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Education Secretary Betsy DeVos heckled at Bethune-Cookman University graduation

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Education Secretary Betsy DeVos had a very tough audience for her commencement speech at a historically black university in Florida.

Boos and catcalls and shouts of "Liar!" nearly drowned out her address to students graduating from Bethune-Cookman University.

 

DeVos said she and the Trump administration are fully committed to the success of every student across the country. She asked them to avoid the "chorus of conflict" seen on cable TV. And she sought common ground by praising the school's founder and mission.

But the boos became an uproar when DeVos said she would visit the grave of the school's founder. Some in the audience said it seemed like she was trying to appropriate that legacy. One alum, Shakindra Johnson, said she thinks "Betsy forgot her name was Betsy and not Mary McLeod Bethune."