A man named Mumia Abu-Jamal, who is serving life in prison for killing a Philadelphia cop in 1981, has reportedly been selected to give the commencement speech at his alma mater, Goddard College, in Plainfield, Vermont on Sunday.

A video of Abu-Jamal, who graduated from the liberal arts college in 1996, will be shown to the students receiving their Bachelor of Arts and Fine Arts degrees this weekend.

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The school's temporary president, Bob Kenny, has been quoted on the website as saying that the graduating students' selection of Abu-Jamal as the commencement speaker has been approved and that it reflects the freedom of these students to engage and think both radically and critically in a world that limits such thinking.

Goddard College students' can individualize their graduations ceremonies and have the freedom to choose their speakers. Since the bachelor's degree received by Abu-Jamal in '96 is related to the graduating students' degrees, they chose him. 

However, the Vermont Troopers' Association stated on Tuesday that Abu-Jamal being included in the graduation rights is a complete disregard to the family of the killed cop, Officer Daniel Faulkner.

John Wetzel, the Pennsylvania Corrections Secretary, expressed his opinion saying that the decision to choose Abu-Jamal is a disrespectful move. According to Wetzel, police officers put their lives on the line in order to protect society and he finds it troubling that Goddard is willing to allow a convicted murderer to speak to the students.

However, as inmates have the constitutional right to make phone calls, even if people don't endorse Abu-Jamal as a commencement speaker, there is nothing they can do to stop it.

Although Abu-Jamal was initially sentenced to death on December 9, 1981, he was resentenced to life in prison in 2012.  As a Black Panther, a group which promotes the Black power movement, he claims that he was a victim of the racist justice system in the United States and has seen vast international support for his case through radio shows, documentaries, and books.  

TagsGoddard College, Speaker, College Graduation, Liberal Arts, White cop killed, Black Panther, White, Racist justice system