USF to Confer Honorary Degree Upon Danny Glover for Commitment to Social Justice

BY ISN STAFF | December 14, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The University of San Francisco (USF) will confer an honorary doctorate upon Danny Glover, acclaimed actor and activist. USF President Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J. will bestow the degree on Mr. Glover during graduation ceremonies for students in the College of Arts and Sciences on December 12, 2014.

Mr. Glover’s creativity, artistic talent, and social consciousness have positively influenced popular culture and have distinguished him as an accomplished actor of stage and screen. His versatility and commitment to sharing compelling stories has translated into a long list of characters in theater, television, and film. Some of Mr. Glover’s most memorable films include Places in the Heart, Witness, The Color Purple, and Lethal Weapon—followed by three successful Lethal Weapon sequels.

“I am especially pleased that USF honors this great artist who has always used his celebrity status to advance the cause of social justice and human respect for all members of our diverse society,” said USF President Rev. Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J.

A native San Franciscan, Mr. Glover overcame a struggle with dyslexia by building his confidence and excelling in mathematics as a young man. He studied economics at San Francisco State University, where he joined the Black Students Union, a group that was pivotal in establishing the country’s first college of ethnic studies and creating intersections between the campus and the community. It was his time as a college student that ignited his passion for social justice causes. As his success and notoriety grew as an actor, so too did his social and philanthropic efforts.

In 1994, Mr. Glover traveled to South Africa to urge its citizens to participate in that country’s first fully democratic national election. He is respected for his wide-reaching advocacy for economic justice, access to health care, and education programs in the United States and Africa. He is a public voice on issues involving educational opportunities for underserved communities, global human rights, and AIDS. Mr. Glover served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program from 1998-2004 and currently serves as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, where he continues to focus on issues of poverty, disease and economic development in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

In honoring Mr. Glover with the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, USF recognizes the ways he uses his talents and artistic expression as platforms to spotlight social responsibility, equality, and justice for all.

University of San Francisco is a 2014-2015 Ignatian Solidarity Network member institution and sponsor of the 2014 Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice.

[SOURCE: University of San Francisco]