CSU’s 371st Commencement Features AG Raoul as Keynote Speaker, Honors Montes and Rhymefest

Chicago State University will host its 371st commencement ceremony on May 9 at the Emil & Patricia A. Jones Convocation Center. As a beacon of academic excellence and community empowerment, CSU continues to honor distinguished individuals who have made significant contributions in their respective fields. This year, CSU will host Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul as its keynote speaker and will award Peggy A. Montes and Che “Rhymefest” Smith with the Honorary Degrees of Doctor of Humane Letters. Kwame Raoul is Illinois’s 42nd Attorney General. As the state’s legal officer, he has championed policies that promote constitutional policing and law enforcement accountability. Attorney General Raoul has led efforts to combat gun violence by prosecuting gun trafficking cases, developing crime-gun tracing databases, defending the assault weapons ban, and successfully advancing legislation for better accountability. He is also a nationally recognized authority on consumer protection and used his position to protect students from predatory lenders and promote safety among at-risk youth on social media platforms. Born in Chicago to Haitian immigrants, Attorney General Raoul has brought a lifetime of legal experience and advocacy to the office. Best known as the Founder and President of the Bronzeville Children’s Museum, Peggy A. Montes has...