Bettina Love, professor, best-selling author and a leader in sparking cultural change, has been named New Jersey City University’s 2024 commencement speaker.
Love, who was recognized by the Kennedy Center in 2022 as one of the “Next 50 Leaders” dedicated to making the world more inspired, inclusive, and compassionate, will also receive an honorary doctorate degree at the ceremonies May 15 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison.
“I am deeply honored to accept this prestigious honorary degree from NJCU,” said Love. “It is a privilege to be recognized by NJCU for my contributions to the field. I am grateful for this acknowledgement and committed to upholding the values and ideals that NJCU represents. Thank you for this incredible honor.”
Love holds the prestigious William F. Russell Professorship at Teachers College, Columbia University, and authored the New York Times best-selling book “Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal.” She was the keynote speaker for NJCU’s 42nd annual academic convocation in September 2023 in celebration of the 2023-2024 academic year.
Love will be the lone guest speaker during NJCU’s double ceremony. The first ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. and will include graduates from the School of Business and the College of Professional Studies.
The second ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. and include graduates from the William J. Maxwell College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), the Deborah Cannon Partridge Wolfe College of Education, and CAS/Education dual-degree recipients.
Doors will open for guests and graduates one hour prior to each ceremony.
Love is co-founder of the Abolitionist Teaching Network (ATN), which nurtures and empowers teachers and parents who are committed to fighting injustice within their educational institutions and communities. She has played a pivotal role in overseeing the distribution of over $250,000 in grants to abolitionist initiatives across the nation.
Love is a founding member of the task force that initiated the groundbreaking program “In Her Hands,” which has successfully disbursed over $15 million to support Black women in Georgia.
Renowned as a highly sought-after public speaker, Dr. Love covers a wide range of compelling topics in her engagements, including abolitionist teaching, anti-racism, Hip Hop education, Black girlhood, queer youth, educational reparations, and the use of art-based education to foster youth civic engagement.
