Chris Paul to Keynote Morehouse’s 142nd Commencement
chris paul will speak at Morehouse College’s 142nd commencement on Sunday, May 17, 2026, bringing a 12-time NBA All-Star and two-time Olympian to the Century Campus at 9 a.m. He will also receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters. The ceremony pairs that honor with two others, making the graduation program broader than a single keynote.
Morehouse Century Campus
Paul’s address will cap the college’s 142nd commencement exercises and a week of undergraduate and alumni reunion events. Morehouse said the week will celebrate the Class of 2026 and milestone alumni anniversaries, giving the speech a place in a larger campus gathering rather than a one-day program.
He called the invitation “a profound honor and privilege,” and said he has “a deep respect for Morehouse’s legacy and impact on our community, especially on generations of young Black men.” Paul also said the tradition of previous speakers showed that greatness is “not defined solely by performance, but by character, consistency, and commitment to one’s community.”
Honorary Degrees at Commencement
Paul is not the only honoree. Chris Womack and the Rev. Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr. will also receive honorary doctorates of humane letters from Morehouse. Carter is the college’s retiring founding dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel and is set to retire this summer after 47 years of consecutive service to the college.
Womack is chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company, where he has worked since 1988. Southern Company serves nine million customers across the United States, and under his leadership launched a $50 million HBCU initiative that provides scholarships, leadership development and expanded technology access to students across six states. He also became the first African American chief executive officer of Georgia Power.
Chris Womack’s Profile
Womack is one of only nine African American Fortune 500 CEOs in the United States. His résumé also includes leading Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ task force on homelessness, chairing the East Lake Foundation, and being named to the Georgia Historical Society’s “The Georgia Trustees.”
For Morehouse, the program puts a sports figure, a longtime campus leader and a major corporate executive on the same stage in a single ceremony. For graduates, the day now carries three honorary degrees, a keynote from Paul and the final stretch of a reunion week built around the Class of 2026.
