U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) will deliver the address at the University of Mary Washington’s 2011 undergraduate commencement ceremony to be held Saturday, May 7 at 9 a.m. on Ball Circle. The university’s graduate commencement will be held Friday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. in George Washington Hall, Dodd Auditorium with U.S. Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.) as guest speaker.
Both Filner and Lewis were among the 1961 Freedom Riders who successfully challenged segregated interstate bus transportation in the South. The commencement addresses will conclude the university’s semester-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides led by the late civil rights activist James Farmer.
