Black, Bold, and Beyond

Begin With History and Understanding of the Institution When developing a Black alumni association at an HWCU, its vision, mission, priorities, and related agenda must begin first and foremost with an honest understanding of the school’s history, original purpose and current culture, i.e., by recalling the HWCUs’ initial and current raison d’etre. For example, beginning with Harvard’s founding in 1636 and subsequently the other original Ivy League institutions, HWCUs were created largely to educate White male students who would occupy professional positions of leadership and influence to run America. These institutions were deeply shaped by -- and often actively reinforced --- systems of racial exclusion, White supremacy, male privilege and social hierarchy. Mired in White, male, racist, patriarchy, it was centuries before the initial HWCUs admitted a pittance of women and “students of color.” Most importantly, in terms of a Black alumni association from an HWCU, it must never be forgotten that, as of 2026, there is no HWCU that has a satisfactory record of [1] enrolling and graduating Black students; [2] hiring and promoting Black staff, faculty and administrators; [3] maintaining a campus climate that is truly inclusive; [4] providing Black owned and operated businesses with contracts; and [5] being adequately supportive of the Black local community. Today, spurred by actions and positions of the President of the United States (POTUS), the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), elected government officials and other influential forces, many HWCUs are retreating rapidly and, in some cases, dramatically from initiatives associated with diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice! This current political moment makes it even more important for Black alumni to be WOKE -informed vigilant, engaged and prepared to act. Being a Black graduate of an HWCU does not mean you must automatically embrace your alma mater’s traditional culture, traditions, policies and practices. Doing so, without examination, would be comparable to a Black American embracing America’s history and traditions simply because they have benefited from being American. Benefiting from an institution does not require you to suspend or abdicate your responsibility to challenge that institution. Given the history and current circumstances of HWCUs, their Black alumni associations cannot simply be viewed as a social organization, a fundraising vehicle, or a mechanism for maintaining ties to one’s ala mater. They must also be understood as instruments of institutional accountability, advocacy, engagement, and change. Thus, for example, as in the case of the University of Pittsburgh’s Blue and Gold colors chosen to identify its history, founders, traditions and community spirit, Black alumni cannot simply be Blue and Gold. To remain mission oriented, Pitt Black Alumni must be Blue, Gold and Black. Our educational success and degrees from HWCUs might connect us to these institutions, but they do not obligate us to be silent about these institutions’ shortcomings.

An Agenda for HWCUs Black Alumni Organizations As noted above, as of 2026, no HWCU can claim a satisfactory record in enrolling and graduating Black students; recruiting, retaining, and advancing Black faculty, staff, and administrators; creating a genuinely inclusive campus climate; providing meaningful contracting opportunities for Black-owned businesses; and supporting the Black communities in which these institutions are located. The foregoing realities should not discourage Black alumni; they should help clarify their purpose. The question is not simply whether HWCUs have made progress—many have—but whether that progress is sufficient and whether institutional commitments are producing measurable, sustainable outcomes. Our experiences suggest that Black alumni organizations can play a critical role in making that happen. But doing so requires moving beyond traditional alumni engagement to embrace our collective responsibility, influence, and power. The following, then, is an agenda for a WOKE Black alumni organization at an HWCU.  Black Students: Access, Success and Support: The WOKE Black Alumni Association should make the enrollment, retention, support, and graduation of Black students a central priority. It should demand that the institution establish and sustain meaningful strategies, at every level of the institution, to ensure this is done.

Black student enrollment and graduation rates should meet or exceed the institutional overall performance, with particular attention to fields in which Black students remain significantly underrepresented and in which society and Black communities in particular have an urgent need for highly skilled and educated professionals including a deliberate emphasis on science, technology, health, business, engineering, and other fields that advance pathways to economic mobility , leadership, and community advancement. Access without graduation is not success. Enrollment without opportunity is not equality.

