Jemele Hill Delivers Inspiring Commencement Address for Grambling State University

What this episode is about

Jemele Hill’s commencement address at Grambling State University emphasizes the importance of family and community in the graduates' journeys, celebrating their achievements while encouraging them to cherish this significant milestone. She reflects on her own educational experiences, engaging the audience with humor and a call to embrace the collective spirit of the occasion.

Key takeaways

• Family is the backbone; without them, today wouldn't shine as bright, even through the chaos.
• Graduation is less about caps and gowns, more about the stories telling us who we really are.
• A near-death experience at seven illustrates: purpose isn’t a destination, but a lifelong journey.
• Michigan State didn't serve the flavor, but today, graduates brought their own seasoning to success.
• Life's unpredictable turns are the plot twists in your story; embrace them for a fantastic narrative.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Jemele Hill (Host) · 21 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: Class of 2025, Michigan State University
2. 5:00 – 10:00: College Degree, God Didn't Bring Me This Far to Leave Me, ET, Camaro
3. 10:00 – 15:00: HBCU
4. 15:00 – 20:00: Kobe Bryant, Denise Dinard, Eddie Robinson, Finding Nemo
5. 20:00 – 21:11: Class of 2025

Notable quotes from "Jemele Hill Delivers Inspiring Commencement Address for Grambling State University"

• Brake. Now, I flew out the back window and landed on the trunk. And all I remember about that accident is that I was just happy and excited to see ET and then everything just went pitch black.

  about ET · at 5:52

• Now, one of my favorite gospel songs that they used to sing back in my home church back in Southwest Detroit was a song called God Didn't Bring Me This Far to Leave Me. Now…

  about God Didn't Bring Me This Far to Leave Me · at 8:04

• Just a free nugget, no cost. But one of the most disturbing conversations I see online is about the value of a college degree. Now you got a whole lot of people who ain't never…

  about College Degree · at 9:42

• Than anybody else. And then suddenly those degrees they ain't worth it. Funny how that works. You got H.B.CU across the country experiencing record enrollment and suddenly the…

  about HBCU · at 11:04

• That I admire. And some of these names you might recognize, the late great Kobe Bryant. He told me, There is no such thing as failure because when something doesn't work out…

  about Kobe Bryant · at 16:19

• So once again, Kobe was right from the incredible Denise Dinard, who is also known as my mother. She once told me, Don't let anybody tell you who you are. A lot of you will go on to some wonderful professional.

  about Denise Dinard · at 17:21

• And this from the incomparable or incomparable rather, the brilliant, the forever father, teacher, mentor, and coach Eddie Robinson, who never told me this personally, but it's…

  about Eddie Robinson · at 18:09

• I just want to thank you once again, class of 2025, for indulging me. I am so proud of all of you. Maybe in this moment, you don't have a clear idea of what you've accomplished because maybe.

  about Class of 2025 · at 20:04

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Kobe Bryant — Person · Referenced mentor / quoted figure · 2 mentions · first at 16:25
  Used as a source of life advice about failure and reinvention; the speaker also shares a personal anecdote about Kobe teasing them and later winning an Oscar after retirement.
• Denise Dinard — Person · Referenced mentor (family) · 1 mention · first at 17:25
  Identified as the speaker's mother and quoted for advice about identity and integrity—'Don't let anybody tell you who you are.'
• Eddie Robinson — Person · Referenced mentor / quoted figure · 1 mention · first at 18:20
  Quoted for a character-focused maxim about humility and composure in success and failure, reinforcing the speech's theme of integrity over status.

Companies & orgs

• HBCU — Company · Core topic (education context) · 1 mention · first at 11:13
  Referenced as experiencing record enrollment; used to argue that anti-degree narratives intensify when Black educational attainment rises.
• Michigan State University — Company · Speaker background reference · 1 mention · first at 1:24
  Mentioned as the speaker's alma mater (a PWI), contrasted with the current institution's culture and traditions.
  For those of you who don't know about my background, I did go to a PWI. I'm sorry. Went to Michigan State University. I know. and so our graduation was a little bit different.

