John Lewis, a giant of the U.S. civil rights movement and an eight-term U.S. congressman from Georgia, will address Lesley University graduates at the 2003 commencement on May 19 at the Bayside Expo Center in Boston. The ceremony begins at 11 a.m.
In addition to Lewis, honorary degrees will be awarded to Anne Ford, chairman emeritus of the National Center for Learning Disabilities, and Jerry Pinkney, a multiple Caldecott Award-winning children's book illustrator.
Biographical information:
Born the son of Alabama sharecroppers in 1940, John Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights and personal dignity. In 1961, he risked his life and was severely beaten by mobs after joining the Freedom Riders, organized to challenge segregation at southern interstate bus terminals. Lewis was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which was largely responsible for the sit-ins and other activities of students in the civil rights struggle. By 1963, Lewis became one of the "Big Six" leaders of the Civil Rights movement, and was a keynote speaker at the historic "March on Washington" in August that year. Two years later, he led more than 600 marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma Alabama, which led to a confrontation with state troopers that became known as "Bloody Sunday." That march and a subsequent march between Selma and Montgomery, Alabama led to enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. First elected to U.S. Congress in 1986, Lewis now serves as chief deputy democratic whip.
Anne Ford, daughter of Henry Ford II, served as chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Learning Disabilities from 1989 to 2001. Her daughter, Allegra, was diagnosed with learning disabilities and attended Lesley's Threshold Program, a program for highly motivated young adults with diverse learning disabilities. During her years as chairman, Ford led the reorganization and broad expansion of NCLD. She established a Washington, D.C., office, presented educational summits on learning disabilities, and collaborated with national service organizations outside the learning disabilities field on issues such as literacy and early childhood development. The Anne Ford Scholarship was established in her honor by the NCLD Board of Directors. Ford also has written a book with John-Richard Thompson called "Laughing Allegra." It is a non-fiction story about how her daughter's struggle with LD affected a family, and it chronicles a mother's challenge to create a fulfilling life for her daughter.
Jerry Pinkney, an illustrator of children's books for more than 35 years, received four Caldecott Honor Medals for "John Henry," by Julius Lester; "The Talking Eggs" by Robert D. San Souci; "Mirandy and Brother Wind" by Patricia McKissack; and most recently "The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Andersen. He has received the Coretta Scott King Award four times and a Coretta Scott King Honor Award twice. Many of his books have been cited as notable books by the American Library Association and the National Council of Social Studies/Children's Book Council. Pinkney will speak at The Art Institute of Boston's diploma distribution ceremony following Lesley's main graduation exercises.
Lesley University (www.lesley.edu) is a 13,000-student, multi-site university for women and men. Anchored by a strong liberal arts curriculum, Lesley offers undergraduate and graduate programs in education, the arts and human services at its Cambridge and Boston campuses and at more than 150 sites in 18 states. Lesley's five schools include the School of Education, the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences, the Adult Baccalaureate College, The Art Institute of Boston, and Lesley College, an undergraduate women's college.
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