“Congratulations to the 2020 class, you arrived here in the midst of a global crisis, a racial pandemic and a global expression of anger over the senseless killing of another unarmed Black Human being. And you still succeeded, we are so proud of you,” Beyoncé said in a video address. as part of YouTube’s “Dear Class 2020” event.

“Thank you for using your collective voice and letting the worlds know how Black lives. The murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonne Taylor and many others have left us all broken. He has left the whole country in search of answers.” she continued. “We saw that our collective hearts, when brought into positive action, could set in motion the wheels of change. The real changes have begun with you, this new generation of high school graduates and students we are celebrating today. ”

She went on to talk about her own music industry prejudices and how that prompted her to launch Parkwood Entertainment in 2010.

“I didn’t see enough female role models get a chance for what I knew I had to do – run my label and management company, direct my films and produce my tours which meant owning, owning my masters, owning my art, owning my future and writing your own story, ”Beyoncé said. “There aren’t enough black women to sit at the table. So I had to go bury that tree and build my table. Then I had to invite the best it was to sit down. It meant hiring women, men, outsiders, underdogs, people who neglected and waiting to be seen. “