By Edelia J. Carthan, Ed.D.,
Contributing Writer,
The sun rose over the campus green as the sound of African drums echoed across Tougaloo College—announcing not just a graduation, but a celebration of legacy, resilience, and purpose. The 2025 Commencement ceremony drew a packed crowd to the heart of campus, where families, alumni, and supporters gathered shoulder to shoulder under the open sky, many there for one reason: to hear Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett of Texas (30th congressional district).
The energy was electric as graduates marched in, the drumbeat grounding them in Tougaloo’s deep civil rights roots. That tradition set the tone for the morning—a reminder that these students were not only crossing a stage but stepping into a historical continuum.
Congresswoman Crockett, a dynamic voice in Congress and rising leader in the Democratic Party, delivered the keynote address and received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the college. President Dr. Donzell Lee, joined by longtime alum Congressman Bennie G. Thompson, presented the award, praising Crockett’s “lifelong commitment to building a more inclusive and just society.”
Taking the stage to sustained applause, Crockett opened with disarming humor and humility: “First of all, I want to say thank you President Lee so much for the honor of speaking. I hope you don’t regret it,” she joked, drawing laughter from the crowd. She thanked the Board of Trustees, the faculty and staff, and President Emerita Dr. Beverly Wade Hogan before shifting to a deeper, more personal tone.
“There were times I didn’t have the connections, the backing, the blueprint,” she said. “I didn’t come from money. I didn’t come from a family of politicians. But I came from faith. I came from fire. And I came from people who believed I could stand in rooms that were never built for me.”
She reflected on her own path through public service and the burden—and blessing—of being a Black woman in leadership. “When Congressman Thompson basically volunteered told me that I was gonna do this, I was like, bruh… When do I have time to write the fire speech that these young people deserve?” she said with a grin. “But then I remembered—I didn’t need to write perfection. I just needed to show up with truth.”
Referencing the gospel classic I Feel No Ways Tired, Crockett described her perseverance as part of a generational struggle. “There are days that I sit back and I think, wow, I’m sitting in the same committee rooms as Elijah Cummings and John Lewis,” she said. “This land holds the echoes of Medgar Evers. It holds the dreams of Dr. King. We walk paths paved in sacrifice—and now the baton is in your hands.”
She challenged the graduates to remain vigilant in the face of attempts to erase the very progress they represent. “They are not just rewriting history—they’re trying to erase it. They want to delete the progress and the beneficiaries of said work from their present ranks,” she warned. “But we will not be erased. We will not be silent. And we will not go back.”
Crockett’s call to action was direct, personal, and urgent. “Your moment is now. This country is relying on each and every one of you to walk into your purpose and to walk in greatness with your hand held high,” she declared. “And if nobody told you today—you are enough. You are ready. And you are needed.”
Quoting Amanda Gorman, she reminded the crowd: “There is always light if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
As she brought the address to a close, Crockett left the graduates with one last powerful note: “I know you are ready to put your boots on the ground.” And with that, the DJ dropped the track—Boots on the Ground—as the crowd stood, danced, and applauded in celebration.
It was a send-off steeped in legacy and charged with hope—a day the Class of 2025 will never forget.
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