Pelican State News

New Orleans, La. -- In commemoration of St.  Katharine’s and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament’s vision of a  sacred place of learning rooted in faith and scholarship, Xavier is  hosting its annual Founders’ Day Convocation Ceremony on Tuesday,  October 4, in the University’s Convocation Center at 12:15 p.m. In  addition to celebrating Xavier’s founding and the class of 2023, the  ceremony will also recognize the accomplishments and milestones of  Xavier’s faculty and staff.

“Founders’ Day is a celebration and recognition of the great  achievement of St. Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed  Sacrament, which is Xavier. We recognize the struggle to establish an  institution bringing quality education where it is needed, especially to  the descendants of the enslaved,” said Dr. Reynold Verret, President of Xavier University of Louisiana. “The Founders’ Day Convocation recognizes the hard work of our faculty  and staff who are dedicated to educating our students. It is a time when  we come together collectively and reflect on the vision that we have  built the legacy of Xavier upon- to create a more just and humane  society by teaching the leaders of the next generation.”

Eric H. Holder Jr., J.D., the first African American to hold the  position of United States attorney general, is the University’s special  guest who will be participating in a “Convocation Conversation” about  his book “Our Unfinished March”  with President Verret. Holder served as the 82nd attorney general of  the United States from February 2009 until April 2015, making him the  third longest-serving attorney general in the nation’s history. Time  magazine named Holder to its list of 100 Most Influential People in  2014, noting that he had “worked tirelessly to ensure equal justice.”  Holder has served in government for over thirty years, having been  appointed to various positions requiring U.S. Senate confirmation by  Presidents Obama, Clinton and Reagan.

“Our Unfinished March” emphasizes the importance and power of the  right to vote for Americans. Following the gutting, landmark Shelby  County v. Holder case in 2013, many states have passed laws restricting  the vote. In 2021, 19 states enacted voting restrictions. These laws disproportionately affect people of color.  Holder will speak with President Verret about his vision for reversing  the tide of voter suppression and make America “... a true democracy  where every voice is heard and every vote is counted.”

 

Just as  St. Katharine and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament fought all those  decades ago to ensure the historically marginalized Black population  had access to higher education, Holder embodies their vision by fighting  for all citizens to overcome barriers to their right to vote. Holder,  who received an honorary degree from Xavier University of Louisiana in  2015, is a great example of the legacy all Xavierites honor with their  actions in pursuit of a more just and humane society.

“We are excited to be able to celebrate this year’s Founder’s Day in  person and to welcome former United States Attorney General Eric Holder,  Jr.,” said Curtis Wright, Xavier University of Louisiana’s Vice President of Student Affairs. “It is important to recognize the nurture and care that our faculty and  staff gift to our Xavierites to help them grow and develop to succeed  in their future endeavors. We also recognize that without the efforts of  our foundress’, we would not be able to execute the vision of a better  and more just society for all.”

Xavier’s foundress Katharine Drexel was born in 1858 in Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, to an extraordinarily wealthy and devout catholic family.  Ahead of her time, St. Katharine believed that all deserved an  education as a means of empowerment and self-determination, especially  those who were excluded from opportunities and made voiceless due to the  sin of racism. Born into great privilege, she chose to lead by example  and use her vast familial wealth to build schools throughout the United  States for African Americans and Native Americans. To support her vision  of a more just and humane society, she also founded the religious  congregation that is the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.

In 1915, Saint Katharine Drexel, then Mother Katharine, conducted a  series of secret business negotiations to buy the former Southern  University campus in New Orleans. White homeowners had petitioned  previously for the “relocation” of the Historically Black Southern  University the year before. Still, the beliefs of St. Katharine and the  Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament that all deserved a quality education,  no matter their race, persevered as they fought racist ideals to  establish a new Black university on the site. By no means an easy task,  in 1925, Xavier University of Louisiana’s College of Arts and Sciences  was established, marking it as the first and only Black and Catholic  university in the United States.

“I’m thrilled to join Xavier’s students, faculty, and staff for this year’s Founder’s Day Convocation Ceremony,” said former U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder.  “The story of the University’s founding is at once a sobering reminder  of our country’s shameful racist past, and a remarkable expression of  the progress that is possible when we persevere to create a society that  works for all. I am enormously inspired by the bravery of Xavier’s  founders, the dedication of its leaders to student success, and the  intellectual vibrancy of a campus community striving together to shape a  better future in New Orleans and beyond.”

Holder, an internationally recognized leader across a broad range of  regulatory enforcement, criminal justice and national security issues,  was a partner at Covington & Burling LLP from 2001 to 2009 and  rejoined the firm after he served as attorney general. Before his tenure  as attorney general, Holder maintained a wide-ranging investigation and  litigation practice at Covington. He graduated from Columbia  University, earning his undergraduate and law degrees at the  institution.

Livestream the event here.

 

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About Xavier University of Louisiana 

Xavier University of Louisiana, America’s only historically Black  and Catholic University, is ranked among the top three HBCUs  (historically Black colleges and universities) in the nation. Recognized  as a national leader in STEM and health sciences, Xavier produces more  African American students who graduate from medical schools each year  than any other university in the United States. Additionally, Xavier’s  College of Pharmacy is also among the top producers of African American  pharmacists in the country. 

Established in 1925, by Saint Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of  the Blessed Sacrament as a place for African American and Native  Americans to receive quality education, Xavier has since expanded its  programs in art, business, education, biological sciences, chemistry,  pharmacy and political science. More recent additions in robotics,  bioinformatics, engineering, data science, neuroscience and genetics, in  addition to new STEM-based master’s programs, have provided Xavier  students (2815 undergraduates and 787 graduates) an unbeatable  combination of traditional classroom study, hands-on research,  service-learning opportunities and life experiences. Xavier students  collaborate with world-renowned faculty, who are experts in their  fields, to produce award-winning research and notable work. The winning  Xavier formula is to provide students with a well-balanced curriculum  and an environment that nurtures their intellect and feeds their souls,  thereby facilitating a more just and humane society for all. For more  information about Xavier University of Louisiana, visit us online at www.xula.edu or contact Regi Reyes at (504) 520-5240 or rreyes@xula.edu.

 Original source can be found here.