Grammy-winning songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Dom Flemons has been awarded an Honorary Doctoral Degree from Northern Arizona University for his commitment and contributions to the arts and education.
Flemons is a fifth-generation Arizonan who grew up in Flagstaff and graduated from NAU in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in English.
He went on to become a co-founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, winning a Grammy in 2010 for Best Traditional Folk Album.
In 2018, in conjunction with the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Flemons released his critically acclaimed solo album Dom Flemons Presents Black Cowboys. It’s a mix of original and traditional folk songs that chronicle the role African-Americans played in settling the West after emancipation in the 19th century.
In an interview with KNAU in 2018, Flemons said people coming from slavery created a new social order – still influential today – through their hard work and perseverance despite extraordinary obstacles.