Journalist, activist Shaun King to headline Benedict graduation

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Journalist and social activist Shaun King will be the keynote speaker for Benedict College’s 2018 spring graduation.

King, a 2002 graduate of Morehouse College, is a political commentator for online news show The Young Turks, a columnist for The Intercept and the writer-in-residence for Harvard Law School’s Fair Punishment project. He has been the senior justice writer for the New York Daily News and a contributing writer for political blog Daily Kos.

After graduating from college, King become a motivational speaker and pastor of Total Grace Christian Center in Dekalb County, Ga. In 2008, King founded Courageous Church and became known as the “Facebook Pastor” for his use of social media in community outreach. In 2010, King founded HomeinHaiti.org and used Twitter and eBay to raise $1.5 million for Haitian earthquake victims.

“Shaun King’s voice on social media about relevant and critical social and civil justice issues in this time in our history positions him as the best speaker for this generation and for the Benedict College Class of 2018,” Benedict president and CEO Roslyn Clark Artis said in a news release.

Benedict’s spring commencement will be held at 9 a.m. on May 12 in Charlie W. Johnson Stadium at 2047 Two Notch Road. King will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.