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Granderson also is being inducted into the communication school’s alumni academy and honored by the College of Arts and Sciences with an alumni achievement award.
As a CNN commentator, Granderson is among the most prominent voices in journalism today on a variety of issues making national news, including the killing of an unarmed teen who was shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, in August.
On air and in his popular online column for CNN, Granderson has covered the death of Michael Brown, which continues to make headlines, fuel protests in Ferguson and has ignited heated national debate about the treatment of blacks by law enforcement.
His talk, “We are all Ferguson: How not being at the table puts you at risk for being on the menu,” is set for 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, in Sangren Hall, room 1920.
The award-winning journalist is among CNN’s go-to pundits whose commentary is not limited to certain subjects. He’s been on air addressing same-sex marriage, presidential politics, NFL scandals, education and religious faith among other topics.
Granderson has been honored with numerous awards for gay rights advocacy. And his commentary has been recognized by the Online News Association, the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.
According to his bio, Granderson’s experiences at the Western Herald and WIDR were “instrumental in developing his voice as a journalist” and he characterizes himself as a proud WMU graduate. His favorite professors were Dr. Von Washington, professor emeritus of theatre, and Dr. Richard Gershon, professor of communication.
In addition to his commentary for CNN and sports reporting for ESPN, Granderson lectures at Northwestern University in Chicago. And next spring, the former Hechinger Institute fellow, will be a teaching fellow at the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago. Granderson currently lives in Chicago with his partner Steve and their son Isaiah.
Click here to read a feature from the WMU Magazine about Granderson.