Summer is right on the corner which means graduation season is in full swing. Around the country, undergraduate and graduate scholars are walking across the stage and finally picking up their well-earned degrees. This month, one of those degree recipients is none other than critically acclaimed filmmaker and entertainment mogul Ava DuVernay. While she didn't have to take any classes for this degree, her tireless effort to represent marginalized communities on the big screen has earned her an honorary doctorate from Yale University. Yes, you read that correctly. DuVernay is now a member of the prestigious Ivy League. As her mother puts it, fans can refer to her as "Dr. DuVernay" moving forward
“My thanks to the special committee at Yale for this honor. My mom is over the moon and has taken to calling me Dr. DuVernay. Hope that wears off. But the joy of your high regard will not. A thrill to share this with the formidable Class of 2021 and my esteemed fellow honorees," she wrote on Instagram.
DuVernay is not the only recipient of an honorary degree this spring. Media mogul Lenard "Charlamagne Tha God" McKelvey recently received an honorary doctorate from South Carolina State University. More recently, Percy "Master P" Miller, Michael Eric Dyson and Gloria Carter all received honorary doctorates from Lincoln University. Taking things a step further on the collegiate level, Phylicia Rashad was just named the dean of the newly re-established Chadwick Boseman College of Fine Arts. Not to mention, legendary producer Patrick "9th Wonder" Douthit just joined earned a faculty position at Long Island University's Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment. As the summer nears, there will be a lot new faces in the classroom and many more new faces with college degrees.
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