UWI Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, has received an honorary doctorate from North-West University in South Africa.
The award recognises Vice-Chancellor Becklesโ formidable academic contributions and his global advocacy for social justice.
The honorary doctorate, a Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) in History, from the NWUโs Faculty of Humanities, stands as a testament to Vice-Chancellor Becklesโ lifelong effort to use History as a tool for healing and reform.
Vice-Chancellor Beckles has since described it as a deeply personal honour that feels like a validation of his lifeโs work.
He said, โAs a teenager in the UK, I was actively involved in the anti-apartheid and Free Nelson Mandela campaigns. Iโve always been philosophically opposed to injustice. Iโm a humanist, and I believe in humanity at its best.โ
On the evening before the ceremony, he delivered a public lecture titled โFrom Durban to Accra: Rise of the Global Reparations Movement.โ
