Now / some of you / might be / the first / in your family / to graduate / from college. // Maybe / you did not / follow the path / that was expected of you, / and you probably / questioned / everything about your decision. // But know / that stepping out / is the best thing / you can do / for self discovery. // I know / how hard / it is / to step out / and bet on yourself. // There was a / pivotal turning point / in my life / when I chose to build / my own company / many years ago. // I had to trust / that I was ready / and that my parents / and mentors / provided me / with the tools I needed / to be successful. // But that was terrifying. // The entertainment business / is still / very sexist. // It's still / very male-dominated. // And as a woman, / I did not see / enough female / role models / given the opportunity / to do / what I knew / I had to do, / to run / my label / and management company, / to direct / my films / and produce / my tours. // That meant / ownership, / owning / my masters, / owning / my art, // owning / my future / and writing / my own / story. // Not enough / black women / had a seat / at the table. // So I had / to go and / chop down / that wood / and build / my own table. // Then / I had / to invite / the best / there was / to have a seat. // That meant / hiring women, / men, / outsiders, / underdogs, / people / that were overlooked / and waiting / to be seen. // Many / of the best / creatives / and business people / who although, / supremely qualified / and talented, / were turned down / over / and over / as executives / at major corporations / because / they were female / or / because of / racial disparity. / And I've been / very proud / to provide them / with a place / at my table. // One of the main / purposes / of my art / for many years / has been dedicated / to showing / the beauty / of black people / to the world, / our history, / our profundity, and the value / of black lives. // Now I've tried / my best / to pull down / the veil / of appeasement / to those / who may feel / uncomfortable / with our excellence. // To the young women, / our future leaders, / know / that you're about / to make / the world / turn. // I see you. // You are everything / the world needs. // Make / those power moves, / be excellent.