Doug Blackmon '86CONWAY, Ark. (January 26, 2012) - Hendrix College alumnus Doug Blackmon will be the commencement speaker for the Class of 2012.
Commencement will be Saturday, May 12 at 9 a.m. in the Wellness and Athletics Center.
Blackmon, a 1986 graduate, received the Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for this book Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II. He is the executive producer of a documentary based on the book. The documentary, directed by Sam Pollard, premiered this month at Sundance Film Festival and will be shown on PBS in February.
Blackmon recently accepted a position at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, where he will chair of the university's Forum Program. In March, he will become a contributing editor for the Washington Post, focusing on national coverage of the 2012 presidential campaign. Blackmon is a former editor and reporter for the Wall Street Journal, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Arkansas Democrat, and Daily Record.
Blackmon is a 2009 recipient of the Hendrix Odyssey Medal, the highest alumni honor bestowed on graduates whose personal and professional lives exemplify the values of engaged liberal arts and sciences education.
To read Hendrix student Rachel Thomas' review of Blackmon's recent campus visit, vist http://www.hendrix.edu/news/news.aspx?id=58258
Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is a national leader in engaged liberal arts and sciences education. Hendrix was named the country's #1 "Up and Coming" liberal arts college for the third consecutive year by U.S. News and World Report. Hendrix is featured in the 2011 edition of the Princeton Review as one of the country's best 376 colleges and is listed in the 2012 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges as one of 25 "Best Buy" private colleges included. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.