The return of Black Alumni Weekend
Black Alumni Yard Party - Photo courtesy of Stephen Robertson
By Janay Jeans
December 11, 2021
Homecoming, the most exciting and memorable reunion of collegiate life.
As colleges and universities step into a new normal, homecoming is one of the most anticipated events to make its return during this time of uncertainty.
The Memphis State Black Alumni Weekend
Black Alumni Weekend, coordinated and managed by the Black Alumni Weekend Committee and the MSUofM Booster Club, is a haven within a weekend lineup of events for the Black alumni at the University of Memphis that occurs during the university’s homecoming weekend.
This annual celebration responded to the need of gathering a team of individuals for cultivating an atmosphere that highlighted Black culture, the foundation that has driven Memphis city’s progression. Each year, the Black Alumni Weekend’s calendar of events provides opportunities for alumni to network, celebrate, honor, and appreciate the success and community of the University of Memphis Black alumni.
The 2021 Black Alumni Weekend
Black Alumni Yard Party - Photo courtesy of Stephen Robertson
After the pandemic hit in 2020 and public gatherings were shut down, homecoming was no longer an option, postponing the alumni reunion and restricting recent graduates from their first experience of the memorable post-graduate celebration.
This year’s Black Alumni Weekend featured many events and expos from Thursday, November 4, to Sunday, November 7.
The weekend’s event lineup included the Black & Blue Business Expo, The Black Alumni Gala coordinated by Cynthia Daniels, the Black Alumni Yard Party, the Pregame Pull-Up, L.O.F.T. (Live Only For Tonight), the Afterset, The Black Alumni Tailgate, The Tiger Walk (Bar Crawl), Forever Young, Throwback Throwdown, The Black Brunch Expo and Visuals & Vibes V By: Chassidy Jade.
In addition to the events, the MSUofM Booster Club secured the Central Station Hotel, located near the South Main District of Downtown Memphis, as the host hotel for attendees who traveled for the weekend’s festivities and engaged in the city’s atmosphere.
The Inception
Black Alumni Tailgate - Photo courtesy of Stephen Robertson
The University of Memphis Black Alumni Weekend was originated by Stephen Robertson and Kenny Fleming.
Robertson, a 2017 graduate of the University of Memphis and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, said after viewing the homecoming efforts of alumni, he brainstormed and brought his ideas to alumni committee members Kenny Fleming and Tim Jordan.
“I met with Kenny first, we had a meeting, I just told him all the great ideas that I was having, he gave me some of his ideas,” said Robertson. “And me and Kenny, we birthed Black Alumni Weekend.”
After additional meetings were conducted, including Robertson’s meeting with Cortez Moss, a member of the Xi Zeta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated at the university, the annual Black Alumni Weekend debuted in 2018.
“Just kind of took a bunch of events that people were already going to and loved by one or some of our alumni, or just like an event that our young black professional crowd went to,” Robertson said. “So, I just put them together and it turned out to be golden.”
Robertson discussed the significance of creating a space for African Americans at the university and in the community, and how there has been a lack of similar celebratory opportunities and experiences.
“We gotta look on the outside of how like, like the community, people who probably never even seen the school, but they are from the city, and how they put on for the school, and support the sports teams and just support everything Memphis,” Robertson said. “And they don’t really give anything back to them as far as experience, so that’s kind of why I started Black Alumni Weekend, just wanted to make sure that I at least got a space for us.”
The Coordination During a Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic added challenges to the planning of various events and celebrations. After the world shut down in the previous year, virtual events and social distancing were still prominent at the start of 2021 and vaccinations were introduced.
Robertson said the biggest challenge was coordinating after building much momentum for the annual weekend before the pandemic, to being faced with many restrictions this year after the outbreak appeared.
Cynthia Daniels, the event coordinator for the Black Alumni Homecoming Gala, said she was fortunate to have been chosen by the Black Alumni committee for coordinating the event.
The Black Alumni Homecoming Gala was a formal event that featured the gala, awards and an afterparty at the University Center Ballroom on November 4.
As they started the planning process in March, the coronavirus pandemic and the national and local health regulations were altered monthly, consistently modifying the planning process.
