Commencement Speaker: Bernie Sanders
Dear Brooklyn College community,
I am delighted to share some exciting news regarding commencement. United States Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont will be our graduation speaker at the Brooklyn College ceremony in May. Pending approval by the CUNY Board of Trustees, he will also be granted an honorary degree.
The child of immigrants from Poland and Russia, Senator Sanders was born and reared in Brooklyn, not far from our campus. He attended Brooklyn College for a year in 1960 before transferring to the University of Chicago. As a student, he was active in both the civil rights and antiwar movements.
Sanders has served as the mayor of Burlington, Vermont (1981–89), a member of the United States House of Representatives (1991–2007), and a member of the United States Senate (2007–today). He is a leading voice in the Senate on income inequality, immigrants’ rights, global warming, renewable energy, campaign finance reform, corporate welfare, universal health care, civil rights, and civil liberties.
We are honored to be able to welcome Bernie home this spring to this great college, and to have him send off the Class of 2017!
