The Students Win: SC State Drops Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette as Commencement Speaker After Massive Petition and Campus Protest

South Carolina State University President Alexander Conyers announced Wednesday evening that Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette will no longer serve as the school’s Spring 2026 commencement speaker. This follows sustained pressure from students who organized protests, created a campaign for national attention and drove a Change.org petition past 19,211 signatures in a matter of days.

According to a statement released by Conyers and shared publicly by ABC News 4’s Perrin Moore, the original invitation was rooted in Evette’s background as a business leader, describing her as the founder and former CEO of a company that grew from a startup into a billion-dollar enterprise. But Conyers made clear that student safety and the integrity of the ceremony took priority.

“The safety and well-being of our students, families, faculty, staff and guests will always guide our decisions,” Conyers wrote. “Commencement should remain a moment of celebration focused on our graduates and their achievements, and we are committed to ensuring an environment that reflects that purpose.” (Source: Statement via @perrin_moore / ABC News 4)

Conyers added that Evette would still be welcomed to campus at a later date “to engage with our students, faculty and staff in a constructive manner” outside of the commencement setting.

The pushback began earlier this week when students at SC State — the state’s only public HBCU — organized a silent sit-in at the Donna Administration Building, marching through campus with signs before gathering near the president’s office. Their central objection: Evette’s opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives on college campuses runs counter to the values of the institution. According to ABC Columbia, Evette was originally asked to deliver the commencement address back in December.

A Change.org petition calling for a new speaker argued that Evette’s selection was “a disservice to the values and mission” of the institution. It has now surpassed 19,211 signatures as of April 29.

SGA President Zaria Tucker had been vocal throughout. “As your SGA President, I will always stand where my students stand,” Tucker wrote in a statement earlier this week. “Commencement is more than a ceremony — it’s a reflection of who we are as a student body at South Carolina State University. It should reflect our voices, our values, and our experiences.”

Evette did not go quietly. In a post to her X account following the university’s announcement, she framed the cancellation as evidence of the very problem she says she is fighting.

“The fact that a speech had to be canceled for credible safety threats is exactly why we cannot give up the fight to end indoctrination and DEI on campuses once and for all,” Evette wrote. “The root problem is professors who gin up feigned outrage at the detriment of their students, who they should be teaching to think critically. End tenure now!”

Conyers closed his statement by affirming the students’ right to speak up. “Our students have exercised their rights in a manner that reflects the importance of civic engagement and respectful discourse within a university community,” he wrote. “The voices and perspectives of our students are an important part of the academic experience.”