This UCLA Grad Delivered an Incredible Speech on the Power of Perseverance

Juliet Doris, who earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from UCLA, delivered a brilliant speech at the university’s ‘Afrikan Graduation.’ A single parent, she returned to school after being out for over a decade. “I am the right wing’s poster child for the deficit, stereotype of a welfare queen,” she said. “I am the one who spent 12 years in and out of a community college, while having 2 more kids, just to make it here.”




The theme of the ceremony was #BlackGraduateLivesMatter. Doris’s speech touched on various issues that she has dealt with and those that the Black community faces daily. It includes words of encouragement and inspiration while also giving a brief lesson on the myth of the “Black Welfare Queen” and #BlackLivesMatter. “I am one of many reasons why society tells us that Black lives don’t matter, and often perceived as a menace to our countries hegemonic, social norms [that are] rooted in slavery, capitalism and patriarchy, ya’ll.”

Watch the full speech below.



Photo: Necole Bitchie

Deonna Anderson is Junior Editor at For Harriet. Follow her on Twitter @iamDEONNA.

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