Michelle Obama fans the flames of racial tensions during commencement speech

May 11, 2015

WRITER

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times on radio this morning. Moments after playing the inspiring audio from Denzel Washington, Glenn played another commencement speech. But rather than deliver an uplifting and inspiring message, Michelle Obama fanned the flames of racial tension.

GLENN: Now, the worst of times. Here is -- and I just want to emphasize, the woman who is married to the most powerful man in the world, the First Lady of the United States of America.

MICHELLE: Because while we've come so far, the truth is that those age-old problems are stubborn. And they haven't fully gone away. So there will be times, just like for those airmen, when you feel like folks look right past you. Or they see just a fraction of who you really are. The world won't always see you in those caps and gowns. They won't know how hard you worked and how much you sacrificed to make it to this day.

PAT: Now, she's speaking to an all-black audience. And speaking of black airmen from Tuskegee about them. And, of course, this never happens to white people. White people never get looked beyond. Everybody always knows how hard a white person has worked. Everybody always knows that. Right? Just amazing.

GLENN: Listen to this list, and tell me this doesn't apply to white people as well.

MICHELLE: The countless hours you spent studying to get this diploma. The multiple jobs you worked to pay for school. The times you had to drive home and take care of your grandma. The evenings you gave up to volunteer at a food bank or organize a campus fundraiser. They don't know that part of you. Instead, they will make assumptions about who they think you are, based on their limited notion of the world.

PAT: Jeez. Wow.

MICHELLE: And my husband and I know how frustrating that experience can be.

GLENN: Can I ask you, Mrs. Obama, the First Lady of the United States of America, who is of a race that is 11 percent of the population. So you were clearly not voted in with just your race, white people in droves went out to vote for you, and you were somehow or another invisible so much that you became the president and First Lady of the United States of America.

PAT: Twice.

GLENN: Tell me about the troubles that you have seen. I mean, it's just remarkable to me. Remarkable. Now, I'm not going to play anymore -- you want to play more?

PAT: There's a lot here. We haven't even gotten to the part where she talks about Baltimore.

GLENN: Well, play the Baltimore part. I can't take --

PAT: Yeah.

MICHELLE: We both felt the sting of those daily slights throughout our entire lives.

GLENN: Stop.

PAT: Nobody else has. No white people has felt that sting. Nobody.

GLENN: No Hispanics. No whites. No Indians. Nobody else. And if you want to say that the Native Americans have felt it and the Hispanics have felt it, but the whites have never felt it. I mean, the conservatives have never felt it. The jobs that we -- that we are suddenly bypassed for because we're conservative. Because of our viewpoint. The religious that are mocked on a daily basis and belittled. Yeah, we've never felt that. We don't know what it's like. Okay. All right.

PAT: And, again, First Lady of the United States of America.

GLENN: Yeah. I'm not comparing -- I'm not comparing what anybody has gone through. The same as slavery. Or the same as what Martin Luther King went through. But we're not the country of Martin Luther King's time anymore. We are being dragged back to those days. And the proof is in the pudding when she starts talking about Baltimore.

MICHELLE: -- cross the street in fear of their safety. The clerks who kept a close eye on us in all those department stores. The people at formal events who assumed we were the help. And those who have questioned our intelligence, our honesty, even our love of this country.

GLENN: Oh, my gosh.

PAT: And why do people do that? We've questioned their honesty and integrity over and over again because of their actions.

GLENN: Because they lie.

PAT: Their honesty is in question because they've lied to us over and over again --

GLENN: And I want to make sure it's very, very clear. When we say "their honesty," we're not talking about black people. We're talking about this particular black person and her husband.

PAT: The Obamas. Yes.

GLENN: And we would question them like we do the Bushes. Like we do with the Clintons. Like we do with the Huckabees. Like we do with -- who else has been on our -- on our list of people to really question? Soros.

PAT: Harry Reid.

GLENN: Harry Reid. Lindsey Graham. John McCain.

PAT: They're liars.

GLENN: Liars.

PAT: And we've proven it over and over again. Now, love of country. That's based on your comments. On your actions. On the history of who you are and what you've done your whole lives.

STU: In the middle of the speech where she's essentially boiling her country down to a place that follows black people around in department stores and executes them as they cross the street, of course, we don't think you like this place. Look at the way you talk about it. You describe it as a horror show.

PAT: Right. She's the one who said, we have to change our history. We have to change our culture. We have to change where we are.

GLENN: Her husband said we have to have a fundamental transformation. I've pointed this out before. You don't go to the Mona Lisa and say I want to fundamentally transform this painting. You say, I want to restore it to its original beauty.

PAT: You don't go to the love of your life -- your wife or husband and say, hey, I really love you, but I want to fundamentally transform everything you are.

GLENN: Everything about you. It just doesn't happen.

MICHELLE: I know that these little indignities are obviously nothing compared to what folks across the country are dealing with every single day. Those nagging worries that you're going to get stopped or pulled over for absolutely no reason.

