Father Gregory Boyle receives honorary doctorate from Cal State LA for decades of community transformation

In the face of despair and destruction, Father Gregory Boyle offered hope and a path to rebuild lives and communities.

The Los Angeles-born-and-bred Jesuit priest saw firsthand the devastating toll brought by rampant gang violence during the "decade of death" that spanned the late 1980s and early '90s. He knew that law enforcement tactics of suppression and criminal justice policies of mass incarceration were not the answers to quelling the gang problem.

Boyle, along with members of his Boyle Heights parish and community, took the radical route of treating the gang members as human beings. He founded Homeboy Industries, which today has grown into the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world.

On Monday, May 18, Cal State LA and the Board of Trustees of the California State University (CSU) acknowledged Boyle's commitment to community and long-lasting impact with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during the first of nine Commencement ceremonies at the historic Shrine Auditorium.

In his acceptance speech, Father Boyle provided the Class of 2026 words of inspiration.

"Your education serves as an anchor, and so you do things that matter," he said. "You advocate for things that are important, like inclusion, nonviolence, unconditional loving, kindness, and compassionate acceptance. … Go from here and imagine a circle of compassion, and then imagine nobody standing outside that circle. You will go from here to dismantle the barriers that exclude and, to that end, you will stand with the poor, the powerless, and the voiceless."

Boyle served as pastor of Dolores Mission Church from 1986 to 1992, which at the time was the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles. The parish's surrounding neighborhoods also had the highest concentration of gang activity, which peaked in 1992 with 1,000 gang-related killings.

In 1988, Boyle and the parish launched the Jobs for a Future employment program that later grew into Homeboy Industries, which employs and trains former gang members in a range of social enterprises. The nonprofit provides a comprehensive list of services-including education, mental health counseling, tattoo removal, legal support, and job training-to thousands of individuals who are looking to transform their lives.

"These programs reflect Father Boyle's guiding philosophy that meaningful employment and community support can interrupt cycles of violence and incarceration," CSU Trustee Larry Adamson said in introducing Boyle. "His mission closely aligns with the values of Cal State LA, particularly its commitment to educational access, equality, and community transformation. Together, they exemplify how higher education institutions and community-based organizations can collaborate to advance justice and opportunity for justice-impacted individuals."

Homeboy Industries annually serves 10,000 individuals from Los Angeles. Gang activity in the area has decreased significantly over its nearly four decades of services.

Its impact has spread internationally. The Global Homeboy Network consisting of likeminded organizations includes chapters across the United States, as well as Mexico and Central America, Canada, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, and South Africa.

Boyle is the author of the 2010 New York Times bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. He also penned Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship (2017), The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness (2021), and Cherished Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times (2024).

Boyle is a California Peace Prize recipient and a California Hall of Fame inductee. President Barack Obama named him a "Champion of Change" in 2014. The University of Notre Dame bestowed on him the 2017 Laetare Medal, the oldest honor given to American Catholics. In 2024, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honor.

"The Class of 2026 already knows to brace itself because the world will accuse you of wasting your time at the margins," Boyle said in concluding his speech. "But the prophet Jeremiah writes, 'For in this place in which you say it is a waste, there will be heard again the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voices of those who sing.' Class of 2026, you will go from here and other voices will get heard because of you. Thank you for that."

Homeboy Industries was the recipient of the 2020 Hilton Humanitarian Prize.

Commencement will celebrate more than 6,000 graduates over nine ceremonies, with three ceremonies each from Monday, May 18, to Wednesday, May 20.

Billie Jean King, arguably Cal State LA's most famous alumna, will receive her Bachelor of Arts in History during the 5 p.m. ceremony on Monday. The 82-year-old tennis great and equality champion began her undergraduate studies in 1961 but left the university before completing her degree to concentrate on her professional tennis career.

Attorney and civic leader Omel Nieves will receive an Honorary Doctor of Law during the 1 p.m. ceremony on Wednesday for more than 35 years of leadership in the legal profession, commitment to student success, and enduring impact on communities across the San Gabriel Valley and beyond. He also serves as board president of the Cal State LA Foundation.

At the 5 p.m. ceremony on Wednesday, Capri Maddox, executive director of the Los Angeles Civil Rights Department and a double alumna of Cal State LA, will be honored with the Presidential Award.

California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 22,000 students and has more than 260,000 distinguished alumni.