This year, Spelman College will host a highly regarded journalist as its commencement speaker, while delivering an honorary degree to an award-winning actress.
The college will host journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones as its 136th commencement speaker. Additionally, Blackish actress Tracee Ellis Ross will be presented with an honorary doctorate of fine arts.
Spelman College will host its commencement ceremony on May 21 beginning at 3 p.m. at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park.
This year’s ceremony will see 468 students collect 294 bachelor of arts and 174 bachelor of science degrees.
The ceremony will also highlight four valedictorians.
Speaker Hannah-Jones will also receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Hannah-Jones is the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the 1619 Project. She is currently a staff writer at the New York Times Magazine.
With a master of arts in mass communication from the University of North Carolina and a bachelor of arts in history and African American studies from the University of Notre Dame, she has spent the entirety of her career working investigating racial inequality and injustice.
Hannah-Jones earned her the MacArthur Fellowship, known as the Genius grant, a Peabody Award, two George Polk Awards and the National Magazine Award three times.
She also serves as the knight chair of race and journalism at Howard University, where she founded the Center for Journalism and Democracy.
The accomplished journalist is also the co-founder of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting, which seeks to increase the number of investigative reporters and editors of color.
Last year, Hannah-Jones opened the 1619 Freedom School, a free, after school literacy program in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa.
The commencement ceremony will also highlight the 2023 honorary degree recipient – Ross. Ross is best known for her roles in ABC’s award-winning comedy series Blackish and Girlfriends.
Ross won the Golden Globe Award in 2017 as well as nine NAACP Image Awards for her comedic role as Rainbow Johnson in Blackish and was also nominated for five Emmys and two Critics Choice Awards.
Additionally, Ross is the CEO and Founder of Pattern Beauty, a hair care brand for the curly, coily and tight textured masses.
Class of 2023 co-valedictorians, salutatorian and majors, include:
- Maya Blasingame, co-valedictorian, Biology
- Amaia Calhoun, co-valedictorian, Economics
- Sydney DuPree, co-valedictorian, Theatre and Performance
- Chandler Nutall, co-valedictorian, English
- Maya Phillips, salutatorian, Sociology
Class of 2023 top ten scholars, include:
- Maya Blasingame, co-valedictorian, Biology
- Amaia Calhoun, co-valedictorian, Economics
- Sydney DuPree, co-valedictorian, Theatre and Performance
- Chandler Nutall, co-valedictorian, English
- Maya Phillips, salutatorian, Sociology
- Annaya Baynes, English
- Kayla Bowman, Psychology
- Alexandra Jenkins, Economics
- Jesseca Lindsey, Spanish
- Adrianna Richardson, Biology
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