Newark-born activist and community organizer Rashawn Davis will deliver a commencement address to the graduating seniors of University High School – one of Newark’s top High Schools – on June 22nd at the Robert Treat Hotel in Downtown Newark.
Rashawn Davis said of the opportunity: “I am thrilled and humbled to be giving this address to such an exceptional group of young people on such a special day.” Davis will incorporate his own journey as an activist and organizer into the speech. In 2014 Davis became the youngest person in Newark history to be certified on a municipal ballot at the age of 21 as a candidate for the Newark Municipal Council. Following the election, Davis worked for the ACLU of New Jersey, pushing for the creation of a Civilian Complaint Review Board in Newark along with other reforms to the Newark Police Department. Last October, Mayor Baraka named Davis as one of the nine appointees to the newly created Civilian Complaint Review Board, which is being called one of the strongest and most comprehensive in the country.
On selecting Davis as this year’s Commencement speaker, University High principal, Regina V. Sharpe said “It’s an honor and a privilege to have Rashawn Davis grace us with his words for the commencement ceremony for the University High School Class of 2016. There is nothing better than our very own successful Georgetown graduate paying it forward as a political figure and role model for current University High School students. ”
Davis, a graduate of University High School and Georgetown University and an Amelior Fellow at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service is also a guest contributor to the Huffington Post – Black Voices. He also serves as President of the Essex County Young Democrats.
