YouTube to host virtual graduation event in June with Barack and Michelle Obama as commencement speakers

YouTube is going to host a virtual graduation event next month and it will be headlined by former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama. Dear Class of 2020 will celebrate graduates, their families, and their communities worldwide. The event will commence at 12.30 am IST on 6 June and it will be live-streamed from the YouTube Originals channel. [caption id=“attachment_7998981” align=“alignnone” width=“1024”] Image: Reuters[/caption] The virtual event will see individual commencement speeches from Barack and Michelle Obama, whose ‘Reach Higher’ initiative will host a full hour of content to kick off the celebration.

Apart from the Obamas, other commencement speakers at the event will be BTS, Lady Gaga, former Secretary of Defence Robert M. Gates, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Malala Yousafzai. The event will also see special appearances by Alicia Keys, Kelly Rowland, Kerry Washington, Chloe x Halle, Zendaya, and YouTube creators Jackie Aina, AsapSCIENCE, Dude Perfect, Mr. Kate, and The Try Guys. “Graduation is a tradition that students and families look forward to and with the current state of the world, YouTube is lending some inspiration in the form of a virtual commencement,” Variety reported Susanne Daniels, global head of content for YouTube as saying. Barack Obama is also delivering a commencement message during Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020 on 16 May. This one-hour multimedia event will be hosted by XQ Institute, the LeBron James Family Foundation, and the Entertainment Industry Foundation. The 16 May event will have appearances by LeBron James, Malala Yousafzai, the Jonas Brothers, Yara Shahidi, Bad Bunny, Lena Waithe, Pharrell Williams, Megan Rapinoe, H.E.R., Ben Platt, among others.