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Antioch College is honored to announce that the Rev. Dr. William Barber II, renowned leader, social activist, and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, will deliver the 2025 Commencement address and receive an honorary degree—the first awarded since the College’s reopening in 2011. The ceremony, celebrating the 15 graduates of the Class of 2025, will take place on Saturday June 21, 2025, at 10 AM in the Foundry Theater.

A powerful voice for justice and equality, Rev. Barber’s selection reflects Antioch’s enduring commitment to social change and ethical leadership. His work aligns with the College’s mission that the belief “that scholarship and life experience are strengthened when linked, that diversity in all its manifestations is a fundamental component of excellence in education, and that authentic social and community engagement is vital for those who strive to win victories for humanity.” Reverend Barber is President and Senior Lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, and the founding Director of the Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School. A MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, he also serves as a member of the national board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and is the chair of its legislative political action committee.

He has been called “the closest person we have to Martin Luther King Jr. today” and is renowned not only for his fierce commitment to justice but also for his radical compassion. From rural North Carolina to the steps of the U.S. Capitol, his ministry has centered the lives of those too often left at the margins—poor and working people, immigrants, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ communities, and so many others who struggle under unjust systems.

This year’s Commencement holds special significance as Antioch marks its 175th anniversary, 15 years since reopening, and its first year as a Federal Work College—a testament to its innovative, accessible model of higher education. The honorary degree for Rev. Barber also signals Antioch’s distinct values amid growing attacks on progressive education.

“We are proud to recognize Rev. Barber’s extraordinary contributions to justice and democracy,” said Antioch College President, Jane Fernandes. “His presence underscores what Antioch stands for: education as a force for equity and action.”

The ceremony will also highlight the 100% career outcomes rate of the Class of 2024, demonstrating Antioch’s success in preparing graduates for impactful work.

Limited community seating is available. For details or to RSVP, visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfi-QVBnd1XhQvyliL3NCQY4H53Zcho74AA_zvf6MrPmBh9vA/viewform

About Antioch College:
Antioch prepares students to live lives of intention. Students have agency to design their education, to own that education, to govern their college, to collaborate with their faculty, and extend their classroom learning into the real world.

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