I haven’t done much coverage of Betsy DeVos, our current Secretary of Education, just because there’s so much evil in this administration, it’s sometimes difficult to find the time to care about the lesser players. Betsy DeVos is deplorable though, without a doubt. She has no business as Secretary of Education and she has no business in this administration or any administration in any capacity.
So what happens when a billionaire private-school advocate like Betsy DeVos tries to give the commencement address to a graduating class of college kids at a historically black college? Something amazing. DeVos picked up an honorary doctorate at Bethune-Cookman University, and when she tried to give the commencement, chica got booed and heckled. Students stood up and turned their backs to her as she spoke. The university president threatened the students, saying that if they continued to boo and heckle, their diplomas would be mailed to them. They still didn’t stop.
Here’s some better footage of the students disrupting:
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos faced boos and turned backs as she gave a commencement address in Florida https://t.co/wmGMQJYhcd pic.twitter.com/mLv4zTsaem
— CNN (@CNN) May 10, 2017
Good for these students. This shows me that they learned a lot in college and they were all prepared to make their stand at their graduation. Currently, I’m side-eyeing the f–k out Bethune-Cookman University for even inviting DeVos to be the commencement speaker. I mean, what did the university think would happen? Also: my college graduation had a crazy Republican commencement speaker too, only no one booed because the ceremony was held outside and it was like 100 degrees and everyone was wilting.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Frivolous comment on a serious post (which is all my brain can handle with the rage overload these days): from the header pic, it would appear Betsy and the Donald share a hair colorist.
Is it a colorist, or is it just their blackened souls tarnishing the mortal vessel in which they travel?
tee hee!
Props to Betsy for a MUCH better theory.
Thank you! You made my day 🙂
<3 Awesome.
Fair point.
I was thrilled to hear the students take a stand against her. It made my my day.
well this is what happens when you teach a bunch of 99%ers how to critically think. perhaps she would be better off at the commencement address at Trump University. after all, she’s already paid her hard cold cash for some respect from that gilded institution.
Me, too. The little things keep me going right now.
This may be THE MOST REPREHENSIBLE behavior on behalf of this new administration. Some MAY argue, with all the destruction and mayhem, but to degrade the history of civil rights for political gain is below a cesspool. Loathe this woman- so unqualified.
I don’t feel sorry for her. She only has that job because she contributed millions of dollars to his campaign. She’s a millionaire who doesn’t care about the average working person OR their children.
Yes and since she took office, the investigation into Trump U has virtually ceased or been blocked. Every single appointment is about ensuring some aspect of his business or stopping legal indictments. And on top of that, 45 just made comments that–after that so-very-wrong photo op at the White House–he thinks HBCUs are not entitled to federal money. So DeVos is invited to speak at a historic HBCU? No, sorry.
This administration is most insidious, though, because not only are they in power specifically to advance their own pockets but they are all evil under the name of religion and capitalism, without even trying to hide it, in the light of day going after poor and marginalized. They have no shame. They’re not just filling their pockets, they’re also actively trying to kill everyone who isn’t them. They are a virus and a cancer.
Good for these students for standing up for truth and what is right.
This is just terrible. I am utterly dismayed to read that these students of higher education heckled and booed DeVos…and that I wasn’t there to join them.
@Bazoo – exactly! 😂
I wish I was there to join them too!
In the spirit of who their school was named after the students did the right thing. The president is awful and should be ashamed.
The HBCU are always trying to play respectability politics with people like this admin and it never works. After that dumb photo op guess who’s going after your funding HBCU presidents?
The HBCU are damned naive and need to go back to school and learn about sociopathy and fanaticism instead of tugging their forelocks at every orange dick and DeVos.
HBCUs aren’t naive they are damn broke and utterly reliant on federal money just to keep the doors open. They basically can’t turn down these invitations for fear the money will dry up. They for sure need better leadership, but they also need alumni to give back and for their local communities to invest in them. It’s why so many are closing their doors, or selling off their histories or falling under the umbrella of PWI institutions.
They are LITERALLY damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
I think what would have made a bigger impact is if the students had just sat quiet and stone faced. No clapping, no boos or jeers, just complete silence. That would have been worse. It would made DeVos feel like she was talking to an empty room
Nah, we’re expected to silently acquiesce. This was perfect. This was “we will not take it anymore.” Especially after 45 said that federally funding HBCUs was likely unconstitutional (it’s not).
