Jun 1

Jun 1 Stacey Abrams Says Write On

Activist, Author, Leader Challenges Bowie State University Graduates to Author the Story of the Next Generation

When Stacey Abrams took the stage at the Bowie State University commencement address May 21, few could have known exactly what to expect.

The nationally known activist and leader could easily have tackled any one of dozens of issues that are part of the national conversation and her audience, the 2021 graduating class, would have sat at the edge of their seats, clinging to every word the former Georgia gubernatorial candidate uttered.

Abrams is credited with steering the balance of the current United States Senate due to her influence and canvassing campaigns to drive the vote in Georgia during the 2020 election year. Prior to that, she was catapulted to the national stage when she lost the controversial 2018 race for governor of Georgia to current state Governor Brian Kemp, who also sat on the election review board that determined the outcome of the race.

With such a profile, Abrams has credibility within the African American community that allows her platform on a range of national issues.

She chose to inspire the state’s oldest historically black university’s graduating class to write their own legacies and to do so with intentions to elevate the communities they live within. Listen to Stacey Abram’s remarks, click “Stacey Abrams @ BSU 2021 Graduation” audoibar below.

In another portion of the ceremony, Bowie State University President Dr. Aminta Breaux presented the Presidential Medal of Excellence award to former Prince George’s County Chief of Staff Major Riddick. Riddick, an established and accomplished businessman, made history as the first African-American appointed Chief of Staff to the governor in the state of Maryland in 1995, played a profound role in aiding the Alsobrooks administration in commercial development strategies, increasing education funding from the state and navigating through the pandemic.