Livingstone announces honorary doctorate degrees, Adrian M. Miller Conservatory in Frequency and Harmony
Published 12:00 am Thursday, May 11, 2023
Social justice activist Tamika Mallory shares a laugh during her commencement address at Livingstone College. Submitted photo
Adrian Miller, left, stands next to Alexander Warrant (aka Lex Lucazi) to make an announcement of the creation of the Adrian M. Miller School of Frequency and Harmony Conservatory on the campus of Livingstone College. Submitted photo
Alexander Warren, aka Lex Lucazi, stands with, from left, Bishop Kenneth Monroe, chairman of the Livingstone College Board of Trustees; Bishop Darryl B. Starnes, vice chair; and Livingstone President Dr. Anthony J. Davis, after receiving an honorary doctorate degree from Livingstone College on May 6. submitted photo
Adrian Miller, center, stands with, from left, Bishop Kenneth Monroe, chairman of the Livingstone College Board of Trustees; Bishop Darryl B. Starnes, vice chair; and Livingstone President Dr. Anthony J. Davis, after receiving an honorary doctorate degree from Livingstone College on May 6. submitted photo
Livingstone President Dr. Anthony J. Davis — submitted photo
SALISBURY — Social justice activist Tamika Mallory is officially a Blue Bear of Livingstone College.
The national movement strategist and author received an honorary doctorate degree in humane letters on May 6 during the college’s 141st commencement at Varick Auditorium, after delivering a powerful commencement address.
She told the Class of 2023 that they are the light of the world – the same light that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said can drive out darkness, and the light that former First Lady Michelle Obama said can feed the person next to you and ignite our community.
“Shine bright, Livingstone College, class of 2023,” Mallory said. “Don’t forget the legacy. Don’t forget where you come from. Don’t forget the stories. Don’t’ forget the sacrifice … Don’t forget Dr. (Joseph Charles) Price … but most importantly, don’t forget your own big mama and papa, who also wouldn’t die. Don’t forget your people and lastly, don’t forget yourself. Let us together, reshape a new world. Stand up, stand in your power.”
Mallory told the students to use their privilege of crossing this stage as a boat to safe harbor and “make sure you are the light for all of those coming behind.”
“I knew I made the right choice in having you deliver the commencement address for my first May graduation as president,” said Livingstone President Dr. Anthony J. Davis. He thanked her for the work that she does as a social justice practitioner and for speaking truth to power.
Mallory was the first of seven to receive honorary doctorate degrees at the ceremony. She thanked Livingstone for honoring her as a new member of Blue Bear nation.
Mallory is the author of State of Emergency, a declaration she made in the opening of her speech during the George Floyd protests in Minneapolis. She is the youngest ever executive director of the National Action Network and was instrumental in the creation of the New York City’s Crisis Management System, an official gun violence prevention program that awards nearly $27 million to violence prevention organizations annually.
She made history when she helped shepherd the largest single day demonstration, the 2017 Women’s March on Washington, serving as one of its four national co-chairs. Most recently, she co-founded Until Freedom, an intersectional social justice organization that serves as a clearing house for organizers, activists, movement attorneys, artists, celebrities and formerly incarcerated individuals.
Mallory was honored as one of Time 100’s Most Influential People and was featured on Fortune’s list of the World’s Greatest Leaders.
Miller announces new Conservatory in Frequency and Harmony
Music executive and industry veteran Adrian Miller is “recording” his legacy on the campus of Livingstone College along with Alexander Warren, aka Lex Lucazi.
After receiving his honorary doctorate degree in humane letters at Livingstone’s 141st Commencement on May 6, the music mogul announced he was creating a recording studio at Livingstone, named the Adrian M. Miller Conservatory in Frequency and Harmony for his contributions to and support of the arts, and the scholarship of the next generation of musical artists and industry changemakers. The school is named after his son.
“Personally, this meant a lot to me to visit you all from LA (Los Angeles) and to be here today. While my family is not celebrating as much (due to a death), it bears my heart and soul and spirit to be here to say Livingstone will be announcing its music program: The Conservatory Adrian M. Miller School of Harmony and Frequency,” Miller said. “I could not have done this without my good brother, Dr. Lex, the multimedia expertise Synphony (Keith Anderson of Livingstone) and Dr. Davis (president). We look forward to giving you all the platform you deserve in the entertainment industry.”
The school of music will serve as a catalyst for the creation of a communications major and certification program among the college’s current degree program offerings.
There is a heightened interest among students in the college’s on-campus radio station, WLJZ 107.1 FM, particularly in music, audio production and engineering. In order to cultivate and sustain that growing interest, Livingstone is partnering with Miller to develop a music engineering degree/certification program in a newly-designed and equipped studio.
Miller, in partnership with Alexander Warren, aka Lex Lucazi, will assist in providing the capital to design, build and equip the music studio.
This will be “one of the first of its kind on an HBCU college campus,” said Livingstone President Dr. Anthony J. Davis.
Miller is an industry veteran who today manages Anderson .Paak and Flo-Rida, and was musical supervisor on the movie, “Friday,” and the third season of “Wu-Tang Clan: An American Saga.”
From radio disc jockey, A&R, breaking new talent, artist management, label founder/co-owner, masterminding successful digital and real-world marketing campaigns and executive producing, to film and television music supervision, he has been immersed in nearly every facet of the business and understands what it takes to elevate artists to the next level.
Over the course of his career, which included being at Warner Music Group under the tutelage of industry powerhouses Benny Medina and Quincy Jones, Miller has worked with artists that include Cypress Hill, House of Pain, Ice Cube, Giorgio Moroder, Prince, RZA, Rage Against The Machine, OutKast, The Pharcyde, Korn, Warren G, Incubus, Coolio, Method Man, Redman, Funkdoobiest, DJ Muggs/Soul Assassins, Erick Sermon, Keith Murray and Volume 10.
Among his many awards and certifications for hit records, Miller won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance for his work on Anderson .Paak’s hit song Bubblin’, and received the prestigious Cannes Lion Award for his work on the 2018 Apple Music Home Pod commercial by Academy Award-winning writer/director Spike Jonez.
Through his company, XYion, Inc., Miller works extensively with artists, not solely concerned with their music, but in building profitable business strategies that best protect their intellectual property and help them establish foundations for artistic freedom, career success and financial security.
Warren (Lucazi) also received an honorary doctorate in human letters from Livingstone College on May 6. He is an award-winning record producer and six-times platinum accredited musician. He appeared on the Grammy nominated “BET” award winning “TI vs Tip” album. He won the Native American Music Award’s Song of the Year and Los Angeles Music Video Award’s Song of the Year. He was nominated for the Canadian Indigenous Music Award and for the Tennessee Hip-Hop Awards.
He is currently the director of creative services in A&R for Xyion.
