The backlash over this year’s crop of commencement speakers has already begun in full force and it’s not just conservatives on the chopping block this time around.
Liberal hip-hop artist Common has already been cut as the speaker for Kean University’s graduation ceremony.
Kean University retracted its announcement that Common would deliver its commencement address within hours of making it. The school reportedly backed off its choice after it was strongly opposed by state police who disliked lyrics in Common’s 2000 song called, “A Song for Assata.”
Commencement speaker not official yet. Stay tuned.
— Kean University (@KeanUniversity) March 31, 2015
Susan Kayne, spokeswoman for the university, told The Record Tuesday that the announcement was made prematurely.
“The students expressed interest in Common because he composed the Oscar-winning song ‘Glory’ with our prior commencement speaker John Legend,” Kayne said. “While we respect his talent, Kean is pursuing other speaker options.”
“A Song for Assata” is about Joanne Chesimard, who goes by the name Assata Shakur, and was convicted in 1977 of killing Trooper Werner Foerster in 1973. She escaped from prison and has been living in Cuba as a fugitive, the Associated Press reported.
Chris Burgos, president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association of New Jersey, told The Record that choosing Common to be the speaker was a “slap in the face” to police.
“What is troubling here is that a state university that is subsidized with state taxpayer funds, is once again being questioned on their decision-making at the highest levels,” Burgos said in an emailed statement.
Last year, student protests led to major backlash over scheduled commencement speakers Christine Lagarde and Condoleezza Rice and both women ended up having to back out of the speeches at Smith College and Rutgers University respectively.
We can only expect to hear more of this kind of story as graduation season picks back up again.
