Kwame Kilpatrick to speak at summer commencement

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is scheduled to deliver the summer commencement address at Florida A&M University on Friday, August 3.

Kilpatrick, the nation’s youngest mayor, became Detroit’s leader in 2002 and has since taken the city to new heights. Under his leadership, the ‘Motor City’ has experienced the largest residential, commercial and economic development boom in more than 50 years.

Kilpatrick has garnered national recognition for successfully leading the city through a large oil spill, on the Detroit River, in 2002, and was heralded by USA Today, in 2003, for his efforts during the nation’s largest blackout. With the guidance of Kilpatrick, the city of Detroit has initiated more than 7,400 housing starts, and a $2-billion redevelopment of Detroit’s Riverfront, which includes business, retail and residential units, and the largest urban state park in Michigan.

Prior to his election as mayor, Kilpatrick was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, where he was the first African American and the youngest person elected as the Democratic Leader of the State Legislature. As a representative, Kilpatrick played a key role in designing the $675-million Clean Michigan Initiative, which successfully earmarked 60 percent of Detroit’s brownfield redevelopment, waterfront redevelopment and local park development funds. Additionally, he shepherded the passage of new laws to make schools safer, expand health care benefits for retirees, protect the environment and strengthen personal protection orders.

Kilpatrick, a former Rattler football player, earned his bachelor’s degree from FAMU in political science and a juris doctorate from the Detroit College of Law.