Commencement
152nd Commencement
Summer 2025, fall 2025, and spring 2026 graduation students are invited to participate in this year’s Commencement Sunday, May 3, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. at the Tennessee State University Gentry Center located at 3645 Dr. Walter S Davis Blvd, Nashville, TN.
152nd Commencement Speaker
Academy Award Nominee, Delroy Lindo
COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER
Delroy George Lindo is an award-winning British-born American actor celebrated for his commanding presence on both stage and screen. The son of Jamaican parents, he was born in Lewisham, England, and spent his early years there before moving to Toronto, Canada, as a teenager, and later settling in the United States.
A graduate of the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, Lindo made his film debut as an Army sergeant in More American Graffiti (1979). Although a decade passed before his next film appearance, he remained deeply active in theater. In 1982, he made his Broadway debut in “Master Harold and the Boys,” directed by its playwright, Athol Fugard. He later earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in the 1988 production of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.
Lindo gained widespread recognition through his collaborations with director Spike Lee, delivering memorable performances as West Indian Archie in Malcolm X (1992), Woody Carmichael in Crooklyn (1994), and Rodney Little in Clockers (1995). Decades later, he received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Paul, a Vietnam War veteran, in Da 5 Bloods (2020), earning both the New York Film Critics Circle Award and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor. For his role as Delta Slim in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners (2025), he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Beyond acting, Lindo has also made his mark as a director. His stage productions of Blue Door and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at Berkeley Repertory Theatre were met with critical acclaim, and he received a Los Angeles Theater Weekly Award for directing Medal of Honor Rag.
Lindo holds an honorary Doctorate in Arts and Humanities from Virginia Union University, a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (cum laude) from San Francisco State University, and a Master of Fine Arts from New York University’s Gallatin School. Over a distinguished career spanning six decades, he has amassed more than 75 credits across film, television, and theater.
BACCALAUREATE SERVICE SPEAKER
A pastor, prolific preacher, teacher, social justice advocate, and author, Dr. J. Lawrence Turner has devoted his life to meaningful ministry, making immeasurable impacts across the nation for more than 25 years. For the past 10 years, he has faithfully served as the Senior Pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Memphis, Tennessee, the largest congregation in the Disciples of Christ denomination.
For seven years prior to coming to Mississippi Boulevard, he served as the Senior Pastor of Community Baptist Church in New Haven, Connecticut, where he tripled the membership and liquidated the debt. Similarly, during his first eight years at Mississippi Boulevard, he eliminated the debt associated with the Midtown campus renovations. In addition, following the move of God, Dr. Turner relocated the former East Campus to southeast Memphis, later purchasing its permanent location, a beautiful seven acre campus that has proven to be a beacon of hope as it thrives in that community. Under Dr. Turner’s leadership, the mortgage on that new campus was retired within the first eight years.
Dr. Turner is a native of Nashville, Tennessee, and a 2003 magna cum laude graduate of Fisk University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and Philosophy. He was a 2001 United Negro College Fund and Andrew Mellon Undergraduate Fellow and a 2002 Fellow of the Fund for Theological Education. Dr. Turner received his Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School and was awarded the prestigious H. H. Tweedy Prize for exceptional promise in pastoral leadership. He later earned the Doctor of Ministry degree in Transformative Leadership from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.
Understanding the need for excellence in leadership, Dr. Turner’s vision extends beyond the pulpit and pew. He has served as President of the Yale Divinity School Student Council, Vice President of the Connecticut State Missionary Baptist Convention, Chaplain of the New Haven Fire Department, and Chairman of the Board of Commissioners for the Housing Authority of New Haven, Connecticut.
He currently serves as Secretary and Treasurer for the Board of Directors of National Action Network, a board member of Church Health, President of the Yale Divinity School Alumni Board, a member of the Yale Divinity School Dean’s Advisory Council, and a member of the Mission Integration Committee of Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare. Dr. Turner also serves as bibliographer for the Conference of National Black Churches Annual National Consultation and is a member of the Advisory Team of the Issachar Church Growth and Development Conference. He is a 2021 inductee into the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College.
Bridging his passion for faith and social justice, Dr. Turner founded and serves as President of The Black Clergy Collaborative of Memphis, whose mission is to express the voice of the Black Church on issues of economic empowerment, civic engagement, and criminal justice reform. This organization played a vital role in the Reimagining Policing in Memphis initiative and continues to advance its mission through programs such as the D Free Initiative, the BCCM Hope Credit Union Small Loan Fund, and Journey to Food Justice. It also led the creation of the African American Clergy Collective of Tennessee, which seeks to engage clergy organizations and state legislators across the state.
Dr. Turner has presented to audiences at Fisk University, Yale University, LeMoyne Owen College, and Tougaloo College. He has appeared on CNN, PBS, BBC, and MSNBC, and has been featured by Jack and Jill of America, Inc. He has also been interviewed by The New York Times, The Tennessean, The Tri State Defender, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, and Yale Divinity School Reflections. The Memphis Business Journal recognized him as both a 40 Under 40 honoree and a Power 100 honoree.
He is the author and facilitator of a Bible study on the book of Colossians entitled Above All Circumstances. His published work has also appeared in the African American Pulpit Journal.
Dr. Turner’s greatest joy, pride, and peace is his family. He is married to his best friend, Bridgett N. Turner, Esq. Together, they are the proud parents of two bright and beautiful children, Josiah Lawrence and Savannah Grace.
PARKING:
Parking Information
Main parking will be located at 3645 Walter S. Davis Blvd at the Gentry Center.
Additional parking will be available on campus along John Merritt Blvd. Jefferson Street turns into John Merritt Blvd once you cross over 28th Ave North.
ADA parking will be available in both areas, though space is limited. Fisk yard signage and parking attendants will be positioned at entrances to direct guests where to park.
Golf carts will be available on campus to assist with transportation to the main entrance.
Reminders
Doors will open at 7:30 a.m. No tickets are required for entry.
The following items are not permitted: balloons, large signs, or horns. Guests arriving with these items will be asked to return them to their vehicles before entering the arena.
Clear Bag Policy
Bags must be clear plastic, vinyl, or PVC and must not exceed 12 x 6 x 12 inches. Approved bags include one gallon freezer bags or clear totes.
A small clutch or purse, approximately 5.5 x 8.5 inches, is permitted for privacy. Medical and diaper bags are typically allowed as exceptions.
Media Inquiries
For credentialing information, please contact The Office of Marketing and Communications at universityrelations@fisk.edu
Livestreaming will be available via the Fisk University YouTube https://youtube.com/@fiskuniversity?si=OA6WTxlUgqCjZ_tF
LIVESTREAMING WILL BE AVAILABLE VIA FACEBOOK AND YOUTUBE
