Scott Olson/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — High school senior Lincoln Debenham tweeted at former President Barack Obama on Tuesday night asking him to do a nationwide commencement speech for 2020 high school seniors, many of whom will not have an in-person graduation ceremony because of the novel coronavirus.
In the tweet, Debenhem discussed many of the milestones, including a physical graduation ceremony, that many seniors won’t participate after many schools went virtual to adhere to social distancing guidelines. According to the Washington Post, Debehman is a senior at Eagle Rock High School in Los Angeles, California.
Hi @BarackObama! Like most high school/college seniors, I’m saddened by the loss of milestone events, prom & graduation. In an unprecedented time, it would give us great comfort to hear your voice. We ask you to consider giving a national commencement speech to the class of 2020.
— Lincoln (@lincolnjackd) April 15, 2020
“Like most high school/college seniors, I’m saddened by the loss of milestone events, prom & graduation,” Debenhem said. “In an unprecedented time, it would give us great comfort to hear your voice.
An Obama spokesperson told CNN that they were aware of the tweets, and were “very flattered,” but declined to comment further.
Debehem’s tweet garnered plenty of attention, more than 39,000 retweets and 194,000 likes in less than two days. After the initial tweet, other students and parents also responded with pleas to the former president to deliver the address. Other Twitter users created the Twitter hashtag #ObamaCommencement2020, which became a trending hashtag.
Some celebrities, such as Julia Louise-Dreyfus and Busy Phillips, also tweeted their encouragement.
.@BarackObama Do it, please, Mr President! https://t.co/sG8sOjXbiR
— Julia Louis-Dreyfus (@OfficialJLD) April 16, 2020
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