Nam Y. Huh/AP

Former President Barack Obama delivered a virtual commencement address on Saturday, urging the tens of thousands of graduates from historically black colleges and universities to "seize the initiative" amid what he described as a lack of leadership from leaders in the United States to the coronavirus pandemic.

While Obama's remarks were billed as a sendoff for graduating seniors — forced by the pandemic to leave campuses across the country and unable to participate in more traditional commencement ceremonies — Obama also appeared to bring the graduates together around a set of shared values.

Obama praised the key role that historically black colleges play in the black community, telling graduates that now more than ever, they have the tools they need to seize their power to make change.

Taylor Harris, 22, who attended Hampton University, said she was glad to see Obama and others taking notice of HBCUs given their key role in educating a large population of low income and first-generation students.

Over the course of his presidency, Obama gave in-person commencement addresses at three historically black colleges: Hampton University, Howard University and Morehouse College.