Howard announces 2025 Commencement Convocation orator, LeVar Burton

Prepares for largest graduating class in history

Howard University announces award-winning actor, director, producer and podcaster LeVar Burton as the orator for its 157th Commencement Convocation, Saturday, May 10, 2025, 10 a.m., on The Yard. Burton’s decades-long body of work includes “Roots,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Reading Rainbow.” He is the honored recipient of seven NAACP Awards, a Peabody, a Grammy and 15 Emmys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Inaugural Children’s & Family Emmys. Burton will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

As a lifelong literacy advocate, Burton has dedicated decades to encouraging children to read. In 2023, he premiered his first documentary, “The Right to Read,” a film that positions the literacy crisis in America as a civil rights issue. “The Right to Read” was an official selection at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and SXSW Edu. Burton continues to exercise his passion for storytelling as the award-winning author of “Aftermath, The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm” and “A Kids Book About Imagination.” He launched his first book club with Fable, a digital book club community, and partnered with Masterclass, to share the power of storytelling.

His production company, LeVar Burton Entertainment (LBE), develops projects in the film, television, podcasting and publishing space with the mission to share stories that foster empathy, champions diversity and builds community. The enormously popular “LeVar Burton Reads” podcast has more than 175 episodes in its catalog, boasting 25 million downloads. LBE’s first Kids & Family podcast, “Sound Detectives,” debuted on Stitcher in July 2023 and is available on multiple sites. As a pop culture icon, Burton has the unique ability to reach across all ages, ethnicities and   socioeconomic groups — communicating to a large fan base that is highly engaged and motivated to embrace his message.

Along with Burton, the University will recognize four stellar individuals for their life’s work.

• Emery Neal Brown will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree. Brown is one of the foremost leaders in computational neuroscience and anesthesiology.
• The Honorable Barbara Lee will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. She was the first Black woman to represent northern California in the state legislature and the U.S. Congress, where she served for 27 years and chaired the Congressional Black Caucus, Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity, and Congressional Social Work Caucus, among other leadership posts.
• Lilian Seenoi-Barr will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Seenoi-Barr is the first Black mayor in Northern Ireland and leads Derry City and Strabane.
• Natasha Trethewey will receive a Doctor of Letters degree. Trethewey is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet who served as United States Poet Laureate. 

Howard’s 157th Commencement Convocation will be a historic occasion during which more than 3,000 students are expected to graduate as part of the Class of 2025, one of the largest graduating classes in history for the University, which has seen an increase since last year, when 2,827 degrees were conferred.

Ceremonies of the Schools and Colleges

Beginning Wednesday, May 7 through Saturday, May 10, Howard’s 14 schools and colleges will host separate recognition and award ceremonies for graduating students. For a schedule of dates, times and locations for the individual ceremonies, please visit here.

Please visit www.commencement.howard.edu for more information about the Commencement and the awards and recognition ceremonies.