The following story originally appeared as an online exclusive on the W&M Alumni Magazine website. – Ed.

The William & Mary Alumni Association will honor award-winning writer and director Cord Jefferson ’04 as this year’s Homecoming & Reunion Weekend grand marshal. He will lead the Homecoming Parade on Friday, Oct. 18, then share his insights in the Presidential Conversation on Saturday morning, Oct. 19. He also will be honored on the field at halftime during the Homecoming game on Saturday afternoon.

“Cord Jefferson entertains, inspires and provokes through his art, and the world is taking notice. We are proud to recognize Cord Jefferson’s accomplishments with the title of grand marshal, especially as we continue our celebration of the Year of the Arts,” said Matthew “Matt” L. Brandon ’92, CEO of the W&M Alumni Association. “We greatly appreciate Cord coming back to celebrate Homecoming & Reunion Weekend with his William & Mary family.”

In 2023, Jefferson made his directorial debut with the film “American Fiction,” which won him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He has also written for TV shows such as “Master of None,” “The Good Place,” “Station Eleven” and “Watchmen,” for which he won an Emmy Award along with show creator Damon Lindelof in 2020.

In a special opportunity for W&M students, Jefferson will host a screening of “American Fiction” with a Q&A while on campus. He is also celebrating his 20th reunion with the Class of 2004 this year.

“Homecoming was always one of the most memorable times of year when I was a student at William & Mary, a moment to enjoy the abiding traditions and friendships that help decorate our alma mater’s rich history,” says Jefferson. “I’m honored to be returning as grand marshal on the 20th anniversary of my graduation. I look forward to catching up with old friends and making new ones at the planned events, or whilst waiting in line for a Wawa sub at 2:30 in the morning.”

As a biracial youth who grew up in a mostly white suburb of Tucson, Arizona, Jefferson became a sociology major at William & Mary to help make sense of the world. He learned of William & Mary through his father, Wilson C. “Jeff” Jefferson Jr. J.D. ’72, who was the second Black graduate of W&M Law School. As a student, Cord Jefferson delved into topics of women’s history, immigration, criminal justice and the politics of being Black in America. He continued exploring those themes as a journalist in Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C. 

He got a big break in 2013 when MSNBC’s “All In” host, Chris Hayes, invited him on the show after reading a column Jefferson had written as West Coast editor of Gawker. That appearance led to an opportunity to write for the TV show “Survivor’s Remorse,” followed by “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore” and others. In 2022, The Yale Review published his first piece of short fiction, “The Front House,” which was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Jefferson pays it forward through the Susan M. Haas Fellowship — founded in honor of his late mother — to help unemployed or underemployed journalists break into television. Read more about his career in “Art Mirrors Life” from the W&M Alumni Magazine.

In March 2024, he returned to William & Mary for the Ampersand International Arts Festival. During a discussion moderated by filmmaker and W&M Alumni Association board member Milan Chakraborty ’00, Jefferson shared his advice for those pursuing a career in the arts: Keep creating work that you’re proud of and don’t let rejection get you down. Read more in “Truth and ‘Fiction’” from the W&M Alumni Magazine.

He will discuss similar themes during Homecoming’s Presidential Conversation with W&M President Katherine A. Rowe. As William & Mary continues its celebration of the Year of the Arts, they will explore how entrepreneurial thinking — including creativity and openness to risk — defined Jefferson’s journey from William & Mary to the entertainment industry.

Register online for Homecoming & Reunion Weekend events through Oct. 10. On-site registration will also be available, but online registration is recommended to reserve your space.