Black alumni must also welcome and support incoming students and their families. For many, attending an HWCU brings both opportunity and uncertainty. Alumni should provide a simple assurance: “You belong here. We have been here. We succeeded here. And we are here for you.” The Pitt AAAC put this principle into practice through “Welcome Students to Pitt,” e.g., hosted gatherings at alumni homes where incoming Black students and their families could meet successful Black alumni; hear their experiences; and gain confidence that they could thrive at Pitt. Just as importantly, these gatherings gave parents and family members an opportunity to meet Black alumni, ask questions, share their concerns, and develop confidence that their children would not be navigating the university experience alone The AAAC reinforced student and family support through Student, Parent, and Family Dialogues during the first semester, bringing together Black university administrators, faculty, staff, alumni, students, and families. University officials presented available resources and provided direct contact information, while alumni offered mentorship, encouragement, and personal assurance that students had a community behind them. A WOKE Black alumni association should make the foregoing kind of intergenerational support an ongoing commitment—helping students navigate the institution, build networks, access resources, persist, graduate, and ultimately become the next generation of alumni who support those who follow.  Campus Climate of Belonging: Black students, faculty, administrators and alumni must experience a campus community where they believe they belong and are respected, valued, safe, protected and genuinely included. Black alumni organizations must keep a monitoring eye on campus life and advocate for meaningful mechanisms to identify and address racism discrimination, racial hostility, inequitable treatment and other barriers to acceptance and belonging.

An institution’s commitment to Black students and staff cannot be measured by its glitzy brochures, glossy websites, flashy social media graphics, doldrum mission statement or public pronouncements. It must be measured by lived experiences.

Black Faculty, Staff and Administrators: A WOKE Black alumni organization should insist and deploy every reasonable effort to insure HWCUs make the recruitment, hiring, retention, development advancement and promotion of a significant numbers of Black faculty, staff and administrators throughout the institution a sustained institutional priority—not simply an aspirational goal.

Representation must extend well beyond entry-level and support positions. Black professionals must be meaningfully represented and present across the HWCUs and critically involved in senior level academic, administrative, executive and governance decision-making roles where institutional policies, budgets, and priorities are developed and resources are allocated. The issue is not simply how many Black employees an institution hires, but where they are positioned, whether they advance, how long they remain, and whether they have meaningful authority and influence. Accordingly, HWCUs should regularly examine recruitment, retention, promotion, compensation, turnover, and leadership data by race and make the results transparent.

Particular attention should be given to the institutional pipeline. HWCUs must develop intentional strategies to identify and cultivate Black talent for leadership, provide meaningful professional development and mentoring, and eliminate barriers that impede advancement. Black faculty and administrators should not be expected to carry disproportionate responsibility for diversity and inclusion while simultaneously having limited authority to influence institutional decisions. Ultimately, representation must be about more than being in the room. It must be about having a meaningful voice, authority, and influence in the room.

 Scholarship and Teaching Related to the African Diaspora: As with other DEI initiatives, on many HWCU campuses, Black/Africana Studies scholarship is increasingly under attack and vulnerable to institutional retrenchment and or elimination. The appropriate response for HWCUs should be the opposite: expansion, investment, and institutionalization. At a time when some elected officials and policymakers are seeking to restrict, distort and erase the teaching of Black History and the broader American experience, HWCUs should lead – not retreat. HWCUs should be places where difficult history is studied honestly; rigorous scholarship is protected; and students are equipped to understand both America’s promise and its contradictions. It is a special time for HWCUs to lead given the fact that some government officials are aggressively attacking the study of the Black experience prior to college.  Contracts with Black Owned and Operated Businesses: HWCUs are, among other things, multi-billion-dollar industries. That economic power should be used intentionally. Black alumni groups should demand transparency regarding institutional procurement and advocate for meaningful opportunities for Black-owned and operated businesses to compete for HWCUs contracts. The question alumni should ask is not how much the University spends, but rather who benefits from the spending.

 Formal Engagements with the Local Black Community: Black alumni organizations should advocate for meaningful, sustained relationships between the HWCUs and the surrounding Black communities. This should include partnerships involving education, health, economic development, workforce development, entrepreneurship, research, cultural programming, and civic engagement. The relationships should be reciprocal—not ones in which the HWCU simply enters the community when it needs something.

