On May 18, 2024 Dr. Daniel Black delivered the commencement speech address for Clark Atlanta University. It was during the same weekend that President Joe Biden spoke at Morehouse College, and actress Angela Bassett delivered the address at Spelman College. But the HBCU commencement that stole the show that weekend was by far Dr. Black at CAU. Below is the transcript of Black’s speech that quickly became a viral sensation.
The speech that moved America
“Here, they come, y’all. Here, they come. Here, they come, y’all. Here, they come. Here, they come, y’all. Here, they come. Doctors, lawyers, writers, business owners, teachers, healers, rapper, preacher. Here they come, y’all. Here they come. Psychologists and sociologists and anthropologists and ethnomusicologists and paleontologists. Here they come, y’all. Here they come. Anesthesiologists and cosmetologists. Dermatologists and embryologists, ontologists, epidemiologists, ophthalmologists, radiologists, blackologists. Here they come, y’all. Here they come. Computer scientists, mechanical engineers, nurses, architects, radio, television, film producers. Economists, accountants, marketing executives, chemists, business analysts. Here they come, y’all. Here, they come. Musicians, mathematicians, astronauts, philosophers, pharmacists, dentists, historians, speech therapists, HR specialists, painters, dancers, actors, janitors, street sweepers, post office workers, plumbers, electricians, paramedics, bakers, construction workers, hairdressers, insurance agents, librarians, veterinarians, humanitarians. Here they come, y’all. Here they come.
The dream of the slave, the hope of the angel, the promise of the ancestors, the answers to grandmama’s prayers, the guarantees of granddaddy’s work. Here they come, y’all. Here they come. The cure to cancer is sitting right here. The antidote for sickle cell anemia is sitting right here. The great negotiator of war and peace is sitting right here. The next generation of black billionaires is sitting right here. Here they come, y’all. Here they come. Listen, Clark Atlanta University, home of the Holy Ghost. Come on somebody.
Now, this is how you know the Holy Ghost live here because some of y’all sitting here. See some of y’all sitting here, people doubted you. But here you are anyway. Somebody said, “No way.” But the Holy Ghost said, “Hell yeah.” See, because some of y’all, the ends didn’t meet. The money didn’t add up. You had to retake a class. You got discouraged. You almost dropped out. You got frustrated. You almost let it go, but the Holy Ghost said, “Hell yeah.” For some of you, you buried somebody you love. You lost more than your heart could take. You cried in the midnight hours. You told God, “I can’t do this no more.” The Holy Ghost said, “Hell yeah.”