Products & tech

• Camaro — Product · Plot object in personal story · 1 mention · first at 5:27
  The stepfather's Camaro is the vehicle involved in the crash that led to the speaker's near-death experience, which underpins the purpose theme.
  Service drive in Detroit. And at one particular intersection, the light turned green and my stepfather, he inched his Camaro forward. And just as we crossed the intersection, another car driven by an 84 year old man slammed into us.

Concepts & topics

• College Degree — Concept · Core topic · 1 mention · first at 9:47
  The speaker defends the value of earning a college degree, framing it as proof of discipline, critical thinking, and community-building, while pushing back on online narratives that degrees are 'not worth it.'
• God Didn't Bring Me This Far to Leave Me — Concept · Core theme / spiritual framing · 1 mention · first at 8:11
  A gospel song title used to frame the speech's message about purpose, destiny, and perseverance after hardship (including the speaker's near-death experience).

Places & events

• Class of 2025 — Event · Primary audience / occasion · 2 mentions · first at 0:47
  The speech is addressed directly to the graduating class, anchoring the advice on purpose, integrity, finances, and post-graduation anxiety.
• Southwest Detroit — Place · Personal background setting · 1 mention · first at 8:06
  Cited as the location of the speaker's home church and the origin of the gospel song reference that frames their purpose narrative.
  Now, one of my favorite gospel songs that they used to sing back in my home church back in Southwest Detroit was a song called God Didn't Bring Me This Far to Leave Me. Now, all of you out here in the audience, whether you believe in God.

Media & podcasts

• ET — Media · Personal backstory trigger · 1 mention · first at 5:08
  The speaker's near-death experience begins while traveling to see ET, anchoring the origin story for their purpose-driven message.
• A Different World — Media · Cultural reference (education discourse) · 1 mention · first at 9:54
  Used to mock critics of college who lack exposure to college culture, reinforcing the speaker's defense of higher education.
  Degree. Now you got a whole lot of people who ain't never set foot on a college campus, ain't never even watched an episode of a different world. They ain't never seen drum…
• Power — Media · Speaker credential / anecdote · 1 mention · first at 15:36
  The speaker mentions appearing on Power to emphasize that fame/credits are not what they want to be remembered for, reinforcing service and community impact.
  Remembered for. Not for awards, not for sometimes hanging out with some pretty cool famous people. Not even for appearing on power a couple times, the Tariq power, not the ghost power, just so y'all know.
• Finding Nemo — Media · Anecdotal reference · 1 mention · first at 16:46
  Mentioned as a humorous detail in the Kobe Bryant story—Kobe teased the speaker for never having seen it, humanizing the mentor anecdote.
  Mind trick on me, but he really did believe that. This, of course, was after he clowned me ruthlessly because I had never seen Finding Nemo. And unfortunately, I still haven't seen it.
• Drumline — Media · Cultural reference (education discourse) · 1 mention · first at 9:57
  Paired with 'A Different World' as shorthand for college/HBCU cultural literacy while criticizing online anti-degree commentary.
  People who ain't never set foot on a college campus, ain't never even watched an episode of a different world. They ain't never seen drum line. And they fighting for their life…

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 I want to thank all of you for being here and thank you to all the parents, grandparents auntes um big cousins, little cousins, play cousins, thank you guys because much as was said before, these graduates being here, you all being here in this moment, a big reason you are here is because of the family now that is represented in this room. So, family, friends, please give yourselves a round of applause because you got these young people here, I know at times they got on your nerves. I know they worked, you know, all the black people, we know exactly how many nerves that we have, right? And I know they worked the last one many, many times. But all of that hard work, everything you poured into them got them to this moment. And to the graduates, congratulations.

0:52 really soak in this moment because it is one of the more unforgettable experiences of your life. And so I hope that you appreciate everything happening in this moment. Everything that is happening to you all today, please tell me I got some Detroititers in here. I got a couple. What up though? To all my Detroititers that are here. I know we we going everywhere. We we international. Now, for those of you who don't know about my background, I did go to a PWI. I'm sorry. Went to Michigan State University. I know. Um, and so our graduation was a a little bit different.