During that time, with mask requirements and the COVID-19 vaccination rollout, Daniels said they were not able to have a dance floor, and they faced maximum capacity restraints.
In the summer of 2021, after the number of vaccinations increased and mask requirements were lifted, the Delta variant emerged.
The FDA did not authorize boosters of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for adults until November 19, according to CNN.
“It was a lot of back and forth and I will say, by the time November came, that we were actually still allowed to have the dance floor, still some social distancing but not as restricted as when we first started this process,” Daniels said. “We were still able to have it, people were safe, everybody still wore masks if they weren’t eating, and we were still able to have a really good time, overall.”
The Alumni Experience
Black Alumni Tailgate - Photo courtesy of Stephen Robertson
Robertson said he was overwhelmed by the growth he has seen during Black Alumni Weekend, after fearing less attendance at their events because of the pandemic.
“It felt like we’re back and things are starting to pick up again, because the love and the energy was overwhelming,” Robertson said. “It really was, I felt like a lot of people were actually excited to be around each other, especially because it had been so long.”
“And it’s crazy because it’s really still growing so much, like so many people don’t know about it, but so many people do and sometimes it’s overwhelming,” Robertson said.
Nikki Butler, a 2000 University of Memphis graduate, attended the Black Alumni Tailgate event for the first time and said it was a great experience and displayed an increase in inclusion.
“I thought it was a very awesome experience, it made you feel like the school was becoming more inclusive, because I see that the Black alumni is growing,” Butler said. “It’s exciting to see, you know the younger generations enjoying the activities, and seeing the older generations and sororities and fraternities bonding, it just was a good experience.”
Alvin Franklin, a 1995 University of Memphis graduate in Communication, attends the weekend’s events every year and said he looks forward to what the next year holds.
“It’s been a long time coming for all of the Black alumni and Black Greeks, in particular, to come together and do something specifically around University of Memphis homecoming,” Franklin said.
Franklin also discussed his perspective regarding inclusion and the increasing growth that has appeared in the Memphis Black alumni community.
“It just didn’t feel like there was a whole lot of inclusion for those homecoming events back when I was in school,” Franklin said. “To the extent that we put together events around homecoming, tailgated together and you know put together parties and things of that nature, that didn’t exist when I was at school.”
“And the more individuals that you bring into it, the more ideas that you have around for making the homecoming events better, then you know, you can't go wrong with that,” said Franklin. “I think that I saw that probably more than anything, is that there were more people that were planning to come back to Memphis because of the events that were being put together around homecoming.”
“It’s really a good time because they didn’t have stuff like that when I was going,” Butler informed regarding experiencing the Black Alumni Tailgate.
Franklin said it has been exciting to see alumni engage on social media about their anticipation to travel and return to the university to be a part of the homecoming weekend.
“Now that we basically have taken it upon ourselves to be more proactive and pay closer attention of what it takes in order to get alumni from the University of Memphis from all over the country to come back, that has been pretty exciting,” Franklin said.
Daniels said the coordination and overall experience of the University of Memphis Black Alumni Homecoming Gala was inspiring.
“I really enjoyed meeting the different alums and what they have contributed to society,” Daniels said.
The inaugural gala honored eight distinguished Black alumni with the Memphis State Eight Award, named after the eight African American students who integrated the University of Memphis, formerly named Memphis State University.
“In a sense, their legacy will continue on even beyond just the history they did at the UofM, but to have someone awarded as their namesake, I think is pretty cool,” Daniels said.
Daniels also said it was empowering to hear Luther McClellan, one of the members of the Memphis State Eight, speak at the event and discuss his perspective of being one of the first students to integrate the university.
The Executive Director of Africa in April Cultural Awareness Festival, Incorporated., Dr. David Acey, Sr., was the first honoree awarded the Memphis State Eight Award.
“The two of them really just set the tone for the evening,” Daniels said about hearing McClellan and Acey speaking about their efforts and experiences. “I think all of us were just on pins and needles just listening to every word they both said, it was just incredible; and the other alums just hearing their stories and what they’ve done for the community was amazing.”
Robertson said they are working on future events to be launched in the spring.
“We are working to provide that same atmosphere outside of just homecoming,” Robertson said. “I know I’ll probably be doing something in the spring, maybe March or April.”