By RaNeeka Witty
Dean Danielle Holley of the Howard University School of Law announced that Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) will deliver the keynote address during Howard University School of Law’s Class of 2023 Hooding Ceremony on Saturday, May 13, 2023. Warnock will address members of the Class of 2023 and their families, Howard Law faculty, staff, and alumni. Howard University School of Law will award 141 juris doctor degrees during the Hooding Ceremony.
“The Howard University School of Law community is tremendously honored and excited that Sen. Warnock will be joining us,” said Holley. “As a U.S. senator and senior pastor of a historic church in Atlanta, Sen. Warnock is an outstanding public servant and fighter for the people of Georgia. He represents visionary leadership, commitment to community, and uses his skills and talents as tools to improve the lives of everyday people.”
Led by members of the Class of 2023, Howard Law students have been involved in access to democracy issues, including voter engagement opportunities and voter protection work in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia. The students completed their work in Georgia during Warnock’s 2020 and 2022 election campaigns, making Warnock’s keynote address significant to the Class of 2023.
“It is with great pleasure that the Howard University community welcomes Senator Raphael Warnock to deliver the School of Law Hooding Ceremony keynote address,” said Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA. “His decades of service as an advocate for social justice and recent efforts in the United States Senate exemplify Howard’s values of truth and service. We are honored to have him speak at this year’s ceremony.”
“It is such an honor to be the keynote speaker at Howard Law Class of 2023’s Hooding Ceremony,” said Warnock. “As a Morehouse College graduate, I know firsthand the magic that an HBCU experience can provide. I am looking forward to celebrating our newest generation of changemakers, and sharing what I’ve learned about how they can continue to serve the public and push for justice as they move forward in their lives.”
After graduating from Morehouse, Warnock earned a PhD from Union Theological Seminary and began his career ordained in the ministry. For more than 16 years, Warnock has served as senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, the former pulpit of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Warnock is the youngest pastor selected to serve in that leadership role at the historic church.
On January 5, 2021, Warnock was elected to the United States Senate in a special election runoff to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Sen. Johnny Isakson—a seat that appointed Sen. Kelly Loeffler previously held. Currently, Warnock serves on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, as well as the Special Committee on Aging and the Joint Economic Committee.
For more than 150 years, the Howard University School of Law has served as an advocate for social justice and as an architect of social change. It has produced more than 4,000 social engineers, including the first African American Supreme Court Justice, noted legislators, civil rights attorneys, mayors, and public officials across the United States. In 2020, PreLaw Magazine ranked Howard Law No. 1 on its list of the Best Law Schools for African Americans.
