Image: University Communications
Zhane McCorvey
Staff Writer
Jackson State University is abuzz with anticipation as the Spring 2024 commencement approaches. The university has announced an inspiring choice for this year’s undergraduate commencement speaker: Senator Laphonza Butler.
A distinguished graduate of Jackson State University and a fervent advocate for social justice, Sen. Butler delved into her unexpected journey from a political science major at JSU to a United States Senator.
Reflecting on her time at Jackson State, the JSU alum shared that her original career plans did not include becoming Sen. Laphonza Butler.
“I did not [see myself] being a United States senator or an elected public official, it was not on my dance card even while I was a student at JSU,” she stated. “I was on my way to becoming a lawyer, not with public service by way of elected office in mind.”
Sen. Butler said she thought law would be her path to service.
“I’m glad that I am now a U.S. Senator from Jackson State University. I feel like my experience on campus was foundational to my orientation to service, but it wasn’t necessarily my plan.”
Now serving in congress, Sen. Butler is deeply committed to advocating for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), both nationally and in her home state of California. She emphasized the importance of diverse representation in government and highlighted ongoing legislative initiatives to support HBCUs.
“There is a lot of work across the Senate, House, and Biden-Harris administration to focus on funding and support for our HBCUs,” Sen. Butler stated. “It is, you know, one of the benefits off of diverse representation, having a vice president that is from an HBCU, [and] having I think the largest number of graduates from HBCUs in Congress ever at one point in time.”
Sen. Butler stated that students, faculty and alumni of HBCU’s along with members of congress have to work together to continue to tell the story of the great things happening and coming out of HBCUs.
“There’s not a set of remarks that I give that I am not acknowledging my home of Jackson State University and continuing to talk about the importance of the folks who helped to create that solid foundation,” she said. “So there is the practical work of policy and representation, and there sort of the soft notes that I think are required to continue to put HBCUs in the conversation.”
Sen. Butler’s advocacy extends beyond HBCUs. Drawing from her experience with organizations like EMILY’s List (EMILYs List is the nation’s largest resource dedicated to electing Democratic pro-choice women to office) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU), she offered advice to young activists passionate about social justice and labor rights.
“It’s our turn. Coretta Scott King told us that freedom and justice are never truly won, but they are earned with every generation. And now to the young leader, to the young activists, it continues to be our turn to carry the baton forward- to have these fights- to organize in our communities. And so I think that this is the advice I would give to a JSU graduate or an Alcorn graduate or a Mississippi Valley graduate. It is that it is our turn to carry the baton forward and let’s do it in whatever way or with the gifts and talents that we have,” the senator stated.
One of her significant accomplishments was being instrumental in the raising California’s minimum wage to $15. She emphasized the importance of grassroots efforts and organizing.
“Minimum wage is a people issue, not a Democratic or Republican issue,” she asserted. “And when the federal minimum wage is $7.25, we’ve got to make sure that we elect state representatives who are listening to the people of Mississippi, not just the businesses of Mississippi. In order for any good business to compete, they’ve got to compete [with] their workforce. And you’re not going to be able to recruit the best workforce if you’re paying the lowest wages.”
As an advocate for LGBTQI+ rights and reproductive rights, Sen. Butler, who is openly gay, emphasized the importance of standing up against legislation that seeks to oppress or suppress any group.
“I think whether there’s legislation that opposes any student group or seeks to suppress or oppress any group of people, we can’t sit silent, right? Because it could be us, it could be a group that I don’t identify with today and then my group tomorrow, right? Like we’ve all heard those old proverbs. And so where human rights, dignity of life and justice are being threatened, we have to stand. We have to raise up. I mean, those are the values of Jackson State. That is the history of our university,” stated Sen. Butler.
The senator, referring to JSU student Phillip Gibbs and Jim Hill High School student James Green who were killed during a protest on the campus of JSU by city police said, “That is why two students lost their life on our campus, right? Refusing to let injustice to any community, particularly the black community, go unchecked and unchallenged. And so if you are a Jackson State Tiger. You have the DNA to raise your voice to do something, even if it is what somebody might consider a small thing. Silence is not our tradition,” she stated.
Reflecting on her favorite memory at Jackson State, Sen. Butler fondly remembered springtime on the quad or what is now known as the Plaza.
” …everybody was finding time in the spring to be outside and be together. And that’s truly what the experience of Jackson State meant to me. It meant a whole lot of new found family and friends that you’ll have for a lifetime and the best manifestation of that for me in a visual sense, was springtime on the quad.”
As Sen. Butler prepares to return to JSU as the commencement speaker, her journey serves as an inspiration to current and future students and highlights the transformative power of education, the importance of advocacy, activism, and service.
The undergraduate student ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 4 at 9 a.m. CT at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
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