President Barack Obama is on the last leg of his presidency much to the collective cheers and tears from people on either side of U.S. politics. So, for the last time, he’s giving a handful of commencement addresses to graduating college students as the sitting president.

One of his last stops was Howard University, where he spoke to students about their future as both individuals and Americans. 

“It may sound like a controversial statement — a hot take — given the current state our political rhetoric and debate, but America is a better place today than it was when I graduated from college,” Obama told the graduates. “It also happens to be better off than when I took office, but that’s a longer story.”

He even touched on the concept of a “post-racial society.”

“No, my election did not create a post-racial society,” he continued. “I don’t know who was propagating that notion, but that was not mine.”

Towards the end of the address, he even went as far as to tell the graduates to be proud of who they are by saying, “be confident in your blackness. There’s no one way to be black. Take it from someone who’s seen both sides of the debate about whether I’m black enough.”

Watch the full commencement below.

Photo Courtesy: Twitter