by Jeroslyn JoVonn
November 2, 2024
Stanford University graduates are turning their reunion weekend into an HBCU-inspired event.
Stanford University's Black alumni gathered over Reunion Weekend to create their own HBCU-inspired experience at the prestigious institution.
The school hosted events throughout the weekend celebrating and connecting Black alumni and current students. Reunion weekend events included the Black Plaza mixer, The Multicultural Alumni Hall of Fame event, and BCSC and Stanford National Black Alumni Association (SNBAA) events, all held on October 25.
The next day, a house party hosted by the SNBAA and BCSC was held at the Black House (BCSC). Alumni also attended a more intimate gathering at Ujamaa, Stanford's black-style residence hall, where former UJ residents had the opportunity to tour their old rooms, reminisce, and interact with current students living in the residence hall.
Kim Mitchell, Class of 1989, returned for her 35th year reunion and praised the reunion weekend as “really powerful” as it allows alumni and current students to create an experience similar to the homecomings at the University's Historically Black College reunion (HBCU).
“I often hear people talk about homecoming at HBCUs and how great they are, and when I look at some of the things they love about HBCU homecomings, they are the same things I love about the reunification of our Black community at Stanford love,” Mitchell said.
“I really feel like we recreated the HBCU experience for ourselves at a predominantly white institution, which is kind of cool when you think about it.”
Prior to Reunion Weekend, the Department of African and African American Studies (DAAAS) hosted a homecoming panel where Black alumni returned to share their AAAS degree experiences in light of the recent opening of the Department of African and African American Studies in January exchange at Stanford.
“I kind of got sucked into some of it [AAAS] Lectures… and next thing I know, I’m on stage with a degree in hand,” said Shamika Klassen, Class of 2011, about her experience as a freshman who wanted to pursue a STEM degree. “I think that through this program I was able to find parts of myself that I didn’t know were lost or that needed nurturing and cultivation.”
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