Critically acclaimed author Walter Mosley to speak at Knox College Class of 2022 Commencement

GALESBURG – Walter Mosley, one of the most versatile and admired writers in America, is the speaker for the Knox College 2022 Commencement on Sunday, June 5. Mosley is the author of more than 60 critically acclaimed books. His work has been translated into 25 languages.

From his acclaimed series of novels featuring the detective Easy Rawlins, to his novel "John Woman," which explored deconstructionist history, and his standalone crime novel "Down the River" and "Unto the Sea," which won an Edgar Award for Best Novel, the storylines Mosley has created deepen the understanding and appreciation of Black life in the United States, Knox College said in a release about Mosley.

Mosley has also written and staged several plays, including "The Fall of Heaven." Several of his books have been adapted for film and television, including "Devil in a Blue Dress" and the HBO production of "Always Outnumbered." His adaptation of his novel "The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey" is currently running on Apple TV+, starring Samuel L. Jackson. He is also a writer and an executive producer on the John Singleton FX drama series, “Snowfall.”

“I am absolutely delighted that Walter Mosley has agreed to speak at Commencement for the Knox College Class of 2022 and to receive an honorary degree," said Knox College President C. Andrew McGadney. "I congratulate him, and our other two honorary degree recipients; all three all have done truly extraordinary work in their fields of expertise to drive inclusivity and equity in our world.”

2022 Commencement Honorary Degree Recipients

Dr. Joy Buolamwini is a computer scientist and poet of code who uses art and research to illuminate the social implications of artificial intelligence. She founded the Algorithmic Justice League (AJL) in 2016 to create a world with more equitable and accountable technology. Her TED Featured Talk on algorithmic bias has over 1.5 million views. Her MIT thesis methodology uncovered large skin type and gender bias in AI services from companies like Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon.

In addition to advising elected officials during U.S. congressional hearings, she serves on the Global Tech Panel to advise world leaders and executives on reducing AI harms. 

Barbara Stewart served as the CEO of AmeriCorps from February 2018 through January 2021, following her unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate. AmeriCorps is the federal agency for service and volunteerism, supporting nearly 300,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers.  

Previously, Stewart spent over a decade as a senior vice president in government relations and external affairs at JPMorgan Chase. She has chaired multiple civic and charitable organizations and helped found a charter school in Chicago. 

Honorary Degree Recipients at the Inauguration of President C. Andrew McGadney

“These three honorary degree recipients are relentless innovators who, through their determination, creativity, versatility, and leadership have moved their respective fields, and the world, forward,” said McGadney. 

Sara Jane Ahmed ’12 is a financial and environmental strategist leading a worldwide initiative to build clean energy economies for people in regions most affected by climate change. 

Drawing upon deep expertise in financial and energy markets, Ahmed supported the creation of Climate Prosperity Plans, encompassing both economic development and reduced vulnerability to climate change, potentially benefitting more than 1.4 billion people worldwide. To promote the Climate Prosperity Plans, she founded the Financial Futures Center, which explores investment opportunities that boost economic growth and ameliorates climate-related impacts.

David A. Greene, twentieth president of Colby College in Waterville, Maine, is leading transformational change at one of the nation’s premiere liberal arts institutions.

Since Greene came to Colby in 2014, the college has diversified its faculty and added new academic programs in data science, computational biology, genomics, and environmental humanities, along with expanding core programs in the environment and climate change, performance studies, and creative writing.

Haki R. Madhubuti is a best-selling author, poet, publisher, editor, and educator, and is widely regarded as one of the architects of the Black Arts Movement.

Madhubuti has published more than 36 books, and his poetry and essays have been selected for more than 100 anthologies. His book Black Men: Obsolete, Single, Dangerous? The African American Family in Transition has more than one million copies in print. His poetry has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and he has won the American Book Award, Illinois Arts Council Award, Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award, and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Prize in poetry for his book Liberation Narratives. His latest book, Taught By Women: Poems As Resistance Language, New and Selected (2020), pays homage to women who influenced him.