South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette gives preview of speech

South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette says she was invited to speak at South Carolina State and she plans to appear at the HBCU commencement.

Evette held a press conference after students protested her expected commencement address at SC State. Her message was direct. She said the university asked her to speak. The speech has been on her calendar for months, she says she’s looking forward to addressing graduates.

“I was asked as a guest to come and speak,” Evette said. “I was happy to do that.”

Evette said the request came through her official office. She added that the speech is already written and will focus on her family, business career, and message of hard work.

“I’m going to bring a speech that talks about what hard work does,” Evette said. She said her remarks will not be aimed at a political crowd.

Pamela Evette says message will not be political

Evette pushed back on the idea that her commencement speech would be politically charged.

She said she plans to talk about being the granddaughter of immigrants, her father’s work as a tool-and-die maker, and her own path in business and politics. Evette also said graduates should hear from people with different views.

“There has to be dialogue on college campuses,” Evette said. “There have to be opposing views.”

The protest at South Carolina State came after Evette posted a video criticizing “woke mobs” and saying she supported eliminating DEI from college campuses.

At the press conference, Evette again defended her position. She said she is pro-life, opposes DEI, and supports President Donald Trump. She called those positions “facts.”

Charlie Kirk becomes part of HBCU debate

Evette repeatedly mentioned Charlie Kirk while discussing campus speech and student protest.

“When you take constructive dialogue, which Charlie Kirk was trying to do,” Evette said, “there’s always great and better ways to do things than what was happening.”

She also connected Kirk to a broader argument about tenure, professors, and what she described as students being unable to express conservative views on campus.

Evette said she is not worried about professors. She said she is worried about students who are not being taught how to think critically.

That framing moves the SC State controversy beyond one commencement address. It places the state’s only public HBCU inside a larger national fight over DEI, free speech, and political identity.

Did Trump give more to HBCUs?

Evette also repeated a major claim about HBCU funding.

“President Trump, the governor and I have done more for our historically black colleges and universities than anybody in the history of the state or the country,” she said.

Trump did sign the FUTURE Act, which made $255 million in annual mandatory funding for HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions permanent. His White House has also cited more than $100 million for scholarships, research, and centers of excellence at HBCU land-grant institutions.

But the broader claim is harder to support.

PolitiFact previously found Trump exaggerated when he claimed he “saved” HBCUs, noting that overall federal funding levels showed little change compared with the Obama years.

The Biden administration later reported more than $19.3 billion in HBCU support through appropriations, COVID relief, debt forgiveness, procurement, and other federal programs.

The current Trump administration also announced a major HBCU funding boost in 2025. The Department of Education said HBCUs would receive more than $1.34 billion for fiscal year 2025, including a one-time increase.

So the cleanest answer is this: Trump has a real HBCU funding record, especially through the FUTURE Act. But the claim that his administration has done more than any other is disputed and depends on what funding category is being counted.

For now, Evette says she still plans to speak at South Carolina State.

“I look forward to celebrating with the graduates and faculty,” she said.

HBCU Gameday has reached out to South Carolina State for comment.

The post South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette gives preview of speech appeared first on HBCU Gameday.

HBCU Gameday

This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 10:06 AM.