Title:Hoyas celebrate ‘Black Joy’ at Black Alumni Summit

Last November, the Georgetown University Alumni Association’s Black Alumni Council presented the 5th biennial Black Alumni Summit (BAS), an event open to all members of the Georgetown alumni community.

Since 2015, BAS has celebrated the professional and personal achievements of Georgetown’s Black alumni community. This summit asked attendees to reflect on the theme “Black Joy” while also discussing the recent election and the future of the Black community through topics such as finance, technology, leadership, athletics, and health.

The event’s host organization, Black Alumni Council, serves as a university-wide council for all Black alumni across all Georgetown campuses. It was founded through the collaboration of three cornerstone organizations: the leadership from previous summits, the Georgetown University African American Advisory Board, and the Soul Hoya Alumni Group.

Event co-chairs Mannone A. Butler (B’94, L’99) and Eric Woods (B’91) welcomed everyone by saying “never forget the magic that’s present in this room.”

In addition to the panels and discussions, the summit seeks to develop support networks for undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni. Tkeyah Lake (G’16) attended her second summit this year.

“Having attended Georgetown [School of Continuing Studies] as a grad student, it was nice to hear from undergrad alumni who shared the journeys that led them to choose Georgetown,” says Lake. “Despite not having as much time at Georgetown, I felt the impact that our university has left on all of us on a personal and professional level.”

To help attendees stay connected after the summit, the GU Alumni Events app provided a way to opt-in to networking.

“We’re stronger when we’re together,” said Butler in farewell.

See more details and photos from the event >