Angry Students Drown Out DeVos During Graduation Speech

The education secretary was speaking at a historically black university in Florida
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted May 10, 2017 1:48 PM CDT
DeVos Booed Heartily During Commencement Speech
US Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, seen here at an event Tuesday, was heartily booed while attempting to give a commencement speech Wednesday at a historically black university in Florida.   (Leah Hogsten/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)

Betsy DeVos was drowned out by boos when the education secretary attempted to deliver the commencement speech Wednesday at Florida's Bethune-Cookman University, Politico reports. According to Business Insider, students and audience members at the historically black university booed DeVos for nearly the entirety of her speech, even continuing to shout at her after university president Edison Jackson threatened to simply mail students' degrees to them. DeVos largely stuck to her prepared speech, saying the Trump administration will "continue to support" historically black colleges and universities. DeVos drew ire in the past when she suggested such institutions are historic examples of "more options ... provided to students," instead of the only option for black students barred from white schools. And last week, President Trump implied he may cut all funding for historically black colleges and universities. (More Betsy DeVos stories.)

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