This weekend, hundreds of Ohio University’s black alumni will return to their former stomping grounds, as Black Alumni Reunion 2013, OU’s largest alumni gathering, kicks off Friday.
The reunion, which runs through Sunday, includes historical photography displays, alumni celebrations, panel discussions and a gala.
About 450 alumni registered for this year’s reunion, said Jennifer Bowie, OU’s executive director of development.
The reunion was held in the spring when OU was on quarters, but the university decided to hold this year’s event in the fall, said OU President Roderick McDavis, hoping it doesn’t affect attendance.
“This is not only a way to host the weekend as president of Ohio University but to participate as a black alum of the university,” said McDavis, a 1970 OU graduate.
The highlights of the weekend for McDavis include reconnecting with former classmates as well as connecting current black students, especially OU’s urban scholars, with black alumni.
OU had eight urban scholars during the 2012-13 academic year, according to a previous Post article, a number lower than the 10 scholarships per year McDavis pledged when he started the scholarship in 2004.
Two fundraisers for the program will be held on Saturday night.
“I am just excited for every (event) this weekend,” said Winsome Chunnu-Brayda, associate director for the Multicultural Center. “I am planning to attend as many as I can.”
Chunnu-Brayda said her favorite part of the weekend is hearing from alumni who describe what Athens was like long before she called it home.
The Multicultural Center is opening an art gallery called “Black Synesthesia” from 5 to 6 p.m. on Saturday in Baker University Center Room 205.
“We encourage faculty who are alums of the university or have worked here a long time, as well as students, to create some kind of show surrounding the weekend or celebrating the work of African-American artists,” said Chunnu-Brayda, who helped organize the show.
About 1,000 black alumni registered for the previous reunion, which was held during the spring of the 2010-11 academic year, McDavis said.
Most of the events are for those that registered, McDavis said, but some are open to the public.
The gala on Saturday evening will honor OU’s black alumni,two of whom will be honored with awards.
Frank Underwood, the first African-American to letter in a varsity sport at OU, will receive an Ebony Bobcat Network alumni award, and Hilda Richards, the first African-American dean at OU in the former College of Health and Human Services, will receive an award from Diversity and Inclusion, according to Jennifer Kirksey, McDavis’ chief of staff.
The weekend will also feature a symposium entitled “The African American Student Experience Through the Decades” from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday in Alden Library.
“I’m just excited about it, looking forward to it,” McDavis said. “(I) hope it will be a joyous occasion for all.”
—Emily Bamforth contributed to this report.
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@WillDrabold