Umm absolutely not; she would have taken that as a good thing. Being loud and boisterous was perfect.
If you’re not part of the resistance please don’t critique how the students felt they should protest. This was also after the president threatened them too. Drives me crazy when people tell others how to protest
This! These kids got to decide how they would let their voices be heard at THEIR graduation.
Nah, the boos were delicious.
I see what you are saying, just an offer of support for the fact that you get to have an opinion, too, about how to handle the trump administration. There are many ways to get your point across, and sometimes silence does work.
I see already people are jumping to prove you wrong, but that’s just par for the course.
Silence won’t work against this administration. We all need to be sure that we’re so loud they have to listen. Quiet is what they want.
I took the silence comment as, ‘silence can be deafening,’ which is valid.
In this situation, I agree with most that outrage must be loud and ceaseless.
We’re all on the same side here. We can differ on how we get there, as long as we work together.
Yeah, better to muzzle people because that’s been so effective in the past.
I didn’t take her post that way. Just see it, if you can: you are giving a speech, and a certain amount of feedback from the audience is expected- laughter, nods, etc. Instead, nothing. No reaction, no back and forth.
Even better would have been if, when their names were called to get their diplomas, they stood in silence and turned their backs to her.
Imagine a trump rally where everyone just stood stoic, and stared at him.
There is always more than one way to accomplish a goal. Come on, do we need to pile on RBC for posting her thoughts- really? After all we’ve been through these past months, years, and this 24 hour cycle?
She didn’t say anything wrong, just offered another opinion.
Hmmm- That’s not at all what she said. Obviously you’re welcome to disagree with her idea but sarcastically twisting her words into something she did not say is a cheap shot.
My favorite way in which they protested was by turning their backs to her. Very disrespectful in a good sort of way.
Some of you are missing the point of her comment. She wasn’t saying they should have remained quiet to be complacent.
People are saying it would not have been as effective. Are you going to organise this form of protest, @ArchieGoodwin, @RussianBLueCat? Because if you’re not, please have a seat while seeking perfection.
But unfortunately the supporters of Trump and DeVos would have taken their being quiet as agreeing with her.
Why so angry hmm?
We’re just expressing our thoughts 🙂
And Hmmm is just expressing her thoughts.
See how it works?
I’m on the side that the students did the right thing and they protested in the best way for them. Sitting in stoic blank silence would have gone over the heads of DeVos and her cohorts. These people don’t read subtleties too well.
Yes, I see how that works. Is there a difference between expressing your thoughts, and telling someone to “please have a seat while seeking perfection”, which I postulate is meant to be dismissive?
I think there is a difference. Intent matters, as we are seeing every moment, currently 🙂
This whole thing boils down to RBC stating that she thinks it would have been better if the students sat in silence, and you and others agreeing with her, whilst others disagreed and expressed that what the students did was the ideal form of protest in this particular situation. Both sides were expressing their opinions.
Frankly I found your statement “I see already people are jumping to prove you wrong, but that’s just par for the course” to have a rather dismissive undertone as well.
All that matters to me is that those students showed their contempt for DeVos, and she deserved far worse than what they dished out to her.
I like that! Complete silence would be awesome.
The students’ chosen form of response was sufficient, appropriate and effective. Hence, why we’re discussing them on this forum.
Monday morning quarterbacking isn’t helpful.
I am so proud of these students for thinking for themselves, for making a significant statement , for not backing down to those who have refused to treat them as equals or offer a level playing field. I am sorry they had their celebration of many years of hard work disrupted by the choice of a speaker who was abhorrent to them. The apology belongs to these students and not to DeVos. I celebrate them for engaging in their fundamental, constitutionally guaranteed rights as citizens.
I saw this yesterday. Good for the students for taking a stand, and boo to the school for ignoring their protests in the days prior and allowing DeVos to be their speaker. Who thought this was a good idea??
Exactly. Just…why??
Agree on all your points.
The grads at my alma mater won the speaker jackpot this year — it’s Nick Offerman! I didn’t know he was a fellow alum. I read that tickets went faster than any graduation in recent years, lol.
I am so jealous.
