On Sunday, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) delivered a rather unconventional commencement speech at Tougaloo College, a historically black institution in Jackson, Mississippi. Rather than an inspiring message of hope and success, her address seemed to veer into controversial territory.
During her speech, Crockett suggested a rather peculiar approach to dealing with naysayers, implying that graduates should be prepared to “use a chair” against those who claim they don’t belong. “There are going to be people that tell you that you don’t belong, and I am here to tell you over and over and over that you absolutely belong,” she asserted, trying to uplift the students.
Her remarks took a sharp turn as she referenced the historical context of Montgomery and the infamous folding chairs, stating, “Let me tell you that we know how to use a chair, whether we’re pulling it up or we’re doing something else with it. Let me be the first one to tell you that I know that y’all are ready to put your boots on the ground.”
This anecdote seems to draw from a notable incident in Montgomery, Alabama, where a folding chair was wielded as a weapon during a brawl involving white private boaters and black dock workers in 2023, as reported by The Daily Caller.
Crockett appeared to reference a 2023 brawl in Montgomery, Alabama, where some white private boaters clashed with a number of black men, including a dock worker, with at least one of the black men using a folding chair as a weapon during the incident.
For those interested, here’s a glimpse of her speech:
Representative Jasmine Crockett urged college graduates to “use a chair” against haters. I’m relieved chairs are scarce in Congress’s halls.
pic.twitter.com/boXHFZ30Ga— Charles R Downs (@TheCharlesDowns) May 5, 2025
This rather aggressive hint at violence starkly contrasts with the more traditional uplifting message delivered by President Trump during his commencement address at the University of Alabama the previous week. Trump encouraged graduates with a message of empowerment, asserting, “If you think that you are too young to do something great, you are wrong. Now is the time to work harder than you have ever worked before, push yourself… find your limits, and then smash through them.”
In a similar vein, Trump shared ten insightful lessons he has learned about life during his speech, emphasizing the importance of resilience and determination. This juxtaposition between Crockett’s controversial remarks and Trump’s motivational rhetoric highlights a growing divide in political messaging, particularly as it pertains to the youth and their role in societal change.
