DuVernay, a proud Compton native, addresses graduates who completed their degrees during the convergence of a global pandemic, economic insecurity, and the trauma of witnessing racial violence. After acknowledging the pain and fear they've experienced, she pivots to what she believes the unpredictable year taught: the opportunity to be sincere. Her argument is that however physically strong a person may be, falsehood keeps them down — it never allows you to rise. Those who have done great things in any walk of life have done them by the power of truth, the power of sincerity. They believed in something truly, sincerely, and when that belief was lacking, so was the power to achieve it. For community college graduates who may feel their accomplishments are overlooked, the message is particularly resonant: sincerity is the equalizer.