DR. PETER Phillips, the Minister of National Security, is to receive a Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Sojourner-Douglas College in Maryland in the United States. The honorary degree will be conferred on Dr. Phillips at the 24th commencement (graduation) exercises at the college on Sunday, where he will also deliver the keynote address.
During its 24-year history, the college has conferred honorary doctorate degrees on a number of personalities including Clarence H. 'Du' Burns, the first black Mayor of Baltimore City; Kwesi Mfume, former congressmen and president of the NAACP; Eleanor Holmes-Norton, U.S. House of Representative and Randall Robinson of Trans-Africa.
Sojourner-Douglas College was founded in 1980 in response to the desire of the black community for self-reliance and community development within the black community in Maryland. The college's curriculum is designed to motivate and instill a capacity for self-development and self-expression and facilitate students' engagement in effective social action as members of the world community.
The name Sojourner-Douglas was selected to honour the historic contribution of two African American abolitionists, a woman and a man Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglas.
Sojourner-Douglas College is the only private, pre-dominantly African-American four-year college in the state of Maryland.