GLENN: Stop. I want -- I just want you to make a note of what she's saying here. What she's saying here is, you as a black person, you're invisible -- think of this, you're invisible when -- when you want a job or you want to do something, nobody will even see you. But because you're black, you're super, super visible when you're in a store or when you're driving. And they're going to stop you for no reason whatsoever. And you have a justified concern of being stopped for no reason whatsoever. Just make note of what she's saying. Because she's about to get to Baltimore.

MICHELLE: Feared that your job application will be overlooked because of the way your name sounds. The agony of --

GLENN: Like Barack Hussein.

STU: When you're trying to lead the world with a name --

GLENN: While we're at war with a guy named Hussein.

STU: And Osama, which is one letter away of his last name.

PAT: How does she get away with this? How does she get away with a speech like this! It's unbelievable.

GLENN: Nobody's willing to say it.

STU: It's laughable. Can we at least put this into context one more time? All of these things, in the middle of all these things, describing the worst country you've ever heard of in your entire life, she complains that people continually think that she doesn't love the country.

PAT: And it's because she's black that they do that.

STU: It's not because you're black. It's because you keep saying this. This is the only way you ever describe the nation you live in. Of course, people think you despise it.

PAT: Every time.

GLENN: But she thinks -- she's saying that it's only because I'm black that they would question.

STU: Right. And it's not that at all. When you're asked to talk about your country, this is what you do.

PAT: Virtually every time.

STU: You point out every horrible thing that's ever happened and you act like it happens all the time.

PAT: Would anybody question if she loves this country if she would get up and say, and leave it at this, look, I know the country has problems. It always has. And it probably always will. But, look, I -- we -- I and my husband are the first couple of the United States of America where we belong to a group that's 12 percent of the population. And we were elected president and first lady of the United States.

GLENN: So don't get discouraged. Don't get down. You can make it.

PAT: Nobody has done that in the history of the world. But we have gotten there.

GLENN: These two people --

PAT: Jeez.

GLENN: I truly believe, in the history of all mankind, they may go down as at least top ten, maybe top five of people who had the biggest opportunity in the world, in all of history to change things for the better.

PAT: Uh-huh.

GLENN: And they decided to go the other way. They could have changed race relations forever. And they took us back to the 1960s. On grudge politics.

STU: If you played this in a documentary from the 1960s, this speech --

PAT: It would be totally appropriate.

STU: You would have no idea that this country elected a black person. You would have no idea that we made any progress at all. This is boilerplate nonsense from the 1960s.

GLENN: Yes, it is.

MICHELLE: Sending your kids to schools that may no longer be separate, but are far from equal. The realization that no matter how far you rise in life, how hard you work to be a good person, a good parent, a good citizen, for some folks, it will never be enough.

PAT: Wow.

MICHELLE: Those feelings are real. They're rooted in decades of structural challenges that have made too many folks feel frustrated and invisible. And those feelings are playing out in communities like Baltimore and Ferguson and so many others across this country.

PAT: Wow. Wow.

GLENN: So she's saying -- she is saying that the reason why Baltimore is on fire is because people are feeling invisible. They feel like they can't -- they're not being heard. They're not being seen. And she's saying, it's not just that those feelings are real. She's saying, in the beginning of this speech, in the beginning of this paragraph, that that is the truth. So it's one thing to say, you know, I know how you feel. But let me tell you the reality. The reality is, things are getting better. You're not invisible. I'm the First Lady and the president of the United States is my husband. You can make it in this country. Look, the struggle is not gone. The struggle is still there. But you can make it. You can make it. And the worst thing to do is riot in the streets. She's saying the opposite. I know what you feel because I felt it, and even I'm the president's wife and I still feel invisible. I feel like we're not being heard. And so it's -- it's not only your feeling. I validate your feeling. I'm here to tell you, it is happening. And that's why people are rioting in the streets. She is encouraging this kind of behavior.

STU: Yeah. And, first of all, taking something that was real in the 1960s and rehashing it now as if it's still the truth. Honestly, wouldn't you ask, why the hell would you love that country? If that country is real in 2015, I don't love it.

PAT: It sounds terrible.

GLENN: I don't want to live -- I wouldn't be proud of the United States of America if we were doing what we did in Selma, Alabama.

STU: No.

GLENN: I would not be proud of that country.

PAT: The most ironic bit of this is it happened in Tuskegee University.

GLENN: Oh, my gosh. Booker T. Washington is spinning in his grave like a lathe. If you've ever read Up from Slavery, that is one of the greatest men to ever live in America.

PAT: It's the opposite of everything he stood for, believed, and advocated.

GLENN: Absolutely. But I doubt they even teach that anymore.

PAT: I bet not.

GLENN: I bet that's so lost. Even now, if you buy Up from Slavery, the copy that I have, I have an original copy. You go back and you read the -- the new versions, the version I have, the preface is from like some Harvard know-it-all that says, we're not even sure that any of this is even real.

PAT: What?

STU: What do you mean?

PAT: Are they saying he didn't write that?

