On Thursday, May 30, the Black Community Initiatives (BCI) hosted the first-ever Black communities end-of-year celebration. The event was hosted in collaboration with the Black Student Alliance (BSA), African Student Union (ASU), the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Black at DU and the Black Alumni Affinity Network (BAA).

The celebration was open to any community member to join in the festivities to reflect and honor the large diaspora of African culture. 

John Miller IV, the associate director of BCI, highlighted the importance of the celebration.

“This is something that, since I got here — I’ve been here for a little over a year and a half — that I wanted to happen. I wanted to see us come together at the end of the year. Particularly thinking about the experiences Black folks have on campus, this can be a challenging place for folks that are trying to find Black community and Denver can [also] be a challenging place for people trying to find Black community and educate themselves on Black community as well,” said Miller. 

BCI’s main goal this year was community engagement to spread the word about the initiative and solidify its presence on campus. To achieve their goal, BCI has hosted programs all year for faculty, staff, and undergraduate and graduate students, beginning with the annual Welcome Black Cookout at the start of the fall quarter. 

Other notable events included January’s programs to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and 14 programs during Black History Month. The end-of-year celebration was the tail-end event to bring to an end an impressive year. 

“Having ‘communities’ was very intentional. There is not one Black community. We are so multidimensional, we have so many ways of existing and being and taking up space and [are] from so many different places. Particularly here, we have a large population of people who are actually from the diaspora. So what does it look like to say we are the Black communities and the ways we can come together under the umbrella of Black communities is what speaks to my heart,” said Miller.

African Student Union president, Kutlo Mmereki, a fourth-year majoring in marketing, spoke on the importance of the event especially at a place like DU, a predominantly white institution.   

“DU often has an idea of diversity and it is often just being seen and never being heard, or respected or being needed in that space. I often think Black folks get pushed to the side because we are often seen as unkept or that wild population in which DU does not know how to deal with its own guilt and how its played in systematically harming Black people in this space,” said Mmereki. 

The event commenced with a welcome from Zakiya Markland, an Assistant Director for Volunteer Networks at DU. Markland incorporated the call and response, ago and ame, which originates from the Twi language in West Africa. 

‘Ago’ is the call for attention, with ‘ame’ being the response that acknowledges one’s willingness to listen. The call and response led by Markland was the start of many ways BCI would honor the many cultures of the African diaspora at the event.

After the call and response, Markland asked the permission of the elders to commence the event. Those who had more than 10 years of experience or relation with DU were asked to raise their hand. An elder with 13 years of experience granted permission.

Following Markland, Lexus Vann led the land and labor acknowledgments at the event. After, Miller led the group through groundings and libations. Miller also honored the community’s ancestors and brought people in, a way to recognize the people who made significant strides to enable the present generation to be where they are today.

After Miller, Dr. Chris Whitt, Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, gave a special welcome and emphasized the presence of the Black community to take up space and embrace the legacy that is being made. 

After the special welcome, first-generation and international graduate student, Kadijha Kuanda, gave her student reflection and discussed the challenges of pursuing higher education. Kuanda gave thanks to the community and emphasized the need for representation. She also gave appreciation to the students and faculty marshals who participated in the pro-Palestine encampment on campus.

“Why is this important? Because Palestinian liberation is directly connected to Black liberation,” said Kuanda. 

After Kuanda’s speech, Miller went back to the podium and shared a unique clap with the group. Miller then shared a review of BCI’s progress this year. The review came to a close with the revelation that there will be a Black Affinity floor on the first floor of Johnson-McFarlane Hall next year. The hall will host 14 students who will take a class cross-listed with the Critical Race and Ethnic Studies department (CRES), participate in a jengaship, an Africanized version of mentorship and present a final project at the end of the year on public scholarship. 

Following Miller’s review, Sophia Holt shared a screening of her upcoming film. Holt is a third-year film and English major and president of the Black Student Alliance. Her script was one of three to be adapted into a movie in her capstone class and is the biggest project of her career thus far. 

“The film is about a Black Student Union being formed in the 1970s, which is a very tumultuous and intense political time in American history, especially for the Black community… We’ve been trying to generate that hype within the Black community. It’s for everyone, but because it’s about this specific topic, that’s something we don’t really see that often anyways — is Black people on screen and behind the camera,” said Holt.

The film will be screened on June 13 in the Davis Auditorium at Sturm Hall. 

The final portion of the event included alumni speaker Daniel Byrd who graduated from the Daniels College of Business in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in real estate finance. There was also a recognition for all graduating students to go to the front of the room and receive a wooden bead from alumni.

The event not only marked a historic first for the campus, but also laid a strong foundation for future gatherings that will continue to honor and uplift the Black community. The presence of notable alumna, Grace Mabel Andrews, the first Black woman to graduate from DU in 1908, was felt throughout the entire event. This celebration was not just an end-of-year event, it was the beginning of a new tradition that promises to grow stronger throughout the years.