Old Boy NEWS
Nicholas Johnson draws high praise
T
he name Nicholas Johnson nearly became a household word throughout North America when it was announced on April 27 that the 2015 Selwyn House graduate was the first black student to ever be named valedictorian of a graduating class at Princeton University. The story was quickly picked up by every major news organization in the US and Canada, prompting three prominent members of the American black political community to publicly praise him. Former First Lady Michelle Obama and US Senator Kamala Harris of California tweeted their congratulations, while Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey telephoned his acclaim. “This Princeton alum is so proud of you, Nick!” wrote Ms. Obama. “Congratulations on becoming valedictorian— and making history. I have a feeling this is just the beginning for you, and I cannot wait to see everything you continue to achieve.” Nick said he was “incredibly grateful and honoured” to be named valedictorian, especially in view of the fact that Princeton has a history of association with slavery, with nine of the university’s presidents having once owned slaves. “The reason there’s been all this attention is because, after they confirmed that I was the first black valedictorian, a friend from Princeton tweeted it and it went viral,” Nicholas told Veritas. “Just yesterday, I did a panel with Princeton focussed on mentorship in STEM fields, the point being that that’s also
Veritas, page 8
a very important part of my story, and one that hasn’t really been emphasized with all the coverage. That was Princeton’s attempt to try and show that there are other parts of my path other than just the fact that I’m the first black valedictorian. So, I did appreciate that, as well.” “There’s kind of been a renewed wave of requests for me to be interviewed specifically to comment on what’s going on in the US.” “I’m not crazy about that,” he said. “I did two interviews or so where I commented on that directly. One of them was on CNN yesterday morning,. But now I’m telling people that I’m not taking any more interviews. In all the interviews I am effectively saying the same thing five or six times. I also feel there’s a risk of people being quick to label me as being part of a certain philosophical belief group, if you will, or being the figure of one side of the debate in the United States, and I don’t want that to happen. So, I feel like I’m just going to lay off interviews for the moment.” The valedictorian speech Nicholas delivered online as part of the virtual graduation ceremony of Princeton University on May 31 was about the act of building. In addition to building tangible objects, he said, “we have built communities, relationships, traditions, innovative algorithms and lasting memories.” Nicholas expressed sympathy for victims of COVID-19, a disease that, he said, “is not going to disappear quickly and will likely give rise to a new normal.”