Keisha Lance Bottoms to speak at ITC’s June 19 commencement
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms will be the speaker for the Interdenominational Theological Center’s 62th commencement exercises.
The virtual commencement will be held at 1 p.m. June 19 and broadcast live on ITC’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
During ceremony, Bottoms, an Atlanta native, will be recognized for her work in public service as a judge, city council member and mayor by being awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.
She received degrees from Florida A&M University and the Georgia State University College of Law.
“During her term as mayor, she has led the city through an unprecedented season of disruption,” the Rev. Matthew Wesley Williams, president of ITC, said in a statement. ”Her model and message of resilience will be a gift to our graduates who have faithfully persisted against the odds.”
ITC, which was founded in 1958, plans to honor Juneteenth on that day by including a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation and adding traditional African ceremonial components.
The Atlanta-based ITC is a historically African American theological consortium that represents five Christian denominations.
About the Author
Shelia has worked at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for more than 30 years. Previously, she worked at The Lexington Herald-Leader and The Louisville Defender. Her beat is a bit of a mixed bag that includes religion and spirituality, culture and trends, race and aging. She earned degrees from Spelman College and Northwestern University.
