Celebrating Emory's Class of 2022
The One Hundred Seventy-seventh Commenceme (COPY)

Emory University Commencement filled the heart of campus May 8, when graduates of each of the university’s nine schools came together on the Quad for the official conferral of degrees and to hear from keynote speaker Anthony Ray Hinton.

 Author of the New York Times’ 2018 bestselling book “The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row,” Hinton spent 30 years in an Alabama prison for crimes he did not commit.

“By transforming unfathomable tragedy into positive advocacy and action, Anthony Ray Hinton has sent a powerful message of hope,” said Emory President Gregory L. Fenves. “His freedom was unjustly denied for nearly 30 years, yet he found peace and forgiveness and has dedicated himself to spreading truth and light in the world.”

Hinton was freed in 2015 with help from the Equal Justice Initiative, where he now serves as a community educator and tireless and powerful advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. He also works with LifeLines, which supports prisoners on Death Row through letter writing.

“I always value the opportunity to share what I’ve learned with young people getting ready to embark on their own journeys,” said Hinton, who received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree during the ceremony. “I want to make sure young people know that even on the nights where there are tears (and there will be those nights), the sun will shine again.”

Steeped in tradition and ritual — from the opening bagpipers to the procession of graduates to the final singing of the alma mater — the ceremony also included remarks from Fenves and student speaker Nicole Felix-Tovar, the presentation of key student and faculty awards, and the presentation of honorary degrees.

In addition to Hinton, Emory awarded honorary degrees to philanthropists and health care advocates James Cox Kennedy and Sarah Kenan Kennedy, who each received a Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

Learn more about Emory’s Commencement traditions: