washington president barack obama say commencement speech saturday u.s. race relations improve last three decades significant work still need do tell lull complacency spur action still much work obama tell 2,300 howard university graduate washington acknowledge racism inequality still persist sleepwalk life say unite state face number racial controversies recent years include 2014 shoot unarm black teenager police officer ferguson missouri spark sometimes violent protest unite state racial gap economic opportunities obama say note overall u.s. employment rate around percent near percent african-americans obama son white mother african father tell graduate embrace racial identity confident blackness obama say add one way black ... straightjacket constraints litmus test authenticity add election create post-racial society one example attitudes change obama also urge crowd try prod colleges universities disinviting controversial speakers something take place regularly campuses throughout unite state howard university one 100 historically black colleges universities unite state obama argue unite state world progress dramatically since 1983 graduate college america almost every measure good 1983 obama say note u.s. poverty rate number people college degrees number women workforce rise obama say today college graduate good position address country tough outstanding problems need strategy obama say add passion anger enough effect political change encourage embrace compromise hashtags vote note low voter turnout among young people 2014 congressional elections tell graduate need vote every time ... inspire obama note area improve recent decades u.s. prison population currently 2.2 million fourfold 500,000 1983. african-american men six time likely white men incarcerate obama say urge graduate lobby u.s. congress pass pending criminal justice reform measure senator charles grassley iowa republican praise obama remark twitter write even conservatives would applaud it obama say u.s. race relations improve work do