Howard University alumna, and Academy Award-nominated actress, producer, and director Taraji P. Henson is set to deliver the commencement address to the class of 2022 at her former college.
Howard University President Dr. Wayne A. I.Frederick announced on April 14 that Henson will serve as the 2022 Commencement orator during the 154th Commencement ceremony on May 7, 2022.
“It is with great pleasure that the Howard University community will welcome alumna Taraji P. Henson back home to deliver the 2022 Commencement address,” Dr. Frederick said in a statement. “An accomplished actress and fierce champion for HBCUs and the African American community at large, Ms. Henson exemplifies the university’s tenets of excellence in truth and service. We could not be more excited to have her join us in celebrating the graduating Class of 2022.”
Henson is a 1995 graduate of Howard University’s College of Fine Arts.
“I am honored and humbled to be returning to my alma mater, Howard University, to deliver this year’s commencement address to the graduating Class of 2022 and their families,” Henson said. “Returning to Howard always feels like coming home, and I cannot wait to share this incredible moment with Howard students as they prepare to take the next step in their journeys to success.”
Henson is also a best-selling author, a philanthropist, and an advocate of mental health in the African American community through her foundation, the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation. She launched the foundation in 2018 to work toward eradicating the stigma around mental health in the African American community.
President Joe Biden recently appointed Henson to the White House HBCU Initiative advisory board.
