson state coach of the time thought hard about how to prepare his team. he said his players down and told them to stay focused on two goals. first, beat grambling state of course. one of the best teams in the country.

above and set a good example. he said because the whole state, the whole country would be watching. so the players make sure their shoes were shined, their laces tied. they took special pain not to accidentally write anything in the locker room. said, wef the players all wanted to be representatives of our families, our hometowns, our communities. we wanted to take care of that stadium as much as we could, so it would be there for the next black team. and then they went out and they played their hearts out. ,nd jackson state won that game giving grambling its only loss of the season. but more importantly, the world when blackuld happen folks came into the stadium.

what did they see? they sell people enjoying a football game. same kind of skills and sportsmanship and chatterjee of any other game. andy simply showing displaying sportsmanship, there's players and coaches and fans joined the long line of heroes who made history in this country. and our schoolhouses, department stores, lunch counters, and everywhere else. have been using the same time testing approach that has always move this country forward. they did not stoop to the level of those who thought to -- sought to impress them. just the opposite. they rose up. they combated smallmindedness with dignity, integrity, and excellence. is the well-worn task that

so many men and women before us have taken. famous civil rights leaders and ordinary folks who face down dogs and fire hoses with prayer and hope. for dr. king told us, he said darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. graduates, i'm here today to tell you that that approach to life is not just something you should read about in the history books. it is a roadmap for how to live your life everything will day. and how do i know? because i have seen the power of that approach up close and personal. see when i hear words like dignity and excellence, i think about my husband. [applause]

see i know i am biased, and i do think he is cute too -- host [applause] but, as i've walked this journey with barack, i've gotten a pretty look -- good look at what it means to rise above the fray. what it means to set your eyes on the horizon, to devote your life are making things better for those that will come after you. i have seen how no matter what kind of ugliness is going on at any particular moment, barack always stays the course. him stay up late night after night, reading and writing and wrestling with the impossible decisions that a president is forced to make. i have been inspired by his tireless effort to engage people of all backgrounds, respectfully listening to folks who disagree with him. bringing folks together to solve

our common problems. week, i see him read the letters he gets from people across this country, and let me tell you he writes back, because he knows that they are who he serves. i see him dedicating himself to helping folks on the margins. folks who often don't have a voice. that is the work of his life. from his days as a q&a the organizer in chicago to his time in the white house today. know that empathy, that preparation, that moral compass, that relentless work ethic, has led to so much progress over the past seven years. we have gone from the brink of another great depression in this country to our business is creating more than 14 million new jobs. beennemployment rate has cut in half. our deficits are down by

our high school graduation rates are highest on record. over 22 million people now at health insurance. people in this country are finally free to marry the person they love. the vastobal stage, majority of our troops are home today. not puttingtry is our heads in the sand on climate change. we are leading the way to stop it. i could go on and on. that is the progress we've seen under this presidency. that is the kind of change we all hoped was possible eight years ago. yet, too often, instead of acknowledging or celebrating his chains, we have a tendency to focus on conflict and controversy. we day and his intention to folks you are blocking actions, blocking judges, blocking immigration, blocking a raise in the minimum wage. just blocking. we are consumed with the anger.

using hateful and divisive language. and then there are countless times when that language is personal, and it is directed at my husband. charges that he does not love our country. the time he was called a liar in front of a joint session of congress. i know, i know that politics has always been a rough sport. folks can get heated in the midst of contentious debate. in light of today's 24-hour news our facebook phase are limited to the voices of folks who think exactly like we do. radios tvs and rating -- are exclusively tuned in to those who tell us only what we want to hear. it is not surprising that are disagreements have become more personal. more intense.

we tooot surprising that often demeanor dismissed opinions that are different than our own. but we would be kidding ourselves if we did not acknowledge that these age-old issues that have always broiler the problems that a lot of folks are rather brush under the rug, those challenges are still with us today. we cannot deny. graduates, even in these also times, it would be unfair for us to do the changes we have seen in a generation. no longer can we be barred from a university or hotel or or forced to use a separate bathroom a water found because of the color of our skin. to protest us by demanding that we respect the constitution or correctly guess the number of jelly beans in a jar before we are allowed to

grow. so yes, we continue to make progress here in america. but, we also know that the shadows of the past have not completely disappeared. despite all the progress he made, i know that so many of you still see the shadows everything will day. -- every single day. maybe it is when you're driving summer, and you stop for no particular reason. youe it is one of the store enter, folks seem to keep her next or close eye on you when you shop. maybe it was when he walked down the sidewalk and folks walk on the other end of the street. law is passed about the kind of id you need to cast your vote. maybe it is all those schools that despite law are still very much separate and unequal. for the criminal justice system that still does not provide full and equal justice for far too many. or those neighborhoods that are

struggling still to overcome the painful legacy of the past. i wish i could say otherwise, graduates. but, the question is not whether you are going to come face to face with these issues, the question is how you're going to respond when you do. are you going to throw up your hands and say that progress will never come? are you going to get angry? inward,going to turn and just give in to despair and frustration. ? or are you going to take a deep breath, straighten your shoulders, lift up your head, and do what barack obama has says whene, when he they go low, i go high. that is the choice barack and i have made. that is what has kept us sane over the years. faith in do not allow

our hearts, minds, or souls were doctors. e faith. we choos faith in ourselves. faith in our god whose overwhelming love sustains us everything the day. that is what we choose. love.ose our love for a children. our commitment to leaving them a better world. our love for our country which has given us so many blessings and advantages. our love for our fellow citizens, parents working hard to spur the kids. many women in uniform who risked everything to keep us safe. young people from the toughest background to never stop believing in their dreams. a young people like so many of you. that is what we choose. and we choose excellent.