1:34 Ain't had as much flavor, curl, not quite, you know, we we rolled a little differently. And so I have a few friends that attended this fine university and they told me about the champ. So look, we ain't we ain't at a wake up in here. I need y'all to do the champ for me one time cuz I'm not going to be able to do this ever again. Can y'all give me some GS? Y'all are we going to set it off in here or what? All right. So on the count of three. Oh, the band. Like, Y'ALL GONNA KICK IN WITH ME? Let's make this a family experience.

2:17 All right, man. So, let's go. GS. GS. GS. Oh, wait. Oh, we got to wait on them. Okay, y'all. Y'all let me know. I'm sorry. I'm new to this. All right. Come on B. Yeah. Everybody stand up. We here to celebrate. Forget all that.

2:53 There we go. That's what I'm talking about. So I get the phones out recording. Hey I thought you knew. Hey hey hey.

3:45 All right, I'm done. I'll see y'all later. That big ass is so worth it. Thank you. And more importantly, I I thank my my husband's line brother who went here to Grahamland State. He's a Q. So

4:03 yeah, I knew it. I knew y'all were here representing. So I I thank him for giving me that inside. And uh I've seen you guys perform before, so I know y'all get down. All right. I won't keep you guys too long because I know you guys got a lot of celebrating to do. And despite that very wonderful celebratory moment we just had, I'm g start off a little bit more somber. I actually died when I was 7 years old. Um, and just so you know, y'all not crazy. This is not a hologram. But I'm telling you this story because this is rooted in how you can find your purpose early and how that purpose stays with you through the rest of your life. I happened to find mine before or while I was still losing some of my baby teeth. So here's how I died. me, my mother, and my stepfather. We were on our way to see ET. And that is a movie that was made before the parents of many of you graduates had even met yet. But

5:19 my parents and I, we were driving on the service drive in Detroit. And at one particular intersection, the light turned green and my stepfather, he inched his Camaro forward. And just as we crossed the intersection, another car driven by an 84 year old man slammed into us. And later I would learn that all of our fates were intertwined because this older man had accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake. Now, I flew out the back window and landed on the trunk. And all I remember about that accident is that I was just happy and excited to see ET and then everything just went pitch black.

6:08 Now, when I woke up, a few days had passed. I was in a hospital bed. My eyes felt very heavy and I could tell that something wasn't quite right. Now, at some point, my mother showed me what I looked like in the mirror. Half my head was shaved off. My eyes were both black. I had a deep red scar over my right ear. And I just looked hideous. I looked like something out of a horror movie. Now, according to her, while I was being transported to the hospital, we were in the ambulance together. I kept telling her that Mrs. Cooper, my old babysitter, wanted me to come and go to the store with her.

6:56 The problem with that is that Mrs. Cooper had been dead for a few years now. When we finally got to the hospital, I flatlined. Your girl was up out of here. I had suffered a skull fracture that caused my brain to swell and it had run the risk of some very serious bleeding that essentially was going to kill me. Now, I've heard other people talk about their near-death experiences, but theirs was not like mine. I didn't see any bright light. I ain't see Tupac in a white suit at the piano with Danny Boy uh singing I ain't mad at you. That did not happen. And for those who don't get the reference, just look it up on YouTube. Um there was nothing at all to indicate that I was indeed dead. Now, as a seven-year-old, this wasn't something that I could fully process. But as time passed, as I grew personally and professionally, I found myself returning to my near-death experience because it was the clearest

7:57 indication and example I had ever received, that I was here for a reason. Now, one of my favorite gospel songs that they used to sing back in my home church back in Southwest Detroit was a song called God Didn't Bring Me This Far to Leave Me. Now, all of you out here in the audience, whether you believe in God or not, you are here for an ordained specific reason. You are in this moment right now because you were supposed to be in it. It didn't happen by chance. It didn't happen by accident. It happened because it was meant to be. Now, that does not mean you didn't put in hard work to be here. It doesn't mean you didn't have to overcome any obstacles. It means that something led you to this moment. And you would be cheating yourself and the family members here who have sacrificed so much for you to be in these seats if you didn't spend the rest of your life adhering and figuring out what that purpose exactly

