Degrees were conferred to more than 500 students Saturday, May 5, during Norfolk State University’s 102nd Commencement. The ceremony, held at William “Dick” Price Stadium on the NSU campus, also saw the commissioning of six second lieutenants in the U.S. Army and six ensigns into the U.S. Navy as well as recognition of the 50th reunion class.
Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax delivered the keynote address. Fairfax — elected November 7, 2017 — is the second African-American in Virginia history to be elected lieutenant governor and the first African-American to be elected statewide in nearly 30 years.
He called upon his family history to demonstrate the significance of the occasion. His great-great-great grandfather Simon Fairfax had been enslaved but was emancipated in 1798. “You are your ancestors’ wildest dreams,” Fairfax told the graduates.
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The Lt. Governor, who chose Norfolk State to provide his first commencement address since his election, spoke of the potential ahead of them as they begin a new chapter in their lives. During the ceremony, Fairfax was conferred with the honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Commencement weekend also included the reunion of the Class of 1968 and the Distinguished Alumni Awards celebration. Six alumni were recognized as Distinguished and one alumnus was honored as the Graduate of the Last Decade.