Dr. Michael Eric Dyson delivers the keynote address during Claflin University’s Spring 2026 Commencement Convocation.
Renowned professor, author, and lecturer Dr. Michael Eric Dyson’s message of empowerment through education, civic engagement, and resilience resonated with more than 230 graduates during Claflin University’s Spring 2026 Commencement Ceremony. He encouraged the graduates to look to their most important asset as they begin their journey as Claflin alumni. His remarks were infused with Hip Hop lyrics, most notably from rapper T.I.’s “Let ’Em Know.”
“Let them know about your brain.”
“We live in a time where people are questioning the intellectual capacity of Black people,” Dyson said. “To pick on Blacks as if we are dumb and stupid defies logic.”
Dyson is a renowned professor, author, lecturer, and prominent media personality. Claflin held its Spring 2026 Commencement Convocation on Saturday, May 9, at the Jonas T. Kennedy Health and Wellness Complex. Dyson has taught at some of the nation’s most distinguished universities, including Brown, UNC Chapel Hill, Columbia, DePaul, the University of Pennsylvania, and Georgetown University. He is presently Distinguished University Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies, College of Arts & Sciences, and Distinguished University Professor of Ethics and Society, The Divinity School, and NEH Centennial Chair at Vanderbilt University.
Claflin graduates and guests gathered for the Spring 2026 Commencement Convocation.
“And so, let them know about your brain. That's why you came to Claflin — to get sharper, more insightful, and to understand what the history and tradition of America is about,” Dyson said.
“We understand that America is a great nation. But America has struggled. We talked about what happened with COVID, but it was also about George Floyd. People are attacking DEI. The point is that the attack on DEI is a false attack. It’s a red flag,” Dyson said. “They've been attacking Black intelligence since we've been here — but we knew what to do, even in slavery.”
Dyson has authored over 25 books, including seven New York Times bestsellers. His esteemed literary output earned him the 2020 Langston Hughes Medal, which has previously been awarded to James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, and August Wilson. Dyson has also won an American Book Award, a Southern Book Award, and two NAACP Image Awards.
“High intelligence is to be pursued. Some of us are demonizing others of us, thinking that to be a certain kind of smart is to act white. Black folk have always struggled to be as smart as we can be, and we ain't got to apologize to nobody,” Dyson said. “Brain power got us where we are as a people. Yes. George Washington Carver. Talk about brain power. Speak about Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Septima Clark, Angela Davis, and James Baldwin. They used their brains — you got to be unafraid to use your brain, too.”
Dyson is an ordained minister and a native of Detroit, Michigan. He graduated magna cum laude from Carson-Newman College with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. He earned a Ph.D. in religion from Princeton University.
“Don't just use your brain for rap lyrics. Wrap your mind around the lyrics you need to spit when you make your way to the voting booth to change the world in which we live. Let them know about your heart,” Dyson said. “Get out there and vote. That's right. They're trying to suppress your vote; don't you self-suppress your vote. Let 'em know about your imagination, and they will not reduce us from where we are now.”
The Spring Class of 2026 celebrated academic achievement and perseverance.
The Spring Class of 2026 showcased its academic excellence, with eight scholars achieving a 4.0 Grade Point Average (GPA), and the class collectively registered an impressive 3.57 cumulative GPA.
The eight 4.0 GPA graduates were:
- Ja’Leah Guenther / Philadelphia, Pa. / Psychology
- Tiara Harewood / Spring, Texas / Mass Communications
- LaNaya Jackson / Newberry, S.C. / Accounting
- Evan Jenkins / St. Matthews, S.C. / Mass Communications
- Subash Neupane / Nepal / Computer Science
- Grace Oliver / Stone Mountain, Ga. / Psychology
- Devon Whitehead / Goose Creek, S.C. / Sport Management
- Melody Woodruff / Boiling Springs, S.C. / Political Science
Harewood was selected as the class valedictorian and delivered the Challenge to the Graduating Seniors.
“When I think about the success of this class and all you have done — Class of 2026 — you are amazing,” said Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack, Claflin’s ninth president.
Warmack also recognized Mason McFadden, Siri Nicole Davis, Evan Jenkins, and Joshua Williams, who persevered and overcame health and personal challenges before their phenomenal accomplishments at Claflin.
“These outstanding scholars are the epitome of Claflin Magic,” said Warmack.
Claflin also honored 37 graduates from the Golden Class of 1976 and conferred bachelor’s degrees posthumously to Savion Brown and Kamara Chima. Both students, who were members of the Alice Carson Tisdale Honors College, passed away in 2025. Brown was a computer science major from Charlotte, N.C. Chima was a computer science major from Gaithersburg, Md.
A special tribute was given to Ms. Shirley Hugee ’70, who passed away recently. Hugee was a longtime Claflin administrator and a member of Claflin’s Commencement Convocation Planning Committee.