Author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates will address the first class of incarcerated students in the United States to graduate with a bachelor’s degree from a top 10 university.
The Northwestern Prison Education Program is set to hold its first graduation ceremony on Nov. 15 at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Illinois.
“Ta-Nehisi is an extraordinary writer and public intellectual who has inspired change and envisioned the world not as it is, but as it could and should be,” founding director of NPEP and law professor Jennifer Lackey said in a news release. “He is exceptionally well-suited to celebrate this profoundly significant moment for our students.”
Coates is the author of several bestselling books and has written for a number of prestigious publications. Much of his work examines race and discrimination.
“With Ta-Nehisi Coates as their commencement speaker, our hard-working graduates will hear from a public intellectual and creative force who will inspire them to do great things with what they have learned,” NU Provost Kathleen Hagerty said. “I can’t think of a more energizing voice at this pivotal moment in their lives.”
The inaugural class of NPEP students was admitted in January 2022.
Now, there are around 100 NPEP students in both Stateville Correctional Center, a multi-level security state prison for men, and Logan Correctional Center, a multi-level security state facility for women and transgender individuals.
“As students hear from one of the most distinguished writers of our time, we hope they are empowered to use their knowledge to make positive changes in the world,” chief of staff of the Illinois Department of Corrections Latoya Hughes said. “We are proud to partner with Northwestern to provide these transformative educational opportunities.”
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