Stanford’s Black Alumni Create HBCU-Style Homecoming

Stanford University’s Black alumni gathered during reunion weekend to create their own HBCU-inspired experience at the esteemed institution.

The school organized events throughout the weekend that celebrated and connected Black alumni and current students. Among the reunion weekend events included the “Black Plaza” mixer, The Multicultural Alumni Hall of Fame event, and events held by the BCSC and Stanford National Black Alumni Association (SNBAA), which all took place on Oct. 25.

The next day, a house party hosted by SNBAA and the BCSC took place at the Black House (BCSC). Alumni also took part in a more intimate reunion at Ujamaa, Stanford’s Black theme dorm where former Uj residents had the chance to visit their old rooms, reminisce, and connect with current students living in the dorm.

Kim Mitchell, from the class of ’89, returned for her 35th-year class reunion and praised the reunion weekend as being “really powerful” for how it allows alumni and current students to create an experience similar to the homecomings at Historically Black College or University (HBCU) reunions.

“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, it’s the same things that I love about having our Black community Stanford reunion,” Mitchell said.

“I really feel like we re-created the HBCU experience for ourselves at a predominantly white institution, which is kind of cool to think about.”

Ahead of reunion weekend, the Department of African and African American Studies (DAAAS) hosted a homecoming panel where Black alumni returned to share their experiences pursuing an AAAS degree at Stanford in light of the recent opening of the African and African American Studies department in January.

“I kinda got pulled into some of the [AAAS] classes… then next thing you know I’m standing across that stage with a degree in my hand,” Shamika Klassen, class of 2011, said about her experience as a freshman trying to pursue a STEM degree. “I think that through this program, I was able to find parts of myself that I didn’t realize were lost, or that needed nurturing and cultivation.”

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