GLENN: We think that this is mostly made up. He wasn't really a slave.

PAT: What! Oh, my gosh.

STU: Trying to discredit him.

GLENN: Yeah. To totally discredit him now.

PAT: Wow.

GLENN: And he is one of the greatest voices. Every child, black, white, brown, doesn't matter, every child should read Booker T. Washington Up from Slavery. Should know who Booker T. Washington is. Should emulate his actions and his life. That guy had more answers in his pinkie than everybody in Washington has today.

STU: This is sort of separate. We say this many times though that the suspicion is, of many, that she's actually more radical than he is.

GLENN: Yes.

STU: Michelle is more radical than President Obama. This is an interesting piece of this. Because he's been criticized by some in the black community for using the word thug to describe Baltimore and some of these other riots. He's been out there actually using that word. Which MSNBC is calling the new N-word. The President of the United States is using that word to describe some of these people. That's not the vibe here. There's an obvious separation -- either he's completely lying when he's using that because he's using it for some political purpose, or they are at odds on this position.

GLENN: I have a feeling that their upstairs talk is very contentious. I have a feeling -- I don't know whether he believes it or what. But she does believe it. And he's probably saying to her, I'm the president. You don't know what I'm dealing with here. And he may actually believe it. But he's trying to walk a more fine line that she doesn't have to walk.

Warning: 97% fear Gen Z’s beliefs could ignite political chaos

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In a republic forged on the anvil of liberty and self-reliance, where generations have fought to preserve free markets against the siren song of tyranny, Gen Z's alarming embrace of socialism amid housing crises and economic despair has sparked urgent alarm. But in a recent poll, Glenn asked the tough questions: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from—and what does it mean for America's future? Glenn asked, and you answered—hundreds weighed in on this volatile mix of youthful frustration and ideological peril.

The results paint a stark picture of distrust in the system. A whopping 79% of you affirm that Gen Z's socialist sympathies stem from real economic gripes, like sky-high housing costs and a rigged game tilted toward the elite and corporations—defying the argument that it's just youthful naivety. Even more telling, 97% believe this trend arises from a glaring educational void on socialism's bloody historical track record, where failed regimes have crushed freedoms under the boot of big government. And 97% see these poll findings as a harbinger of deepening generational rifts, potentially fueling political chaos and authoritarian overreach if left unchecked.

Your verdict underscores a moral imperative: America's soul hangs on reclaiming timeless values like self-reliance and liberty. This feedback amplifies your concerns, sending a clear message to the powers that be.

Want to make your voice heard? Check out more polls HERE.

Without civic action, America faces collapse

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Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

I slept through high school civics class. I memorized the three branches of government, promptly forgot them, and never thought of that word again. Civics seemed abstract, disconnected from real life. And yet, it is critical to maintaining our republic.

Civics is not a class. It is a responsibility. A set of habits, disciplines, and values that make a country possible. Without it, no country survives.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Civics happens every time you speak freely, worship openly, question your government, serve on a jury, or cast a ballot. It’s not a theory or just another entry in a textbook. It’s action — the acts we perform every day to be a positive force in society.

Many of us recoil at “civic responsibility.” “I pay my taxes. I follow the law. I do my civic duty.” That’s not civics. That’s a scam, in my opinion.

Taking up the torch

The founders knew a republic could never run on autopilot. And yet, that’s exactly what we do now. We assume it will work, then complain when it doesn’t. Meanwhile, the people steering the country are driving it straight into a mountain — and they know it.

Our founders gave us tools: separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, elections. But they also warned us: It won’t work unless we are educated, engaged, and moral.

Are we educated, engaged, and moral? Most Americans cannot even define a republic, never mind “keep one,” as Benjamin Franklin urged us to do after the Constitutional Convention.

We fought and died for the republic. Gaining it was the easy part. Keeping it is hard. And keeping it is done through civics.

Start small and local

In our homes, civics means teaching our children the Constitution, our history, and that liberty is not license — it is the space to do what is right. In our communities, civics means volunteering, showing up, knowing your sheriff, attending school board meetings, and understanding the laws you live under. When necessary, it means challenging them.

How involved are you in your local community? Most people would admit: not really.

Civics is learned in practice. And it starts small. Be honest in your business dealings. Speak respectfully in disagreement. Vote in every election, not just the presidential ones. Model citizenship for your children. Liberty is passed down by teaching and example.

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We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Start with yourself. Study the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and state laws. Study, act, serve, question, and teach. Only then can we hope to save the republic. The next election will not fix us. The nation will rise or fall based on how each of us lives civics every day.

Civics isn’t a class. It’s the way we protect freedom, empower our communities, and pass down liberty to the next generation.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

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Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE

Glenn's Show Prep

Michelle Obama fans the flames of racial tensions during commencement speech

Warning: 97% fear Gen Z’s beliefs could ignite political chaos

Without civic action, America faces collapse

Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Taking up the torch

Start small and local

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Picking up his torch

Two turning points, decades apart

A time for courage

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family