Michelle Obama tells Ark. graduates to prepare to overcome hardship; MLK said same in 1958
By APSaturday, May 8, 2010
1st lady echoes King’s call to fight hardships
PINE BLUFF, Ark. — Michelle Obama is urging graduates to embrace challenges and strive despite a culture that values fleeting fame over “the hard labors of lasting success.”
The first lady’s message Saturday at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff hearkened back to a commencement speech at the same campus by Martin Luther King Jr.
Obama says graduates at the historically black university must prepare for hardship as they head into the world. She says a culture focused on instant gratification doesn’t seem to reward persistence. But Obama says tenacity will bring great rewards.
The civil rights leader spoke in 1958, a year after the integration crisis at Little Rock Central High School. He told students to prepare for the struggle to end segregation.
