UNIVERSITY VILLAGE — Common's 15-year-old lyrics may not fly in New Jersey, but here in the Chi, college leaders are sticking by the hometown hero.
Despite a New Jersey university's call to drop Common as a graduation speaker, City Colleges of Chicago leaders are backing their decision to bring in the Chicago-bred rapper to share his message.
On Wednesday, City Colleges of Chicago confirmed Common is still slated to give the commencement address in May. The South Side native was selected for the honor because of his accomplishments as an artist and for his advocacy work, said Nikole Muzzy, City Colleges spokesperson.
"It is on the basis of these accomplishments that [City Colleges] continues to look forward to Common sharing his inspirational life story and message with our graduates," Muzzy said.
After an outcry from a police union, New Jersey-based Kean University announced Wednesday that Common would not speak at the school's graduation ceremony as previously planned.
The complaints stemmed from Common's 15-year-old "A Song for Assata," a sympathetic song about Joanne Chesimard. Chesimard, who was also known as Assata Shakur, was convicted of the 1973 killing of a New Jersey state trooper.
After her conviction, Chesimard escaped prison in 1979 and has been living in Cuba under political asylum since 1984, according to reports. In 2013, the FBI named her to the Most Wanted Terrorist List.
City Colleges has not received any negative feedback about the choice to name Common as graduation speaker, Muzzy said.
Last week, City Colleges of Chicago announced Common would be deliver this year's commencement speech to City Colleges grads.
The commencement will kick off at noon May 2 at the UIC Pavilion, 525 S. Racine Ave. Prior to the ceremony, Common plans to meet with a small group of college students.
Born Lonnie Rashid Lynn and raised in the city's Calumet Heights neighborhood, 43-year-old Common has won multiple Grammy Awards, as well as the 2015 Academy Award, 2015 Golden Globe Award, 2015 NAACP Award, 2015 Independent Spirit Award and 2015 Critic’s Choice Award for his work on the theme song and soundtrack for the movie "Selma."
As a hip hop artist, Common recorded 10 studio albums, winning multiple Grammy Awards.
As an actor, he has starred in movies including "Selma," "American Gangster," "Wanted" and "Smokin' Aces" as well as AMC's cable TV series "Hell on Wheels."
In 2000, the rapper/actor/author launched The Common Ground Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the empowerment and development of disadvantaged youth in urban communities.
In September, Common helped host AAHH! Fest, a music festival supporting his foundation and nonprofit Donda’s House in Union Park.
The rapper, who was in Chicago Tuesday, said in a statement that he relates to City Colleges graduates "who have overcome many obstacles to achieve success."
"I want them to know that I’m an example of how hard work can lead to dreams coming true," he said.
City Colleges of Chicago, the largest community college system in Illinois, serves 115,000 students annually at seven colleges and six satellite sites. The seven colleges are Richard J. Daley College, Kennedy-King College, Malcolm X College, Olive-Harvey College, Harry S Truman College, Harold Washington College and Wilbur Wright College.
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