Her Majesty Queen Noor of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan will be the commencement speaker at the College of William and Mary on Sunday, May 11, 2003. Married to King Hussein in 1978, the Queen has gained worldwide recognition in her own right as an advocate for children, women, education and the arts. In recognition of this, the Queen will be awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters by William and Mary.
Receiving an honorary doctorate of public service will be Congressman John Lewis, a noted leader in the civil rights movement who is serving his eighth term in office as a Democrat representing Georgia's fifth district. A recipient of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Non-Violent Peace Prize, Lewis was a member of the Freedom Riders and chaired the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which he helped form.
"At commencement this year, we recognize two individuals who have made life-long commitments to public service. Queen Noor sponsors projects that have improved the lives of many individuals, both in her adopted nation of Jordan and throughout the world. John Lewis has also fought for the dignity and well-being of those who might have otherwise been forgotten. We are honored by the presence of both of these individuals," said President Timothy J. Sullivan.
Born Lisa Najeeb Halaby, Queen Noor received a B. A. in architecture and urban planning from Princeton University in 1974, four years after enrolling as a member of the first co-educational class. She participated in several international urban planning and design projects in Australia, Iran, the United States and Jordan, from where she traveled throughout the Arab world to research aviation training facilities for the preparation of a master plan for an Arab Air University to be established in Jordan. Subsequently, she joined Royal Jordanian airline as Director of Planning and Design Projects.
Since 1978, Queen Noor has played a major role in promoting international exchange and understanding of Middle Eastern politics, Arab-Western relations and current global issues throughout the world.
In Jordan, Queen Noor initiates, directs and sponsors projects and activities which address specific national development needs in the areas of education, culture, women and children's welfare, human rights, conflict resolution, community development, environmental and architectural conservation, public architecture, and urban planning. Among other initiatives, she launched the National Committee for the International Year of the Child (1979), Royal Endowment for Culture and Education (1979), Arab Children's Congress (1980), Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts (1981), National Music Conservatory (1985), National Handicrafts Development Project (1985) and The Jubilee School (1993).
Also in 1985, the Queen established the Noor Al Hussein Foundation to consolidate the administration of her diverse and expanding development initiatives. The Foundation initiates and supports national, regional and international projects in the fields of integrated community development, micro-finance, education, culture, child and family health, women and enterprise development. In 1995, Queen Noor established and served as the first chair of the National Task Force for Children. The King Hussein Foundation, chaired by Queen Noor, was established by royal decree in 1999 to provide a meaningful legacy for the late King's humanitarian vision. Its programs emphasize democracy and peace, education and leadership, and environment and health.
Queen Noor is also active as a leader of a variety of philanthropic causes, including patron for The World Conservation Union, president of the United World Colleges, Center for the Study of the Global South at American University, United Nations University International Leadership Academy, Landmine Survivors Network, International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Future Harvest and The Hunger Project.
Upon her marriage, Queen Noor received Jordan's Grand Cordon of the Jeweled Al Nahda, and shortly afterwards, the Grand Collar of Al Hussein Bin Ali, in addition to numerous state decorations from around the globe. She is the daughter of Najeeb E. Halaby, who served on the College of William and Mary Board of Visitors from 1990 to 1994. Queen Noor is the author of two books: Old Houses of Jordan (1999) and Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life, to be published in March 2003.
The son of Alabama sharecroppers, John Lewis earned a bachelor's degree in religion and philosophy from Fisk University and is a graduate of the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1961, Lewis volunteered to participate in the Freedom Riders, organized to challenge segregation at interstate bus terminals across the South. He was severely beaten by mobs for his participation.
During the height of the Civil Rights Movement, from 1963 to 1966, Lewis helped form and chaired the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) which was largely responsible for the sit-ins and other activities of students that challenged segregated facilities. At the age of 23, he was one of the planners and a keynote speaker at the historic "March on Washington" in August 1963, and in 1965, he and fellow activist Hosea Williams led over 600 marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 1965. Alabama state troopers attacked the marchers in a confrontation that became known as "Bloody Sunday." That march and subsequent efforts led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
In 1977, Lewis was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to direct more than 250,000 volunteers of ACTION, the federal volunteer agency. He entered private business in 1980, and was elected to the Atlanta City Council a year later. He resigned in 1986 to run for the U. S. Congress, where he is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and is a Chief Deputy Democratic Whip, in addition to serving on the influential Democratic Steering Committee.
Lewis is the author, along with Michael D'Orso, of Walking With The Wind: A Memoir of the Movement.
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