Dr. Fauci and Stevie Wonder address political division at commencement ceremonies in Michigan

Two celebrities speaking at graduation ceremonies in southeast Michigan addressed political division and exhorted graduates to fight its pernicious effects this past weekend. I begin with Dr. Anthony Fauci delivers University of Michigan 2020 Comeback Graduation Remarks from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to the President, delivered a compelling speech to the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 graduates at the University of Michigan Comeback Commence at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, May 7, 2022. He applauded the graduates’ adaptability, resilience, and dedication despite the difficulties and uncertainties of the pandemic, saying he is “in awe” of them.

After praising the graduates and recounting how he began researching HIV and AIDS, he remarked on the polarized political environment where those on one side of the ideological divide reject science. In particular, he warned the attendees against "the normalization of untruths." That's a message I can get behind.*

WATCH: Stevie Wonder receives honorary doctorate from Wayne State from WXYZ to see and hear the other celebrity speaker last weekend.

Motown legend Stevie Wonder received an honorary doctorate from Wayne State University on Saturday.

I'm with Wonder; it's disheartening that Americans still have to fight for civil rights, voting rights, and reproductive rights, but fight we must.

*This is only indirectly a pandemic update. I'll probably get to "more pandemic news, including global death estimates" that I promised in NBC News and MSNBC report the U.S. passed 1 million deaths from COVID-19, a pandemic update Friday or Saturday. In the meantime, stay tuned for the final retrospective of the 2021-2022 blogging year on Throwback Thursday.