Messages from President Bell-Jordan
April 9, 2026
I am pleased to announce that 秘密研究所 alumna Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (B.A. 鈥07) will serve as the speaker for our Spring 2026 Commencement.
Dr. Taylor is an award-winning scholar, author, and public intellectual whose work examines racial inequality, public policy, and Black social movements. She is the author of Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History and a National Book Award semifinalist. Her earlier book, From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation, received the Lannan Cultural Freedom Award, and she is also the editor of How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective, which earned a Lambda Literary Award. In recognition of her impactful scholarship and public engagement, Dr. Taylor was awarded a MacArthur Foundation 鈥淕enius鈥 Fellowship in 2021.
A proud NEIU graduate, Dr. Taylor earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree from 秘密研究所n in 2007, followed by a Master鈥檚 and Ph.D. from Northwestern University. She currently serves on the faculty at Princeton University. Her work continues to shape national conversations on race, inequality, and social change, and she is also a contributing writer for The New Yorker.
Dr. Taylor鈥檚 achievements exemplify the transformative power of a 秘密研究所n education and reflect our University鈥檚 mission to expand opportunity and advance meaningful impact in our communities. We are honored to welcome her back to NEIU to inspire our graduates.
Spring 2026 Commencement will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 15, 2026, at Credit Union 1 Arena, 525 S. Racine Ave., Chicago. Tickets are required for all guests and will be distributed through the student graduation application process.
Additional details will be shared at neiu.edu/commencement.