You know who spoke at my (highschool) graduation? The owner of the 4 local Tim Horton’s franchises. I’m not even kidding a little bit.
Nothing says small town Canadian graduation like having the rich Timmie’s owner speak about how to succeed. No mention that his wife’s father was the one to provide him with the funds to get the franchise in the first place, though.
I happen to live in the city where Liberty University is located 😒 and their graduation is tomorrow. The speaker is none other than donald trump. It’s as though we locals have been given warning that Voldemort is coming to headline a dementor’s rally and we are rushing to shut our shutters and perch by our fireplaces with floo powder for a rapid escape.
Esmom, are you an Illinois grad too? I was so jealous when I heard that.
Mumzy – Hey neighbor! I’m about an hour south of you. Excited to see a local-ish celebitchy-er. I can only imagine the shit show tomorrow will be up there.
Esmon
so jealous my jaw dropped open.
Good for these young adults to turn what amounts to years of tough work into a moment where they take a stand. Standing backs turned, sit ins. Those protest styles imo are most powerful.
On another site it was pointed out that maybe they booked the Dept. of Education Secretary BEFORE the election.
They should have cancelled when they saw Trump was elected; these universities usually always have a back-up. This has caused distrust between the students and the school’s administration and may scare off other students. And then to give her an honorary degree… I’m appalled.
Why would you book someone not knowing who it would be? Those who are saying that make no sense at all.
HA! And yeah, wtf, Bethune-Cookman? Genuinely curious why her. Good on those students.
Sounds like BC may need money and is pandering to the current administration. That and she was available on pretty short notice if you think about it–because no one else wanted her.
This video made my day.
I wonder if the college president was one of the HBCU presidents present during Kellyanne’s bigly bad photo session in the oval office. If so, double shame on him.
Their diplomas would be mailed to them? Is that the best threat he could come up with??? LMAO I know this is more an American thing, the whole ceremony, so maybe I don’t get it. I picked up my Bachelor’s diploma during a coffee break the next semester and my Master’s diploma was, in fact, mailed to me. I was just happy to be done.
Also, GOOD FOR THEM! To see this woman stand in front of mainly black graduates is insulting to them. She looks like she’s never seen so many black people in one place.
I hate those ceremonies. I didn’t attend either my Bachelor’s or Master’s services. Got mine in the mail, I think.
I didn’t walk for hs or undergrad. Only masters. And the diplomas were in the library available I’m a 4 hour window to pick up for 2 weeks. The ceremony is for families. The after parties are for the grads.
I didn’t get my diploma on the day I graduated anyway. They gave us a fancy looking tube with information about becoming alumni donors and mailed the actual diplomas to everyone about 8 weeks later. I don’t think I even saw the darn thing until a couple years later because it was mailed to my dad’s house, then my mom took it too her’s to get framed.
Good for these students. Whoever though Devos was a good speaker was an idiot. Or pandering.
These days no one gets their actual diploma at the graduation ceremony. Diplomas are usually mailed to your home several weeks after the ceremony. That was a lame statement by the University President to try and control the students. And he should have known what to expect inviting DeVos to speak….both students and parents were justifiably pisseed.
Lol I was thinking the same thing. I never went to my high school and college graduation, and had my diplomas mailed to me. Same with my older sister with high school and university (she attended her college graduation only because my parents acted sad and whiny when she originally wasn’t going to go). She wasn’t into that kind of spectacle, and was happy just getting her real diploma and degree sent to her by mail (they don’t give the real ones at graduation).
Ugh! Why invite Cruella DeVos? How disrespectful to the students to threaten them with “mailed” degrees, as well.
Can betsy devos even spell heckled?
PS. That bottom picture.🤣🤣🤣🤣 Thanks, and keep on finding the most representative photos of these disgusting thugs.
The leadership at Bethune-Cookman has a lot to answer for.
How they could have possibly anticipated any other reaction is a mystery. I assume either DeVos (or someone) paid a considerable sum of money to someone for what I’m sure was intended to be seen as some kind of street cred for appearing at a black college or the school was threatened is some way if she was NOT allowed to speak.
I can’t think of any other reason why you would voluntarily invite this witch to speak.
The leadership at Bethune-Cookman has a lot to answer for.
