Spoken-Word Poetry Address by Black Student at Harvard Becomes an Internet Sensation

LivingstonDonovan Livingston of Fayetteville, North Carolina, became an internet sensation with his spoken-word poetry address given at the convocation ceremonies of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Two days after the speech was given, it had been viewed 5 million times online. Livingston, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earned a master’s degree in education at Harvard this year.

Livingston competed with 29 other students to give a speech at the convocation ceremony and his offering was the clear choice among the judges, according to Harvard officials. The speech examined the obstacles faced by African Americans in pursuing an education in the United States.

Livingston will now pursue a doctorate in education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His speech may be viewed below.

https://youtu.be/9XGUpKITeJM&w=570

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Black First-Year Student Enrollment Plummets at Harvard Law

This academic year, only 19 Black students enrolled in Harvard Law's first-year class. This is the lowest number of Black first-year law students at Harvard since 1965.

Recent Books of Interest to African American Scholars

The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education regularly publishes a list of new books that may be of interest to our readers. The books included are on a wide variety of subjects and present many different points of view.

While Diversity Among College-Educated Adults Increases, Diversity in the Teacher Workforce Lags Behind

A new study has found that while diversity has grown among America's college-educated adults , diversity in the country's teacher workforce is lagging behind.

Soyica Diggs Colbert Appointed Interim Provost at Georgetown University

A Georgetown faculty member for more than a decade, Dr. Colbert has been serving as the inaugural vice president for interdisciplinary studies and the Idol Family Professor in the department of Black studies and the department of performing arts.

Featured Jobs