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Messages from the class of 2017

Losing the 2016 presidential election was “pretty devastating, especially considering who I lost to,” Hillary Clinton told graduates of Medgar Evers College on Thursday, June 8.

But Clinton said that setback “pales in comparison” to the heartbreak endured by Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of the slain black civil rights leader for whom the Brooklyn college is named.

Clinton urged the graduates to follow the example of Evers, who was assassinated in 1963, and of Evers-Williams, who has continued to fight for civil rights for more than 50 years.

“Never let anyone silence your voice,” Clinton said. “Medgar Evers faced constant threats because of his work. His house was firebombed by white supremacists. But he refused to back down.”

Medgar Evers College is part of the public City University of New York system, the largest urban university in the United States. (AP)

Here’s a look at mortar boards decorated and worn by the class of 2017 on graduation day.

Photography by Carlo Allegri/Reuters

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