A convicted cop killer, who was formerly on death row and is now serving a life sentence, recently addressed graduates as the commencement speaker at his Vermont alma mater, reports state.

After 23 candidates for graduation chose him to be their speaker at their October 5 graduation rites, Mumia Abu-Jamal spoke to the 20 students graduating from Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont via a video recorded at the Pennsylvania state prison where he is sentenced to spend the rest of his life.

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"Think about the myriad of problems that beset this land and strive to make it better. Goddard reawakened in me my love of learning," said Abu-Jamal who earned a degree from the school in 1996.

During his speech, the Goddard Alumnus did not make any reference to the crime of which he was convicted except for a brief mention regarding when he left death row.

Abu-Jamal was found guilty of first-degree murder for the killing of Officer Daniel Faulkner on December 9, 1981 and was originally sentenced to death.

However, a judge's decision in 2012 changed his punishment to life imprisonment instead.

A former nationalist, Abu-Jamal's conviction had been openly criticized by Amnesty International which supported his claim that he was victimized by a racist justice system in the country.

His case had been publicized by several documentaries, books, and a radio shows, and he was deemed as "an award winning journalist who chronicles the human condition" by Goddard College.

He became famous for his jailhouse writings about the American justice system and was renowned worldwide by foreign political leaders, death penalty opponents, and even some Hollywood celebrities.

The Vermont college is known for its student-initiated programs and for having flexible academic programs.

"Choosing Mumia as their commencement speaker, to me, shows how this newest group of Goddard graduates expresses their freedom to engage and think radically and critically in a world that often sets up barriers to do just that," Goddard College President Bob Kenny stated. 

Tagskiller, Murder, death row, graduation, Inmate, commencement, address, Vermont, Goddard College