Julieanna Richardson ’76 will deliver this year’s commencement address on May 22. Graduating members of the Class of 2016 will hear from Richardson — founder of The HistoryMakers, a video archive of the oral histories of African-Americans — who will also accept an honorary degree from the University alongside physicist and engineer Mildred Dresselhaus; historic-preservationist, attorney and grandson of Louis D. Brandeis Frank Brandeis Gilbert; filmmaker Agnieszka Holland; and artist Jack Whitten.

The University announced the commencement speaker and honorary degree recipients on March 31. According to the press release, Richardson is the creator of “the largest video oral-history archive of the African-American experience” and that since its founding 16 years ago, The HistoryMakers has recorded 9,000 hours of one-on-one interviews with African-Americans individuals, including Barack Obama, Harry Belafonte and 211 of the nation’s African-American scientists. In a video on The HistoryMakers website, Richardson explains that “it’s very important for people to have a sense of place, a sense of belonging, a sense of history of where they came from. People go from Harriet Tubman to Martin Luther King, and the same names being mentioned over and over again, and yet I’d talk to people and hear these wonderful stories about their families and the people that influenced them.” Richardson graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts and American Studies, and conducted independent research on the Harlem Renaissance while at Brandeis, which led to her discovering “the power of oral history,” according to her biography on The HistoryMakers website.

Mildred Dresselhaus is a professor emerita of physics and electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Nicknamed “the Queen of Carbon,” Dresselhaus pioneered work on carbon science and nanostructures. At MIT, she carried out a series of experiments that led to a fundamental understanding of the electronic structure of semi-metals, especially graphite. She has worked to increase women’s participation in science and engineering, and is the author or co-author of over 1,700 scientific articles and publications.

In addition to being the grandson of the University’s namesake, Frank Brandeis Gilbert is a fellow of the University and an officer with the Supreme Court Historical Society. He has worked with over 100 cities to improve historic-preservation laws, and was influential in rescuing New York City’s Grand Central Station from demolition. He also worked to create historic districts in New York City’s SoHo and Greenwich Village districts.

Agnieszka Holland is a Polish-Jewish filmmaker, and the first woman chair of the European Film Academy. She is best known for her films “Europa Europa” and “In Darkness,” which were nominated for Oscars in the Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Foreign Language Film categories respectively. “Europa Europa” tells the true story of Solomon Perel, a Jewish teenager who was captured by Nazis in Russia but convinced his captors he was German and ended up enrolled in the Hitler Youth. “In Darkness,” similarly, is the story of Leopold Socha, a Polish sewer worker who sheltered Jews escaping the Lvov ghetto in Poland. Holland has also directed episodes of “The Wire” and “House of Cards,” among other shows.

Jack Whitten is an American abstract painter whose work has experimented with the material properties of paint, such as viscosity and pigment.

His works are included at the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of Modern Art, among others. Whitten’s works have often explored political themes; he was involved in the civil rights movement, and created the piece “9.11.01,” which memorialized the September 11 terror attacks and incorporated bone, ash and broken glass.

Commencement will take place at 10:30 a.m. on May 22 in the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. Larry Kanarek ’76 will also become the new chair of the Board of Trustees on that day.