How they could have possibly anticipated any other reaction is a mystery. I assume either DeVos (or someone) paid a considerable sum of money to someone for what I’m sure was intended to be seen as some kind of street cred for appearing at a black college or the school was threatened is some way if she was NOT allowed to speak.
I can’t think of any other reason why you would voluntarily invite this witch to speak.
Did they have her there just to boo her? Was good to see them do this.
They disappoint me. I would have been folding the Commencement programs into paper airplanes and tossing them in her direction. I understand inviting people to hear opposite views but you do have to expect the reactions those views may generate. Good for the graduates.
Spitballs. Spitballs would have been perfect
IDK . That would only really work if you are in the first two or three rows.
What if you are sitting in the back and one of the spitballs hit the back of some else’s head?
Good Lord, I would have walked out and mooned her on the way….did their speaker cancel at the last minute or what?
Shame on the university for inviting that woman there. I’m guessing the university got a boat load of money somehow since they allowed this travesty because that’s the only reason I can see for them embarrassing themselves this way.
Good. Trump constantly appoints people to lead organisations that they want to see disembowelled. This woman talking to these students was an insult, and I’m glad they didn’t take it lying down.
Devos and Omarosa both got booed and heckled. Very proud of these young people who didn’t sit idly by and be fed BS by two women without their best interests at heart. They could care less about minorities. Shame on the administrations for inviting them.
If DeVos wasn’t so horrible I’d feel a little pity for her. Out of Trump’s Cabinet of Horrors, she’s the one who’s had to take the shit more in public. When was the last time Rex Tillerson, Tom Price or Rick Perry was chased from a school or booed in public?
They should all be dragged through town and pelted with rotten vegetables and rocks but DeVos seems to get it the worst. Doesn’t pay to be a woman in Trump’s sphere, Betsy.
She and hubby have extensive financial holdings in debt collection including student debt. She rolled back easier repayment on student debt default. Some of the collection company’s bids with Education department were denied. Now she’s Education Secretary with massive conflict of interest.
Students should have thrown rotten tomatoes while they were at it. It’s execrable that TPTB invited the destroyer of education and bankrupter of students, living off the suffering of others.
How can she get Education Secretary job DESPITE such massive conflicts of interest?
Um… Diplomas are ALWAYS mailed anyway, aren’t they? What a stupid threat. No graduation ceremony I’ve ever been to has the actual diplomas; they just give graduation participation certificates. A lot of times, final Spring grades aren’t even completely done at graduation, so a degree can’t officially be signed off on yet.
Depends. My undergrad we got ours that day. For my masters and high school it came in the mail.
My high school and undergrad came in the mail. My masters diploma was handed to me at graduation.
My son got all three of his diplomas (high school, undergrad and graduate) on the day he graduated.
I can’t read a word of my graduate diploma; the whole damn thing is in Latin.
High school, college, law school: all handed to me on stage at commencement.
Mine too–for all three
Got mine in high school, but there were only 125 graduates. In college we all stood when our degree was announced. Exams were the week AFTER graduation and some didn’t even know if they would really graduate or not. Diplomas were mailed. Didn’t go to my two Master’s degree ceremony. Really think it depends a lot on how many people are graduating.
Stupid threat?
Threats are illegal. Matter of fact.
i am so so so proud of the student, the crowd and all the students that filmed and stood giving her the back on THEIR very own special day which they don’t deserve the UTTER DISRESPECT and disgust that after their efforts to Graduate from and attend a Black Institution to have to be in the presence of a BIMBO who BOUGHT her job, lecturing about sh*t she is Way out of her depth on simply cause School President felt like doing a softshoe routine for our current Government, even Mrs Bethune Granddaughter , former grad herself saw this for the disrespect it was GO KINGS AND QUEENS https://twitter.com/quciferskittles/status/862381601732386816
Also He https://twitter.com/quciferskittles/status/862381601732386816 recorded THIS https://twitter.com/quciferskittles/status/862387440987852802 *hair stands on end*
I’m actually toying with the idea of getting a twitter account JUST so I can spread that video. I’m teared up, chills all over. What a Fukcing amazing thing to see. Thanks for linking so I could watch, I needed to see that this morning <3
I was so proud! Let me be there and that man started threatening to mail my diploma. I would throw my fist high in the air and star singing “Lift Every Voice” so that Mrs. Segregation Revisionist is reminded of the absolute power of our people.
