{"id":228313,"date":"2026-05-12T08:51:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T08:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/228313\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T08:51:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T08:51:39","slug":"queen-latifah-inspires-graduates-of-nations-largest-hbcu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/228313\/","title":{"rendered":"Queen Latifah inspires graduates of nation\u2019s largest HBCU"},"content":{"rendered":"

With confidence, humor, and unapologetic Black excellence, hip-hop icon Queen Latifah delivered a commencement address<\/a> at North Carolina A&T State University that felt less like a traditional graduation speech and more like a masterclass in self-belief. Addressing the spring 2026 graduating class, the award-winning rapper, actress, and entrepreneur challenged Aggies to embrace what she called a \u201cdelusional amount of belief\u201d in themselves\u2014even when the world cannot yet see their vision.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to be delusional,\u201d Latifah told graduates. \u201cYou have to have delusional amounts of belief and faith to dream beyond your wildest dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout the speech, Latifah reflected on her journey from East Orange, New Jersey, to becoming one of entertainment\u2019s most respected multi-hyphenate stars. Long before the Grammys, blockbuster films, and television success, she said everything began with how she chose to see herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think at 16, when I had the nerve to name myself Queen Latifah, it started right there,\u201d she said. \u201cI was presenting myself the way I saw myself\u2014with all the power, the poise, the purpose, and the presence of a young Black queen.\u201d<\/p>\n

At a time when many graduates are entering an uncertain job market and an ever-changing world, Latifah\u2019s message hit home. Rather than encouraging students to play it safe, she pushed them to embrace individuality, trust their instincts, and stop waiting for validation from others.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s sometimes just no way to make it to where you want to be unless you have the courage to stand alone,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s why they call it your lane, because it was made just for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

What made the speech resonate even deeper was Latifah\u2019s transparency. The entertainment mogul opened up about career setbacks, financial struggles, and moments where trusting her intuition mattered more than chasing a paycheck. One of the most powerful portions of the address centered around learning the power of saying \u201cno\u201d\u2014something she admitted did not come naturally to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father used to always tell me, \u2018A no is as strong as a yes,\u2019\u201d she shared. \u201cNo didn\u2019t always come naturally to me. I had to stand in the mirror and practice saying, \u2018No, no, no, no, no.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Latifah, learning how to say no ultimately helped propel her into becoming one of Hollywood\u2019s most recognized and respected actresses. Turning down projects that did not align with her purpose eventually created space for bigger opportunities \u2014 including her role in Chicago, which helped elevate her into Hollywood\u2019s A-list.<\/p>\n

Latifah also reminded graduates that success often requires walking paths others may not immediately understand. Her words particularly resonated within the HBCU community<\/a>, where students are frequently taught to pursue excellence while navigating spaces that may underestimate their talent and potential.<\/p>\n

As the ceremony came to a close, Latifah left Aggies with one final challenge: dream so boldly that it scares people.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe delusional enough to call yourself something that the world hasn\u2019t called you yet,\u201d she said. \u201cGet your own crown and rock that damn thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

For graduates stepping into a world filled with uncertainty, competition, and constant pressure to conform, Queen Latifah\u2019s message<\/a> landed as both motivation and affirmation.<\/p>\n

With confidence, humor, and unapologetic Black excellence, hip-hop icon Queen Latifah delivered a commencement address at North Carolina A&T State University that felt less like a traditional graduation speech and more like a masterclass in self-belief.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With confidence, humor, and unapologetic Black excellence, hip-hop icon Queen Latifah delivered a commencement address at North Carolina…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228314,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[2408,26119,9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-228313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-celebrity","tag-hbcu","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}