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Civil Rights Lawyer Benjamin L. Crump to Give Keynote Speech at UDC Spring 2022 Commencement

WASHINGTON – Attorney and President and Founder of Ben Crump Law, Benjamin L. Crump is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the University of the District of Columbia’s (UDC) Spring 2022 Commencement. The ceremony will occur on Saturday, May 14, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center at 10 a.m. The graduation will also be streamed live on the UDC commencement webpage.

Crump was listed among the Most Influential People of 2021 by TIME100, Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 Most Influential African Americans, The National Trial Lawyers Top100 Lawyers and the 2014 NNPA Newsmaker of the Year. He is known for defending the rights of and seeking justice for minorities and works to expose the inequities and the injustice often faced by his clients. His life’s work reflects UDC’s core values of excellence, integrity, innovation, sustainability and collaboration.

He has represented high-profile cases, such as Trayvon Martin in 2012, who was killed by a neighborhood watch volunteer in Sanford, Florida and Michael Brown in 2014, who was shoot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Crump also represented the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.

“Ben Crump’s voice on the forefront of social justice issues has helped raise the curtain—again—on America’s racial bias and to keep challenging the status quo,” said UDC President Ronald Mason Jr.

REQUIREMENTS FOR GUESTS ATTENDING UDC 2022 COMMENCEMENT

• Face masks must be worn for all guests age three and older.
• Tickets are required for admittance to Commencement Hall.
• Children age three and older will also require a ticket. An adult must accompany children.
• All guests, age twelve and older, must be fully vaccinated prior to attending Commencement.
• Guests must have proof of vaccination via a digital copy of the vaccination or vaccine card.
• If there is no proof of vaccination, guests must show proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the ceremony (Wednesday, May 11).
• Guests with a medical or religious exemption must show proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the ceremony (Wednesday, May 11).
• Unvaccinated guests with medical conditions are encouraged to view Commencement online via the Commencement website

WHAT: UDC Spring 2022 Commencement Ceremony, featuring keynote speaker Benjamin L. Crump

WHO:   University of the District of Columbia

WHEN: Saturday, May 14, 2022 at 10 a.m.

WHERE: Walter E. Washington Convention Center
801 Mt Vernon Pl NW, Washington, DC 20001
Livestream on UDC commencement webpage

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About the University of the District of Columbia: The only public university in the nation’s capital and the only urban land-grant university in the United States, the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) committed to a broad mission of education, research and community service. Established by abolitionist Myrtilla Miner in 1851, UDC offers workforce training, professional certification and 81 undergraduate and graduate degrees designed to create opportunities for student success. The University is comprised of a Community College and Division of Workforce Development and Lifelong Learning; School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; School of Business and Public Administration; College of Arts and Sciences, College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences and the David A. Clarke School of Law. Learn more at udc.edu.