 Recognize, Honor and Preserve the Legacy of Black Alumni: HWCUs should intentionally identify, celebrate, document, and honor the accomplishments of their Black alumni as an essential part of the institution’s legacy. Black alumni should not be recognized only when the institution wants a donor, a speaker, or a distinguished name for a university program. Their achievements, leadership, scholarship, service struggles, and contributions to their communities and larger society should be consistently acknowledged; incorporated into the institution’s broader historical narrative; and publicly preserved as an essential part of the HWCUs’ story.

The Pitt AAAC established the Pitt Distinguished African American Alumni Awards to recognize Black Pitt alumni who distinguished themselves through professional achievement, community leadership, and contributions to the larger society. The AAAC also created the Sankofa Award to honor members of the University community who have demonstrated outstanding support and service to students of African descent. In addition, the Rising African American Leaders Awards recognize Pitt Black alumni under age 40 for professional achievement and community service, intentionally celebrating the next generation of leaders.

Recognition should extend beyond awards. HWCUs should preserve Black alumni history through archives, exhibits, oral histories, publications, digital storytelling, named spaces, lectureships, and other permanent forms of institutional memory. Particular attention should be given to alumni whose accomplishments and contributions might have been overlooked or inadequately documented.

The AAAC, for example, partnered with the University to produce the first Blue, Gold and Black publications—a reflection of the Black Pitt experience designed to document, celebrate, and preserve the history and accomplishments of Black people at Pitt. The publications were mailed to hundreds of Black alumni and served to reconnect them to the University.

Related to the foregoing, the Pitt AAAC worked with the University administration to produce two documentaries that archived the achievements of black alumni. Together, the [1] “Blue, Gold and Black: From Uprising to Still Rising” and [2] “Blue, Gold and Black: Doorway to Distinction” works documented the Black Pitt journey—from the 1969 Computer Center takeover and the activism that followed to the matriculation, professional achievements, and contributions of generations of distinguished Black Pitt alumni. They captured not only what these alumni accomplished at Pitt, but also how they carried their education, experiences, and leadership into their professions, communities, and the broader society.

Honoring Black alumni also means telling the full story—including the struggles, barriers, activism, and sacrifices that often accompanied their achievements. The first Black students, faculty, graduates, pioneers, activists, entrepreneurs, scholars, and community leaders should be recognized as integral to the university’s history, not as footnotes to the institution. HWCUs should therefore ask not simply, “Who are our distinguished Black alumni?” but also, “Whose stories have we failed to tell, and whose contributions must we preserve?” To honor Black alumni is to honor an essential part of the institution itself—and to ensure that future generations understand that Black achievement is not an exception to the university’s history; it is part of its history.

The foregoing initiatives demonstrate that honoring Black alumni is about more than awards. It is also about codifying and authenticating the journey, preserving the history, celebrating achievement, and ensuring that the Black experience is permanently woven into the institution’s story. Most of all, these types of recognitions serve a purpose beyond honoring individuals. They document Black achievement, reinforce a sense of belonging, and provide current and prospective Black students with visible evidence of what is possible.

 Develop Both An Organization formally Associated with the HWCU as well as a Private Outside Entity: Black alumni should consider developing both an organization formally affiliated with the given HWCU and an independent organization capable of operating outside the HWCU’s institutional structure. These organizations can serve complementary purposes. An institutionally affiliated organization can provide access, relationships, collaboration, and opportunities for engagement with HWCUs leadership. An independent organization can provide greater freedom to advocate, organize, conduct research, raise funds, speak candidly, and hold the institution accountable when necessary. Engagement and independence are not mutually exclusive. In many circumstances, both are necessary.

 Truth, Reconciliation, and Healing: Reconnecting Black alumni to an HWCU requires more than invitations to reunions, homecomings, parties or requests for financial support. It requires truth, acknowledgment, and healing. The Pitt AAAC understood that restoring the breach required healing long-festering wounds, and it learned the importance of alumni truth and reconciliation through its geographical Summits, modeled in part on the principles of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation process. At the first Summit in Baltimore in January 2006, Black alumni spent nearly four hours sharing painful and often deeply personal experiences with Pitt. Nearly everyone in the room had a story. For approximately four hours, person after person shared deeply personal accounts of their experiences at Pitt. Some were painful. Some were angry. Some were heartbreaking. But collectively, the stories created something transformative.

