Lena Waithe - Taji Mag

The LeBron James Family Foundation, XQ Institute, and The Entertainment Industry Foundation paid tribute to high school seniors nationwide in a one-hour multimedia special event, Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020, on Saturday, May 16. President Barack Obama delivered a commencement message during the historic special that also featured an impressive lineup of prominent leaders, educators, and entertainers, including LeBron James, Kevin Hart, H.E.R., Alicia Keys, Yara Shahidi, Lena Waithe, Pharrell Williams, Zendaya, Liza Koshy and more. More than 40 broadcast and cable networks and online streaming channels throughout the U.S. and across the world carried the commercial-free program. The commencement special honored the more than 3 million high school seniors across the nation whose final weeks of high school, including graduation ceremonies, were postponed or canceled due to COVID-19.

President Obama said, “With all the challenges this country faces right now, nobody can tell you ‘no, you’re too young to understand’ or ‘this is how it’s always been done.’ Because with so much uncertainty, with everything suddenly up for grabs, this is your generation’s world to shape.”

He was also joined by several high school students who are part of the Obama Foundation’s work to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world, including seniors from Chicago Public Schools and members of the Obama Youth Jobs Corps, a program created in partnership with Urban Alliance. As part of its mission, the Obama Foundation is focused on engaging, training, and supporting the next generation of leaders to create positive change in their communities.

graduate together — LeBron James speaks during Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020.0. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images for EIF & XQ)

LeBron James said, “Pursue every ambition, go as far as you possibly can dream, and be the first generation to embrace the new responsibility—a responsibility to rebuild your community. Class of 2020, the world has changed. You will determine how we rebuild, and I ask that you make your community your priority. Congratulations, Class of 2020. I love all of you. And remember one thing: you’re all kings and queens.”

Malala Yousafzai said, “The Class of 2020 won’t be defined by what we lost to this virus, but by how we responded to it. The world is yours now, and I can’t wait to see what you make of it.”

The program also highlighted some of the nation’s exceptional high schoolers working tirelessly to affect change both in their communities and on a larger scale as well as some of the country’s most influential teachers including National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson, who teaches social studies and history at Virgie Binford Education Center in Richmond, Virginia.

The celebration featured specially curated performances from Grammy and Tony Award-winning artists to Billboard chart-toppers. Following a touching performance by a nationwide high school student choir singing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Dua Lipa opened the show with her song “Break My Heart.” Highlights included Alicia Keys’ rendition of her song “Underdog” and “Sometimes” by H.E.R.

Additional talent who participated included Yara Shahidi, Kane Brown, Lana Condor, Charli D’Amelio, Dixie D’Amelio, David Dobrik, Dolan Twins, Loren Gray, Chris Harrison, and Maren Morris, all of whom shared messages celebrating the Class of 2020 and their accomplishments, with hope and excitement for their collective future.

As part of the celebration, high school seniors from across the country submitted portraits to the largest-ever high school yearbook. Created by renowned artist JR and his participatory art project Inside Out, the project offers graduates a place to share their portraits and stories while making a collective statement.

Immediately following the broadcast, TikTok hosted the official #GraduateTogether After Party, featuring DJs Kitty Cash, Brittany Sky, and Victoria Monet.

Corporate and philanthropic giving associated with #GraduateTogether will benefit DonorsChoose and America’s Food Fund to help meet student needs in some of our nation’s most underserved and under-resourced communities.

Queen and Slim is a moving film that dives into the racial injustice of the judicial system that frequents the media and social platforms. It’s not just another film that explores this topic, it’s a film that pays attention to perspectives. Much like the 2000 film Traffic, Queen and Slim gives a look at various perspectives from different characters when dealing with racism, police harassment, and brutality while following an innocent Black woman and Black man just trying to survive. Along the way, the audience gets to follow the growth of the characters the and challenges (both mental and physical) they must face.

Social Media Discussions and Disagreements

It’s as if the subject matter of police brutality was brought up at a family gathering during the holidays or posted on a social media thread – everyone has a different perspective that they are entitled to. Not all agree on the actions of the subjects but each has different thoughts because of their experience or career, especially those family and friends in law enforcement. Each person that Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) encounter are easily personified as those very same people. From the police officers who are in pursuit of them to their family members to a young man they meet at a body shop to a paranoid man in a trailer park who help them.

Of course, as the protagonists of the film, they are heralded as heroes for fighting racism and murdering a cop but they didn’t do it to be heroes, they did it to survive. Their reactions to the police officer are on different spectrums – Slim being the more passive type while Queen, who is a lawyer, is more vocal.

The interesting thing is how many Black people support them and don’t blow their cover while they are on the run. Like most Black folk, they are tired of police killing innocent people such as Philando Castile.

The film also shows the perspective of good police officers who know their job well and pose no harm to innocent people but still get categorized as a threat. This was an interesting perspective because at times people forget that there are police officers who do their job. In some cases, they become villainized and sometimes assaulted because of the negative connotation of the badge caused by bad cops.

During the course of the film, there are characters who resemble some Black folk who don’t care about the fate of innocent Black people and only care about themselves. They are the very same people in the world who show indifference for selfish reasons or only care about making their money. I have definitely encountered various types of people in my life and have been a little irritated at times when people cannot think objectively about the topic of police brutality, so the film did a great job of delivering the message that I try to relay when I talk to others about the subject matter.

Waithe and Matsoukas Are A Dope Combo

Lena Waithe did a tremendous job with the characters to ensure that this wasn’t another Bonnie and Clyde or Set It Off film wild chase that the film may seem like from the trailers. It’s moreso storytelling about real people, with real problems, who face a world that is full of imperfections while dealing with their personal issues and growing together.

The beauty of the film was the vulnerability and connection that the two characters develop during the course of the film. I really saw the two characters exchange energy as each started to take on personality traits (i.e Slim becoming less uptight and Queen becoming more open to spirituality), from the beginning to end, its something I felt was well represented.

I was really impressed with the way the film was directed by Melina Matsoukas, the different hues and angles played to the emotions of the scenes. Especially when Queen and Slim had moments of reflection or action. I really felt apart of the scenes and felt the acting that made the characters compelling. Matsoukas directorial efforts proves that she knows how to really capture important moments.

There were many scenes where I saw Queen and Slim as enslaved escapees back in the day, especially when they hid under floorboards when the police came looking for then in an all-white neighborhood. It also reminded me of the enslaved stacked together under a ship.

Queen and Slim is a must-watch film that will be immortalized as a film that audiences will enjoy now and future generations will fully appreciate. My hopes are that it will reach a wide demographic who they can see the perspective of the Black people.