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Jimmy Carter to give address at Liberty commencement

(AP) — Former President Carter will deliver the keynote address to about 18,000 graduates Saturday at the conservative Christian university in Lynchburg.
Jimmy Carter to give address at Liberty commencement
Former President Carter, 93, sits for an interview about his new book, "Faith: A Journey For All," which will debut at No. 7 on The New York Times best-sellers list, pictured before a book signing on April 11, 2018, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)
Associated Press

LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) — Former President Carter is this year’s commencement speaker at Liberty University.

Carter will deliver the keynote address to about 18,000 graduates Saturday (May 19) at the conservative Christian university in Lynchburg.

He will be the third U.S. president Liberty has hosted for commencement and the first Democrat. George H.W. Bush spoke in 1990, while Donald Trump spoke last year.


The university is an influential hub for conservative politics, often frequented by candidates courting evangelical voters.

Carter is a born-again evangelical as well, but with a more liberal view of Christianity.

After serving as the nation’s 39th president, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, established the Carter Center, a nonprofit focused on resolving conflict, advancing democracy and human rights, preventing diseases and improving mental health care.

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