we choose to tune out all the noise and strive for excellence in everything we do. no cutting corners, no taking shortcuts, no whining. we gave 120% everything that time because excellence is the most powerful answer you can give to the doubters in the haters. also the most powerful thing you can do for yourself. because the process of striving and struggling, and pushing yourself to new heights, that is how you develop your god-given talent. that is how you make yourself stronger and smarter, and more able to make a difference for others. so those are the choices that barack and i have made. because in the end, we know our history and we know that there will be challenges and obstacles

always. that what wenow are dealing with today is nothing, nothing compared to the violence, discrimination, and hatred that folks face decades ago. and while this may feel like a and we may be rightfully horrified by the divisive rhetoric we are hearing in public conversation, while we that werokenhearted are still dealing with the issues of poverty and mass incarceration and gun violence, it is remarkable progress that these issues are seeing the light of day at all. it is remarkable progress that the vast majority of americans in all corners of the country vehemently disagree with this hateful language. it is remarkable progress that we are having these conversations on a national level, and not just in that communities, but in all commute.

so graduates, make no mistake about it. this moment presents a historic opportunity for change. more thaneneration, any generation in our history, andy has the tools opportunities you need to see this moment. i want you to think about this. today more african-americans are graduating from college. succeeding in our workplace, taking positions in leadership, and reporting rater optimism about the future. optimism by the way that i very much share. so the question is, are you ready to step up and use your power and your privilege to make change? the legacy of those who came before you who fought so hard, sacrificed so much so that you could be here in the stadium wearing those beautiful cap singh downs today.

if you have any questions as to what that legacy is, let me just share with your quick story. several months ago, i was meeting with a group of teenage and oneom washington dc of them asked me what do you think dr. king would say about everything going on today? . i told her that none of us can really answer that question, but i said that dr. king would probably answer with a simple question and that is -- did you vote? did you vote? that id the young women think dr. king would be very concerned that after folks like mega reverence and so many others gave their lives fighting thathe right to vote, today and him as every election, more than half of young african-americans have essentially disenfranchised s.emselve

african american youth turnout was less than 20% in the 2014 mentors. here in mississippi is almost lower. certainly lower. but what dr. king understood was the purest pass to progress in america runs straight through the voting booth. that has been the key to every single stride that we have taken in this country from fighting discrimination to passing health care. it all starts with the ballot. so graduates, as you seek to develop urine strategy to address the problems that so plague our communities, i just ask you to remember that the power of voting is real and lasting. so you can #all of her instagram and twitter, but those social movements will disappear faster than a snapchat if you are not also registered to vote. if you are not also sending in your absentee ballots.

if we fail to exercise our fundamental right to know, that i guarantee that so much of the progress we fought for will be under threat. congress will still be good that. statehouses will continue to roll back voting rights and write discrimination into the lot. we see right here in mississippi to be ago just how quickly progress can hurt a backwards. so we have got to stand side-by-side with all of our neighbors. straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, muslim, jew, christian, hindu, immigrant, native american. it is about making things more just, more equal, more free or all of our kids and grandkids. that is the story you all have the opportunity to write.

that is what this historic university has prepared you to do. and graduates, when you encounter small slights or small people, i hope and i pray that you stand tall and responds with dignity and grace because no one , no one ever succeeds in this world by playing small. you to graduates, i want remember decades from now, someone will be standing here where i am standing today. they will be telling that new class of graduates about all of you, so we are counting on you to live lives worthy of retelling, lives that will inspire our next generation to keep walking that cap to righteousness and doing the work to fulfill that dream. here's the thing, i know you can do that and so much more.

that is why i am here. i'm so proud of you all for making it to this day, for pushing and fighting. i know that if you hold tight to the example of the folks that have let us this far, if you choose faith and love, if you strive for dignity and excellence, then there is absolutely nothing you cannot achieve. i say that from the bottom of my heart because i am not here because i am special. it, can be here, you can do too. if you ever doubt the impact you can have, i just want you to think back to the story of this school, this great school you are now part of. that tiny little seminary as you see it now, a distinguished university, one of the largest hbcus in the country.

this is your alma mater pushing forward in so much more. that is your legacy. -- that jackson state football coach i mentioned earlier, his full name is rocking and he went on to be our first african-american secretary of education. [applause] rally fort segregation in these stands singing never, no never, just 50 years later are country elected an african-american president for his second term declaring yes we can. [applause] graduates, that is what is possible in this country of ours . that is the direction history can take when courageous counted young people like all of you step up and lead the way. i know you've got