This is so awesome. That’s what I love about this generation, they’re not afraid to buck the system if they disagree.
I just love this. Also, my speaker was Bill Cosby.
Back in the day before the scandal broke, everybody wanted Cosby to speak at their commencement.
I love this, all of it. Good for them for protesting. I love that she had to face that amount of indignation.
My college graduation was outside in the southern heat as well. Girl next to me was hungover and throwing up into the grass the entire time. I got my diploma, walked off the stage and didn’t go back.
So good to see DeVos get the greeting she deserves. BTW, I love the last picture.
Good for the students!
And I wonder if she’ll start referring to herself as Dr. DeVos now? That is completely incorrect–an honorary doctorate in no way grants the person the actual title of Dr., but she’s arriviste enough and narcissistic. If she feels like calling herself Dr. is a good thing, she’ll do it even though it’s ludicrous and none other than yet one more demonstration of how little she knows about academia.
*snorts*
Unfortunately many who get honorary doctorates refer to themselves as Dr. She’ll also use this to prove how “right” she is for the job now that she has this doctorate.
An honorary doctorate is usually a “Dr. h.c.” = Doctor honoris causa = Doctor of honorary causes.
In De Voss’ case it should be something like “Dr. a.k. causa Trump” =
Doctor of a**ki****g Trump causes
Why on earth did they give her an honorary doctorate?!??! WHAT HAS SHE DONE TO DESERVE ONE?! EXIST?
I HATE HER> Seriously. HATE
Perhaps the uni expects something in return? They all need money nowadays and De Voss can give money.
OOOOhhhhhh you are so right! That would explain why he tried to stop the booing also!
The granting of an honorary degree really baffles me. They typically are given to people who have accomplished something in their lives that is special enough to recognize this way. What in the world has this person done to warrant an honorary doctorate? It was bad enough that they even invited her to speak, considering that her job is to dismantle the Department of Education, but granting the honorary degree is downright insulting to anybody who actually earned a degree at that institution.
And her brother is Eric Prince, who should be in prison and is obviously involved up to his eyeballs with the future felons of the Trump Administration. I imagine that figured heavily in the decision to appoint his sister in the first place.
Do you believe DeVos and her department were rejecting grants for low income students due to formatting issues? http://www.chronicle.com/article/After-Outcry-Over-Rejected/240022
She wanted this job she got it-with zero qualifications. No sympathy.
Her “qualification” was playing nice with Trump.
I love it. Although the heckling and booing is of poor taste but turning their backs at Betsy Devos in protest is very, very, very satisfying. I love my millennials, especially my black millennials.
Also, mailing my degrees is doing me the best justice. Thank you. Once again, I am so proud of my generation.
DOING IT RIGHT.
more please.
she deserved MUCH worse.
ignorant POS.
I loved it! Especially the video showing the students turning their backs on DeVos.
All politics aside (meaning, why DeVos should or should not have been invited; whether or not the students should hear opposing viewpoints; whether Jackson was right or wrong), at first, I felt bad for the students having (what should have been) an uplifting, memorable moment (graduation) marred for (stolen from) them by having that POS as their commencement speaker. But, after having thought about it, they have their uplifting, memorable moment intact… knowing that they stood up to wrong. They’ll have the memory of having done right… turning their backs on stupidity and injustice.
The students have the right to protest. They do. As long as they don’t actively prevent De Voss from executing her right to free speech. And standing up and turning your back to somebody is disrespectful but it does not prevent the execution of the right to free speech.
The students must not be forced to listen to De Voss’ speech. That is their right. Whether they stand up and turn around or cover their ears or wear headphones – that is up to them as long as they don’t actively prevent De Voss’ from speaking.
(Active prevention would be for example: loud noise.)
As far as I know graduation ceremonies: you have to pay a fee to the university to attend them, don’t you? Because if that was the case then legally the university has denied them a service which the university was paid to do and agreed to do. That is fraud.
I think I dislike the guy who threatened the students to send their diplomas via email. That is blackmail and that does clearly violate the students right to not be blackmailed and their right to not have to listen to a speech. They should sue. (After having received that diploma via email , of course.)
