The JCSU Class of 1981 alumnus and President of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc. called on graduating seniors to run with endurance, lead with purpose, and never forget the cloud of witnesses cheering them on
CHARLOTTE, NC / May 15, 2026 - On a sun-drenched Sunday afternoon in Charlotte, North Carolina, Johnson C. Smith University gathered its Class of 2026 for one of the most sacred traditions in higher education — the Baccalaureate Service. And for the 153rd time in the university's storied history, the moment lived up to its legacy.
The Jane M. Smith Memorial Church filled with faculty in regalia, proud families, and graduates dressed in gold and blue as JCSU's 15th President, Dr. Valerie Kinloch '96, welcomed the university community to what she called a space of "communion, safety, and love."
But it was the man she invited to speak — a man who once sat in those very same seats — who brought the house to its feet.
Welcome Home, Dr. Kimber
When Rev. Dr. Boise Kimber, President of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc., stepped to the podium, he did so not as a distinguished guest, but as a son returning home.
"Madam President Kinloch, thank you for this invitation to come home," he said, to immediate applause.
Dr. Kimber is a proud member of the JCSU Class of 1981 — a fact he returned to throughout his address with humor, humility, and purpose. He arrived at JCSU not as a top scholar, he told the graduates, but as a student placed in a remedial reading class.
"I started behind the starting line," he said plainly. "I understood that was not my race. I stayed in that class. I improved my reading. I improved my writing. I improved my cognitive skills. And because I worked on me, I graduated in 1981."
From those humble beginnings at 100 Beatties Ford Road, Dr. Kimber went on to earn degrees from Hartford Seminary, Yale University, and United Theological Seminary — and eventually ascended to lead the largest Black body of believers in the world.
The message to the Class of 2026 was unmistakable: where you start does not determine where you finish.
This Is Your Race
Drawing from Hebrews 12:1 — "Since we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and sin which so closely clings, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" — Dr. Kimber structured his address around a single, powerful theme: life is a race.
"When you woke up this morning, even if no one is in the house but you, you're in a race," he said. "When you go through the day, even if you are not moving at a rapid speed, you're in a race. When you retire tonight, though the lights are darkened and the atmosphere is silent, you're still in a race."
He did not shy away from the realities facing graduates entering a rapidly changing world.
"When a president of this free world is more concerned about the rich than the wounded, you're in a race," he said. "When the Supreme Court seeks to undo what many have died to put in place, you're in a race. When you'd rather be in prison and oppressed than liberated and educated — we are in a race."
The graduates leaned in. The families nodded. The faculty sat in quiet affirmation.
Three Things Every Runner Must Know
Dr. Kimber organized his address around three essential truths about the race of life — each one building on the last.
First: Your race is an individual race.
Despite the sororities, the fraternities, the organizations, and the families gathered in that sanctuary, Dr. Kimber pressed the graduates to understand that no one could run their race for them.
"As individuals, you must see the value of telling the truth," he said, invoking the words of the JCSU alma mater. "We love thee, Smith, with all our hearts. To thee we'll ever be true. And in the light of truth and right, hold high the gold and blue."
"Though there are plural pronouns in this lyric," he noted, "they will only have meaning and impact when we hold up our individual parts."
Second: Your race is a corporate race.
With the same conviction, Dr. Kimber turned the lens outward. No one, he reminded the graduates, makes it alone.
"I know you hear a lot of people who say they made it on their own," he said. "However, the reality is that we needed the help of others to make it and survive."
He reflected on his own JCSU journey — and the professors and coaches who saw something in him that he could not yet see in himself. Men like Professor C.D. Rippey and coaches Eddie McGirt and Charlie Cox, whose belief in a young Boise Kimber helped lay the foundation for a life of extraordinary impact.
"If you see a turtle on a fence pole, you know somebody put it there," he said with a smile. "We do not make it by ourselves. We run together."
Third: Your race is a race of endurance.
This, Dr. Kimber said, was perhaps the most important truth of all.
"I do not stand here and tell you that this race is easy," he said. "This race will call for a lot of bounce back. You will get tired. You will get weak. You will want to give up. Relationships will fall apart. Some opportunities will be closed in your face."
He paused.
"However, that is not the time to throw in the towel. That is the time to understand the words of the late Vernon Johns: If you see a good fight, get in it. That is the time to hear the words of the late John Lewis: You need to start some good trouble. "
To illustrate the power of endurance, he shared a story about watching his youngest daughter's friend compete in a track meet. The young runner developed a cramp mid-race — and kept running anyway.
"After the race, I asked her, 'Why didn't you stop?'" he recounted. "She said, 'Dr. Kimber, if you're going to be a runner, you're going to have to have cramps at some point. I wanted to stop because of the pain — but I decided to finish the race because I had people in the stands cheering me on.'"
The church fell quiet for just a moment.
"That's my word to you today," Dr. Kimber said. "We are cheering you on in this race. Keep on running. Keep on pressing."
A President, A Homecoming, and a Sacred Send-Off
Before Dr. Kimber took the podium, the service was marked by equally powerful moments of student leadership and faith.
SGA President Isabella Gonce — graduating summa cum laude in Sport Management and delivering her final address in her role — offered the invocation, praying over a room she described as filled with "future CEOs, educators, entrepreneurs, doctors, athletes, creators, leaders, and maybe even a few billionaires."
"This journey was not easy," she prayed, "yet through every challenge, we persevered."
Salutatorian Kyla Thomas — Computer Science and Information Systems, graduating summa cum laude, Esports Club President, and IBM-certified cybersecurity scholar — introduced Dr. Kimber with warmth and precision, beginning simply: "Welcome home."
Scripture was offered by Miss JCSU Jaiden Isome, reading from Proverbs 3, and Senior Class President Toni Walker, reading from Romans 12 — both calling the graduates to wisdom, discernment, and the responsible use of their individual gifts.
The JCSU Concert Choir, under the direction of Dr. Angelica Brooks and accompanied by Mr. Frank McGinnis Jr., provided musical selections that moved through the sanctuary like a benediction of their own.
And presiding over it all was President Dr. Valerie Kinloch — a 1996 JCSU alumna standing before her third graduating class as president, visibly moved.
"Having graduated from Johnson C. Smith University 30 years ago this year," she said, pausing to let the weight of the moment settle, "I will especially remember the Class of 2026 because you're graduating during my reunion weekend. It's been nothing short of a beautiful homecoming."
She asked every graduate to stand. She thanked them for choosing JCSU. She told them she would miss the hugs, the laughs, the random calls, and even the unsanctioned plot parties.
"On Sunday at your graduation, I'm going to say: I'm going to miss each and every one of you," she said. "So on behalf of us — congratulations ahead of Sunday. Congratulations, Class of 2026."
The Race Continues
As the 153rd Baccalaureate Service drew to a close and the graduates made their way toward Commencement, Dr. Kimber's final words continued to echo.
He had spoken of Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., of Malcolm X and Harriet Tubman, of Thurgood Marshall and Kobe Bryant — a great cloud of witnesses cheering from beyond.
He had spoken of Kamala Harris and Barack Obama and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — voices of the living, cheering still.
He had spoken of mothers and fathers and grandmothers and big mamas — the ones who dropped a few dollars through Cash App and showed up every single time.
And he had spoken of a remedial reading class at Johnson C. Smith University in 1977, where a young man from New Haven started behind the starting line — and kept running anyway.
"Keep on running," he told the Class of 2026. "Keep on pressing."
The race, for this extraordinary class of Golden Bulls, had only just begun.
