Halifax Community College will hold its 56th commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 13.

The ceremony will be held at the Dr. Ervin V. Griffin, Sr. Centre, and will begin at 10 a.m. Graduates, faculty, staff, and guests will gather to recognize the class of 2023. 

The event will include a traditional processional, the conferring of degrees and diplomas, and the awarding of academic honors.

This year's commencement will feature keynote speaker Anita Brown-Graham, a Gladys Hall Coates Distinguished Professor of Public Law & Government and director of the ncIMPACT Initiative at the UNC School of Government.

Brown-Graham brings together critical stakeholders to help communities create collaborative change to overcome challenges. 

She and her team have tackled the need for higher educational attainment, opioid misuse, economic mobility, and community economic development. 

A sought-after speaker and moderator, Brown-Graham serves as host for the ncIMPACT television program on PBS. The public affairs program features innovative community collaborations across North Carolina.

Brown-Graham earned an undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.