Award-Winning Actress From ‘Law & Order’ Donates $1M Gift To Alabama’s Oldest HBCU

The actress announced her donation while delivering her keynote speech during commencement.

Award-winning “Law & Order” actress S. Epatha Merkerson has donated $1 million to Talladega College.

The Emmy winner, who played Lt. Anita Van Buren on the police drama, was also the keynote speaker at the HBCU’s commencement ceremony on May 4. She encouraged students to embrace this next chapter and move forward with the lessons gained from their time at Talladega.

Receiving her honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at the event, Merkerson surprised graduates and the school’s supporters with the heartwarming news. She told news stations of the importance of giving back while noting the immediate warmth she felt upon stepping onto the HBCU campus.

“It’s important to give back,” she told WRBC6 following the graduation. “I have had a lot of luck in my career, and I came down here and met some wonderful people who embraced me immediately. I felt at home, and I love what this college has done over 150 years.”

Merkerson is an acclaimed screen and stage actress, earning four NAACP Image Awards and a Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe Award. She also received two Tony Award nominations for her performance in the theater.

The “Law & Order” actress played on the procedural from 1993 to 2010, continuing her career with a starring role in NBC’s “Chicago Med.” The college also detailed her humanitarianism, as she advocates for diabetes awareness, cancer prevention, tobacco-free initiatives, and the upliftment of young women through multiple nonprofits.

Merkerson’s philanthropy will now support the school as it enters a new era for its community. Talladega also recently announced its new president, Willie L. Todd Jr., who will lead the school as it advances its scholarship.

Talladega’s Board of Trustees also expressed its gratitude for Merkerson’s generosity. The board’s chair, Rica Lewis-Payton, called the funding a “powerful example” that will impact the next generation of leaders.

“This transformative gift from S. Epatha Merkerson sets a powerful example of philanthropy and will have a profound impact on Talladega College. It ensures that this institution remains a beacon of light in the community that fosters the development of future leaders for generations to come,” said Lewis-Payton, as reported by ABC3340. “We are privileged to have generous friends and donors, such as Ms. Merkerson, who believe in the mission of our historic institution and who are willing to invest in its future.”