DAY 86

This afternoon I watched Dear Class of 2020, a virtual graduation ceremony hosted on YouTube. The program began with Lizzo playing Pomp and Circumstance on the flute, joined by the New York Philharmonic on a Zoom type concert. Scenes of young people protesting the ongoing injustice against people of color played in the background.  The first speaker was Alecia Keys, talking about the challenges of graduating at this time in history, and particularly in relation to the killing of George Floyd and all of the protests happening around the world.

Barack and Michelle Obama, Beyonce, Condolezza Rice, Lady Gaga, Malala, Justin Timberlake, Tom Hanks, and many more celebrities spoke and performed for this ceremony. They offered encouragement and wisdom that can benefit young people graduating now, and indeed for all of us. Bart Simpson mooned the audience, with 2020 emblazoned across his butt cheeks. Marge Simpson having a nervous breakdown in the kitchen, surrounded by piles of dirty dishes, was priceless.

At the end of the broadcast, Barack Obama returned with some final words for the graduating class. "Yours comes as the world turned upside down, by a pandemic and a country swept up by protest. I can barely imagine how head-spinning these months have been for you." He said the peaceful protesters were "unbelievably inspiring. You make me optimistic about our future" because "the old normal wasn't good enough."

He is so right.