9:03 is. Now, I'mma I'm going to keep it a stack with y'all. I'm going to keep it a hundred a buck, whatever denomination you want to throw in there. Like all of you, you know, I see a lot of the conversations on social media. Some of them make me smarter. Some of them make me dumber. Um, you know, like the 50-50 conversation and the $200 dates. I know some married people in here and anybody married could tell you it is not 50/50, it's 100 100. All right. Uh, actually, it reminds me of something my yoga teacher used to say all the time, which was, give me 100% of your 10%. And so, a lot of that is that mindset. That was just a free nugget, no cost. But one of the most disturbing conversations I see online is about the value of a college degree. Now you got a whole lot of people who ain't never set foot on a college campus, ain't never even watched an episode of a different world. They ain't never seen drum line. And they

10:01 fighting for their life every day on social media trying to figure out when to use there and there as in t h e r e versus t h e i r. You got people whose teacher used to hand them back their papers face down, but they arguing up and up and down everybody's timeline telling you that college degrees ain't worth it. Now, if you go to trade school or the military, I am not knocking those. Those are incredible career paths and you can still do those things and still go to college right? However, ain't it funny how when black people start getting their degrees, when black women start rising in education, that suddenly those degrees ain't worth it.

10:51 Ain't that funny how that happened? We start getting our stuff together. We start graduating. You see the statistic about black women having more advanced degrees than anybody else. And then suddenly those degrees they ain't worth it. Funny how that works. You got H.B.CU across the country experiencing record enrollment and suddenly the narrative is these degrees ain't worth it. We have powerful people Elon Musk the CEO of Nvidia telling young people college is overrated but they got they degrees don't they? Are they sending their kids to trade school and telling them trade school? Are they telling them to get their CDL? And again, there's nothing wrong with that. But notice that the very richest people, the ruling billionaires are telling people degrees aren't worth it. And then you look at their life.

11:49 Now, as I said, nothing wrong with those things, but the main reason they unleash these bots to tell us college is overrated is because they want us in the mindset that we can only be laborers and never owners. They want to keep us in that mindset that we're here to serve them. They're trying to keep us out of their exclusive club because they know our talents, our brilliance exposes them for what they truly are, which is mediocre. See, the reason you made it to this auditorium, graduates, is because you just passed one of the most toughest, arduous, common sense tests you may ever take.

12:38 College is about learning. It is certainly about getting better at your craft. It is about developing your critical thinking and setting yourself up for a robust financial future. But by earning this degree, you also show that you are disciplined, that you can stick to a commitment, that you believe in yourself, and that you can work with other people, learn from them, and that you can be in community. So don't ever let somebody disrespect or downplay what you just accomplished.

13:17 To quote that great urban philosopher Nas, hate is just twisted admiration. They hating on you because they can't do what you just did. But earning this spectacular degree is just the beginning of a long and hopefully very rewarding journey. Y'all are just really scratching the surface. But as you level up from this day forward, do not forget that your responsibility to community remains. Now listen, I'm all about getting a bag, and I've been blessed enough to get some pretty big ones, but don't ever let chasing a bag become your whole personality.

14:04 Don't ever let your life be defined by material possessions. Because when it's time for us to leave here, we will not be defined by the houses we bought, the cars we purchased, the drip we wear. To quote another great urban philosopher, Denzel Washington, you'll never see a U-Haul behind a hearse. How we will be remembered will be based on the people that we have helped, the lives we have changed, the things that people say about us when we not even in the room. If the best thing in my obituary is that I was an anchor and an analyst for ESPN for 12 years, then I have failed at my funeral 200 years from now.

14:53 I want the people that give remarks at my funeral to talk about how a phone call that I made helped them get an opportunity or how some advice that I gave them helped them better position themselves or how I listened when they needed a friend or a sounding board or how I encouraged them on a day when they were full of self-doubt or how they saw me in a space where they didn't think we belonged. And by seeing me there, it gave them the confidence that they did belong. Those are the things I want to be remembered for. Not for awards, not for sometimes hanging out with some pretty cool famous people. Not even for appearing on power a couple times, the Tariq power, not the ghost power, just so y'all know.