It was a “eureka moment” that demonstrated that truth-telling was essential to reconciliation, reconnection, and rebuilding trust. We understood immediately that truth-telling was not a peripheral or outlier off the agenda activity. It was foundational to reconciliation, reconnection, and organizational development. From that point forward, we understood that the organization could not effectively proceed without creating opportunities for Black alumni to tell their stories and for the institution to hear them. Subsequently, sessions were held in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Washington, DC.

People could not—and would not—commit themselves fully to becoming active members of the University alumni community until their experiences had been acknowledged. But truth-telling, by itself, is not enough. At some point, institutions must listen, acknowledge, and respond.

The AAAC Summits led to the “Chancellor Connection,” through which the Chancellor met with Black alumni around the country to share University developments and, more importantly, listened to their experiences, concerns, and recommendations. The relationship was reciprocated: the Chancellor also encountered successful Black Pitt alumni who had used their education to become influential leaders and strengthened their communities. These encounters demonstrated that Pitt’s impact extended far beyond rankings and institutional accomplishments—it was also significantly reflected in the lives and leadership of its Black graduates.

The “Chancellor Connection” helped rebuild trust and re-engage alumni who had become distant from the University. One alumnus who had vowed never to support Pitt ultimately put aside his grievance; became active in the Black alumni association; and eventually served as its President.

The lesson is clear: truth-telling can lead to institutional listening; listening can build trust; and trust can lead to reconnection and meaningful engagement. Reconciliation is not forgetting, surrender, or forgiveness demanded by the institution. It is the possibility of moving forward after the truth has been confronted. For that to occur, senior university leaders must be willing to listen, acknowledge the past, accept responsibility and be part of the process. HWCUs cannot ask Black alumni to reconcile with their institutions without first demonstrating a willingness to confront their own history.

 From Reconciliation to Responsibility The process of truth and reconciliation ultimately helped Black alumni understand an important distinction. Yes, they had achieved something significant by graduating from Pitt. Their degrees represented individual accomplishment and, for many, a pathway to personal and professional advancement. But individual advancement was never the whole story. The pursuit of freedom, justice, and equality required that we “lift as we climb.” That meant remaining informed about the University’s major initiatives, policies, investments, leadership decisions, and priorities. It meant understanding that the mission of a Black alumni organization is not simply to maintain friendships, attend football games, wear school colors, participate in homecoming, or raise money for the institution.

 THE EPILOGUE We conclude our recommendations for a WOKE Black alumni organization by stressing not only matters related to reconciliation and truth but also that a WOKE Black alumni association must be an activist organization committed to equity, opportunity, accountability, and social justice. It must never lose its way by, for example, allowing an HWCU’s athletic success—its win-loss records, conference championships, bowl games, dynamic homecomings or other institutional triumphs, —to overshadow issues such as persistently unacceptable Black student graduation rates, inadequate Black faculty representation, inequitable procurement practices, or a hostile campus climate. We should celebrate the HCWUs’ victories without allowing those victories to distract us from its unfinished work. Black alumni cannot afford to get “lost in the sauce” or lost in a false paradise when they become enamored with the accoutrements of institutionally sponsored fine-dining events, gala receptions, luxury venues, and fundraising celebrations while failing to ask whether adequate resources are being raised for scholarships designated specifically to support Black students. There is a profound difference between being “the spook who sat by the door” and being a WOKE Black alumnus who takes a consequential seat at the table. The former may provide proximity to power. The latter uses that seat to exercise power; ask difficult questions; advocate for those who have less power; and insist that the institution live up to its highest ideals. That is the difference between being present and being purposeful. And that is the difference between being merely an alumnus of an HWCU and being a WOKE Black alumnus. In sum, our fundamental charge to Black Alumni Associations from HWCUs is as the distinguished Congressman John Lewis urged, “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America!”

Linda Wharton Boyd

Former President, University of Pittsburgh African American Alumni Council

Jack L. Daniel

Co-founder, Freed Panther Society Contributor, Pittsburgh Urban Media Author, Negotiating a Historically White University While Black August 26, 2026