A civil rights trailblazer and longtime congressman, John Lewis needs no introduction. But he’ll receive two within a week at Boston commencement ceremonies.

On Sunday, Lewis, a Georgia Democrat, was the headline speaker at Boston University’s graduation, weaving stories of his first encounter with Martin Luther King Jr. and of the blood he shed in Selma, Ala., while urging graduates to get into “good trouble’’ by taking action when they see injustice.

On Thursday, Lewis will deliver a second commencement address, just across the Charles River at Harvard University — a school not accustomed to being second.

Brian Palmer, president of the Illinois-based National Speakers Bureau, said he had never seen a similar situation, with two prominent schools in the same area hosting the same commencement speaker only days apart.

“I would bet cash money somebody said, ‘Oh [expletive]!’ when they learned this was occurring,’’ he said.

Harvard was the first to announce Lewis as a 2018 graduation speaker, on Feb. 28. Boston University invited Lewis to be its speaker in September, and Lewis accepted, BU spokesman Colin Riley said. But his appearance was kept under wraps until the annual senior class breakfast in early May, when the university traditionally announces its commencement speakers.

“He electrified our students and their guests with his message, his courage, his story, and the power of his work, and we’re delighted our friends across the river will share in that, too,’’ Riley said.

Asked whether BU got the better of Harvard by hearing from Lewis first, Riley was diplomatic.

“I’ll just leave it that he resonated and the students were excited and happy to have him,’’ he said.

Palmer said having the same headline speaker is generally only a problem when you’re trying to attract people to a competitive event. In that case, you truly want to avoid it, especially if you wind up going second. But in the case of noncompetitive events such as graduations, the stakes are lower. At least in theory.

“Other than some well-cooked egg on a few faces, I don’t think it’s a big deal,’’ he said.

Lewis was a giant of the civil rights movement, organizing sit-ins to protest segregated lunch counters and volunteering as a freedom rider, risking violence by defying segregation on interstate buses in the South.

He suffered a fractured skull when police attacked peaceful marchers at the Pettus Bridge in Selma in 1965.

Jonah Lefkoe, 22, a rising Harvard senior from Middlebury, Vt., said Tuesday that Lewis “should be speaking at more commencements, if anything.’’

“I think that it’s an honor that he’s here, a foundational civil rights activist, and I think [it] could not be a more powerful statement from the perspective of the Harvard administration about their commitment to the long work of civil rights,’’ he said.

“I wasn’t aware that he was speaking at BU, but I can understand why they would want him to speak, as well, especially with all the principled stances that he’s taken.’’

Harvard declined to answer questions about sharing Lewis with BU. Instead, officials referred to February’s announcement that Lewis would speak at commencement.

“For more than 50 years, John Lewis has dedicated himself to the ideals of equality and decency, standing up for what is right, even when it meant putting himself in harm’s way,’’ said the statement, attributed to university president Drew Faust.

“His public service legacy is unparalleled, and he is an inspiration to me and to countless other people across the United States and around the world.’’

On campus Tuesday, Catherine Hua, 20, a sophomore from New York City, conceded that “maybe they did steal our thunder.’’

“I know he was a very active proponent with civil rights, so he’s very important in that sense, but I don’t know much about him,’’ Hua said as she walked across Harvard Yard with a friend.

“But it’s probably also because he’s not in contemporary media . . . last year’s commencement speaker, Mark Zuckerberg, everybody knows him. So I think maybe this year it has lost that edge.’’

Jake Stone, 21, a rising junior from Lexington, said Lewis’s speech on Thursday will get more media attention than the one at BU, simply “because it’s the Harvard commencement speech.’’

“But I’m sure that he said both great things at BU, and will say great things for Harvard and I think both schools can enjoy his comments,’’ he said.

Lewis’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Mark Arsenault can be reached at mark.arsenault@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @bostonglobemark.