South Africa’s University of Johannesburg honours Sir Hilary
The University of Johannesburg recently granted the degree of Honorary Doctor of Letters on Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (UWI), at its Humanities convocation ceremony.
It was an emotionally charged occasion in which university students from Soweto and other academics honored Sir Hilary for his lifelong work in the advancement of global justice.
Professor Beckles was welcomed back to Africa as a son who fights valiantly for his people on both sides of the Atlantic.
According to the university orator, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles “has emerged as an iconic leader of the global reparations movement, a distinguished Vice-Chancellor in the arena of strategic planning for higher education, a United Nations official for sustainable development advocacy, and a world-renowned historian with honorary awards from many other universities.” Sir Hilary’s intellectual diversity, love and devotion to justice, and visionary leadership are exemplified by his combination of academic excellence, successful advocacy, and intelligent administration.”
Sir Hilary responded by thanking the university for its kindness and generosity and expressing his pride at having graduated from such an amazing school.
He told the audience that he accepted the award on behalf of The University of the West Indies, which has long respected the University of Johannesburg for its intellectual leadership and pioneering research for African development.
