U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock to Deliver Morgan State University Fall 2025 Commencement Keynote Address

More Than 600 Anticipated Graduates to be Recognized During University’s 12th Annual Fall Commencement Exercises; Honorary Degrees to be Bestowed

BALTIMORE —Morgan State University President David K. Wilson announced today that U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael G. Warnock, senior pastor of Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church and the first African American elected to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate, will deliver the keynote address at the University’s 12th Annual Fall Commencement Exercises. Senator Warnock will be joined by Dean Emeritus DeWayne Wickham, founding dean of Morgan’s School of Global Journalism and Communication (SGJC), as both are conferred the distinction of honorary doctorates. The 2025 Fall Commencement ceremony, scheduled to take place on Friday, December 19, 2025, in the Talmadge L. Hill Field House on Morgan’s campus, will honor an assembly of more than 600 graduates before faculty, University officials, and guests.

“We are honored to welcome Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock to deliver the keynote address at Morgan’s Fall Commencement. Senator Warnock represents the very essence of moral leadership—someone who leads with conviction, courage, and a steadfast commitment to justice and service,” said David K. Wilson, president of Morgan. “His life’s work, from the pulpit to the Senate floor, serves as a powerful example for our graduates as they prepare to embark on their own paths of impact and purpose. At this pivotal moment in our nation’s history, his message of hope, advocacy, and perseverance is one our graduates—and the world—need to hear.”

A proud son of Savannah, Georgia, Senator Reverend Dr. Raphael Gamaliel Warnock has devoted his life to faith and public service. The eleventh of twelve children raised in public housing by Pentecostal pastors Jonathan and Verlene Warnock, he was taught early the transformative power of faith, education, and hard work.

The first in his family to graduate from college, Dr. Warnock earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology, cum laude, from Morehouse College, before completing master’s and doctoral degrees in systematic theology from Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

At 35, he became the youngest person ever called to serve as Senior Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church—the spiritual home of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a cornerstone of the modern civil rights movement. Under his stewardship, Ebenezer has continued to stand at the intersection of faith and social action, expanding opportunities for underserved communities and advancing causes of equity, justice and human dignity.

Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2021 and re-elected to a full term the following year, Senator Warnock continues his ministry of public service—fighting to protect voting rights, support working families, and ensure that every person has access to affordable health care. His historic dual calling—as pastor and public servant—embodies a lifelong dedication to giving voice to the voiceless and hope to the marginalized.

Honored for lifelong commitments to uplifting communities, giving voice to the voiceless, balancing the scales of injustice, and serving the underserved, Morgan will exercise the distinguished tradition of bestowing honorific degrees on two highly deserving individuals: one, an enduring public servant of tremendous integrity and respect; and the other, a trusted storyteller molded in the revered tradition of the West African griot. Senator Warnock, in addition to serving as the ceremony’s keynote speaker, will be distinguished with an Honorary Doctor of Public Service, and DeWayne Wickham, dean emeritus of Morgan’s School of Global Journalism and Communication, will be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

Dean Emeritus has spent more than five decades at the intersection of journalism, education, and advocacy. Born in Baltimore and reared in the storied Cherry Hill neighborhood in South Baltimore, Wickham’s story is one of resilience and purpose. His early service in the U.S. Air Force, where he earned the Vietnam Service Medal, preceded a journalism career that would make him one of the nation’s most respected Black journalists.

Wickham has reported for The Baltimore Sun and U.S. News & World Report, served as a correspondent for CBS News and BET, and penned a nationally syndicated column for USA TODAY for three decades. His reporting has carried him around the world—from documenting Nelson Mandela’s U.S. tour to chronicling Haiti’s journey toward democracy—and his writing has shaped national discourse on race, politics, and justice.

A founding member and past president of the National Association of Black Journalists, Wickham was inducted into the NABJ Hall of Fame in 2016 and honored with the Society of Professional Journalists’ Fellow of the Society Award, two honors that followed Wickham’s arrival at the National Treasure. At the behest of President Wilson in 2012, Wickham served as founding dean of Morgan’s School of Global Journalism and Communication, transforming it into a nationally acclaimed program rooted in excellence and social purpose. Today, as director of Morgan’s Center for New Media and Strategic Initiatives, Wickham continues to elevate the craft of truth-telling—most recently as executive producer of the Emmy Award–winning documentary “History of a National Treasure: The Story of Morgan State University.”

“In their distinct callings, Senator Warnock and Dean Wickham reflect the very soul of service—one through the pulpit, the other through the pen,” said President Wilson. “Both are defenders of truth and champions for the people. It is our privilege to honor them at this milestone moment, not just in Morgan’s story, but in many graduates’ stories who have successfully earned the great distinction of ‘Morgan Alumnus.’”

Morgan will host its Fall Commencement on Friday, December 19, at the Talmadge Hill Field House. For more information about Morgan’s Fall 2025 Commencement Exercises, visit the official commencement site online.

About Morgan

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 baccalaureate, master’s degree, doctorate and certificate programs. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu. 

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Media Contacts:

Larry Jones, Dell Jackson or Cheryl Stewart for Morgan State University PR
443-885-3022