And then there’s my alma mater… We’ve got Hillary as the commencement speaker.
This is an excerpt from an email sent out by our alumnae association.
“This year especially, there is great interest from the alumnae community, who
want to be part of this special day. We encourage you to watch the commencement exercises, including Secretary Clinton’s address, via livestream and Facebook Live, on Friday, May 26, beginning at 10:30 EDT. This really is the best way to see commencement, as well as a wonderful opportunity to organize mini-reunions and viewing parties with your Wellesley friends and turn commencement into a day of connection with alma mater.”
Yup, I’m a proud alumna.
Awesome!
I don’t understand the choices colleges make when picking commencement speakers. Shouldn’t it be someone who reflects the student body and what is possible/what can be achieved?
This is coming from someone who will be hearing LL Cool J speak at my graduation very soon 🙂
For the life of me, I cannot understand why the president of BCU thought mailing them their degrees would be some kind of threat. I am all “thank you for that added convenience, I can leave RIGHT NOW and not listen to any more of this foolishness.”
In a speech a couple of months back, didn’t De Vos tell a group of presidents of historically black colleges that it was wonderful that their institutions were founded on “choice”, just like the platform that she espouses? Or was that Trump himself? I lose track of all of the deplorable commentary coming out of this administration….
Got Oprah at our commencement this year…so excited to watch!! Btw, Cosby was to be at my commencement in ’88, but he cancelled on us…we dodged a bullet! Instead had our wonderful and empowering President Emeritus speak! Ugh, would have hated looking back on that day otherwise…
And HannahF, super-cool! Am going to try to watch Hillary
Invite her to a university? Yes of course, and then
– speaking metaphorically –
you have to shove her into a flesh wolf and turn her into minced meat.
There is too much exclusion nowadays. The right to free speech is a right even for people like De Voss. I hate her very much but nevertheless she has that right to free speech. And the right to free speech can be used against her by:
1 – forcing her to face a critical and academically based discussion
2 – forcing her to answer questions about her policies as any democratically elected politician is obliged to do that
3 – make everything transparent: her policies, the discussion, her answers and comments and criticism of her answers
Speaking literally: insist that she participate in a discussion and ask her lots of well-prepared questions and do insist that she MUST answer them honestly. Let the audience comment on her answers and call her dishonest and lacking in academics and un-democratic and corrupt because she became minister for education despite profiting from the privatization of education. Videotape the discussion and put it online. Kindly add De Voss’ email address in case people would like voice their opinion on her or her performance.
My HBCU has Dr. Katherine Johnson (NASA/”Hidden FIgures”)
as Commencement Speaker this Sunday. i’d kill to be there.
Wow!
Amazing job students! And go to hell Trump c**k-s****k!
Why did they even invite her speak? If I was graduating, I would be pissed. Also aren’t most diplomas mailed to you? Mine was. For those of you who got them at the ceremony, was it a small graduating class? Did you actually get it on stage or pick it up at the event.
Obama spoke at my cousin’s graduation. It was awesome.
the disturbing part is that the university president threatened them at their own goddamn graduation ceremony; a day they earned and worked for and should be able to use however they want to make whatever statement they see fit. the sad part isn’t just that she was there (?) but that the grads were told to “be good” or else.
This news tickles my soul.
Some of the “protests” against speakers on college campuses while understandable worry me a bit. Instead of saying Anne Evil Coulter can’t speak at my university, I’d prefer people either not attending her rant fest or protesting outside the venue. But this protest was warranted. The university president is a Republican who has honored Florida’s governor and is very involved in right wing politics. To choose a speaker who he hopes might put in a good word with our Lunatic in Chief rather than choosing someone the graduates would like was reprehensible. They worked hard for that diploma and then to be preached to (literally) by a woman who is almost illiterate and who doesn’t believe in public education and who has proven herself to be a racist, is disgusting. I am glad they booed this woman and turned their backs on her. Good for them!
Coming late to this thread, but wanted to sign on supporting the student protest. Having her speak was the worst idea. It was never going to end up getting them money or whatever their goal was. And it is very offensive to those of us who have fully earned Ph.D.s for a woman like DeVos, who is working against real education, to be handed one. We are at peak Orwellian here. I wish they could have had my grad speaker–Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Amazing man, and An incredible scholar!