Video of Commencement Keynote Address by Laverne Cox

Actress, writer, producer, and transgender advocate Laverne Cox delivered the keynote speech at the 2014 commencement ceremony at Hampshire College.

Cox, who can currently be seen in the critically acclaimed Netflix original series Orange is the New Black, was the recipient of the Anti-Violence Project's 2013 Courage Award.

She lends her voice to the cause of transgender visibility and equality, and is committed to telling diverse and three-dimensional trans* stories in the media. She travels the country speaking about issues that affect the trans* community.

Cox received critical praise for her role in the independent feature film Music Chairs in 2012. She is the first African-American trans woman to produce and star in her own television show, VH1's TRANSForm Me, which was nominated for a GLAAD media award for Outstanding Reality Program in 2011. Cox made television history when she became the first African-American trans woman to appear on a reality television program, VH1's I Wanna Work for Diddy, in 2008. She accepted the GLAAD media award for Outstanding Reality Program for I Want to Work for Diddy in 2009.