By Cedric Mobley
Howard University announced today information on the graduating Class of 2025 Commencement. The 157th Commencement will be held at the university Saturday, May 10, 2025, at 10 a.m. on The Yard, the university’s main campus upper quadrangle. Peabody, Emmy, and Grammy-Award winner LeVar Burton will serve as the Commencement orator. He will also receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Graduates from the university’s 14 schools and colleges will be among the largest graduating classes in the university’s history to receive bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in various disciplines. The individual colleges and schools will also hold awards and recognition ceremonies for their respective graduates May 7-10.
LeVar Burton is one of the world’s most prolific and impactful artists, with a decades-long career that includes roles as an actor, director, producer, author, and podcaster. He is the recipient of 15 Emmys Awards, a Peabody Award, a Grammy Award, and seven NAACP Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Inaugural Children’s & Family Emmys. His body of work includes starring roles in the epic miniseries “Roots,” the seminal and defining exploration of American slavery and its impact. Burton also starred as Lt. Commander Geordi LaForge in the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” series and movies.
As a lifelong literacy advocate, Burton has dedicated decades to encouraging children to read. He was the long-time host of the iconic “Reading Rainbow” television program. His enormously popular LeVar Burton Reads podcast has over 175 episodes in its catalog, boasting 25 million downloads. He also served as executive producer of “The Right to Read,” a film that positions the literacy crisis in America as a civil rights issue. His production company, LeVar Burton Entertainment, develops projects in the film, television, podcasting, and publishing space with the mission to share stories that foster empathy, champion diversity, and build community.
In addition to Burton, the following distinguished individuals will also receive honorary degrees for their life’s work:
- Emery Neal Brown, Ph.D., will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree. Brown is one of the foremost leaders in computational neuroscience and anesthesiology.
- The Honorable Barbara Lee will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. She was the first Black woman to represent northern California in the state legislature and the U.S. Congress, where she served for 27 years and chaired the Congressional Black Caucus, Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity, and Congressional Social Work Caucus, among other leadership posts.
- Lilian Seenoi-Barr will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Seenoi-Barr is the first Black mayor in Northern Ireland and leads Derry City and Strabane.
- Natasha Trethewey will receive a Doctor of Letters degree. Trethewey is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet who served as United States Poet.