In yet another commencement address at an American university, first lady Michelle Obama injected race relations into her speech. And this time around, she urged the graduating students to fight the civil rights issue of their time, same-sex marriage, and do their civic duty to combat global warming.

Speaking to graduates of Oberlin College Monday, Mrs. Obama said:

I also want to tell you how proud and how moved I am to receive this honorary degree from this particular school -- the first college in America to officially embrace the admission of black students, and the first co-ed school to grant bachelor’s degrees to women.  (Applause.) 

I should be here today. Oberlin is likely the only college in America that I could have attended nearly two centuries ago, and I am honored to be part of the extraordinary legacy of this great institution.  (Applause.) 

Obama spoke with the graduating class at Oberlin because it was one of the school's chosen for her Reach Higher initiative that gave students the opportunity to mentor high school students and encourage those "underserved young people" to go to college. Obama congratulated them on being "a shining example [of how to] lift first-generation students into college."

"I’m inspired by your commitment to service and social justice," Obama said.

She also warned graduates that though they have spent the last four years surrounded by like-minded voices, they will soon encounter "clamor outside these walls -- the name-calling, the negative ads, the folks yelling at each other on TV."

"And in the face of all of that clamor, you might have an overwhelming instinct to just run the other way as fast as you can," said Obama. "And that’s completely understandable.  In fact, I sometimes have that instinct myself -- run!"

Urging them to "do just the opposite" and face the polarization and gridlock head on, Mrs. Obama encouraged them to look to the social justice pioneers of the past to find courage for the future. (Martin Luther King, Jr., FDR's Social Security, Oberlin alum and suffragette Lucy Stone) She urged them to volunteer, rally for marriage equality, change laws to reform criminal justice, run for office themselves, and elect a president that shares their values.

She continued:

No, you don’t get to be precious or cautious or cynical. No, not when the earth is warming and the oceans are rising. You don’t get to be cynical. Not when too many young people still languish in communities ripped apart by violence and despair. Not when women still make less than men for the same work.  Not when millions of girls across the globe never set foot inside a school.  (Applause.)  No, not when many young people just like you -- the men and women we honor this Memorial Day –- have sacrificed their lives for your freedom to make your voice heard.  You don’t get to have no hands.

And, graduates, climate change, economic inequality, human rights, criminal justice -– these are the revolutions of your time. And you have as much responsibility and just as much power to wake up and play your part in our great American story. Because it is absolutely still possible to make a difference. The great moments of our history are not decades in our past; they’re happening right now, today, in our lifetimes.

Just think about the folks who are winning those battles state by state, city by city to ensure that everyone in this country can marry the person they love.  (Applause.) Think about how just 10 years ago, gay marriage was legal in just one state in this country –- just one -- and today, it is legal in 37 states and Washington, D.C.  (Applause.)   

Think about those elections in 2008 and 2012 when idealistic young people like all of you worked long hours for little money and less sleep, pounding the pavement for months, talking to folks about what was at stake. Think about the millions of folks who got out to vote on Election Day, waiting in the cold and rain in lines that stretched for hours, refusing to leave until they made their voices heard.

And finally, think about how even with all the gridlock and polarization in Washington, we have made so much change these past six years:  12 million new jobs.  Sixteen million people who finally have health insurance. Historic agreements to fight climate change. Epic increases in college financial aid. More progress on LGBT rights than any time in our history. (Applause.) And today, it is no longer remarkable to see two beautiful black girls walking their dogs on the South Lawn of the White House lawn. That’s just the way things are now. (Applause.) 

AP Photo: Tony Dejak