15:47 your service, your reputation, and how you help your community. That is the most important thing that matters in the bio of your life. Now, in closing, because I said I didn't want to keep you guys here long, as you go forward in starting another successful path, the best I the best advice that I can offer you are some nuggets of wisdom that I was that were given to me by others, people that I respect, people that I admire. And some of these names you might recognize, the late great Kobe Bryant. He told me, "There is no such thing as failure because when something doesn't work out, you just get up and try again." Thought Kobe was trying to pull a little Jedi mind trick on me, but he really did believe that. This, of course, was after he clowned me ruthlessly because I had never seen Finding Nemo. And unfortunately, I still haven't seen it.

16:52 Just as a a quick tangent about Kobe, who I got a chance to spend some uh time with, is that I remember saying to him, this was a year before he retired, and I remember telling him, I said, "Hey, I think you're going to be pretty miserable in retirement because we all have seen him play. We know what basketball means to him." And he laughed and he said, "I promise you I want I have another calling of something I want to do." I think maybe two years later, Kobe won an Oscar. So once again, Kobe was right from the incredible Denise Dinard, who is also known as my mother. She once told me, "Don't let anybody tell you who you are." A lot of you will go on to some wonderful professional opportunities. Some of these will be at big places, some of them may be in small places. It doesn't matter the size of the place, who you are, your integrity when you walk through that door. Make sure it's the same when you leave. Don't

17:53 let a place change your makeup, your character, or get you outside your character just because you're in a certain position. And this from the incomparable or incomparable rather, the brilliant, the forever father, teacher, mentor, and coach Eddie Robinson, who never told me this personally, uh, but it's probably my favorite quote from him. Win without bragging, lose without acting a fool. How you handle success matters just as much as how you handle failure. We have this idea that money makes you. Money does not make you. It makes you more of what you are. So how you behave with the money is the same way you behaved without it.

18:53 It's a character test in there. And last, but certainly not least, and this comes from me and not from some of the wonderful people who I have quoted. Don't ruin your credit. Please, for the love of God, don't ruin your credit. I tell you, when I left college, my credit score, I don't even want to tell y'all what number it started with, but it wasn't a six, seven, or eight. Just know that. If you walk out of college and your credit is still in good shape, my god, keep it there because trust me, you can save yourself a whole lot of fighting and battles and scraping and all of that in your 20s and beyond if you just set some good financial habits right now.

19:44 So, I don't care how many t-shirts Mastercard was offering you, please don't do it. Okay? I got a bunch of t-shirts uh or I had a bunch of t-shirts in college and a whole lot of bad credit because I went for that t-shirt gimmick every time they set up on campus. So, keep your credit clean. I just want to thank you once again, class of 2025, for indulging me. I am so proud of all of you. Maybe in this moment, you don't have a clear idea of what you've accomplished because maybe some of this is overwhelming. You're still trying to figure out what am I doing exactly after here? Where am I going? where am I living? What job am I going to have? Some of you are still putting out your resumes and that's all a part of what is the grind that you are going through. But do realize that in life you're going to make mistakes.

20:33 There's no mistake that you can't recover from. And so don't look at these next big decisions that you have to make about your future as if I get this wrong then something terrible is going to happen. Don't let it fill you with too much anxiety. Trust me when I tell you you are in the place that you need to be. You are enough. You don't need to be more. You need to be exactly what you are. And what distinguish you, what distinguishes you from everybody else is that you're you and they're them. You always you. You is always great. You always wins. Always, always bet

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Jemele Hill Delivers Inspiring Commencement Address for Grambling State University"?

Jemele Hill (Host).

What is "Jemele Hill Delivers Inspiring Commencement Address for Grambling State University" about?

Jemele Hill’s commencement address at Grambling State University emphasizes the importance of family and community in the graduates' journeys, celebrating their achievements while encouraging them to cherish this significant milestone. She reflects on her own educational experiences, engaging the audience with humor and a call to embrace the collective spirit of the occasion.

What is mentioned in this Jemele Hill episode?

15 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including College Degree, Class of 2025, Kobe Bryant, God Didn't Bring Me This Far to Leave Me, HBCU, Denise Dinard. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Jemele Hill Delivers Inspiring Commencement Address for Grambling State University"?

The episode runs 21 min; the transcript is about 3,080 words in 25 timestamped sections.

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