Society of Black Alumni Updates

SOBA Report
Submitted by: Tomesha Campbell ‘09 – Secretary of the Society of Black Alumni

Black History Month Dinner
This year we partnered with the Office of Student Involvement & Leadership and the Black student organizations on campus to host the annual Black History Month dinner. It was held on Friday, February 24, in the campus center Main Lounge with performances from the Zion Step Team and Domino Players. It was very well attended by students, faculty, and staff across campus and alums.

Empowering Albright Voices Event
For this Spring event, we partnered with the Men of Color Initiative to host a panel discussion with six Black men alums to share their career paths after graduating from Albright. It was held Friday, March 3, in the campus center South Lounge and virtually via Zoom. Students and alums were very engaged and asked when our next panel would be.

Alumni Weekend Event
We held our annual Vibefest on Saturday during Alumni Weekend in Roessner Hall. Dr. Ingram-Wallace shared updates on what is happening on campus and the progress in her department this year. Overall the event was well attended and an excellent opportunity for alums across the decades to connect.

Executive Board Elections
We held elections for our new Executive Board. So, for the upcoming year, Adrie Neal ‘09 (President), Anna Mills ‘08 (Vice President), and Markita Edmond ‘00 (Secretary) will be leading SOBA.

Call for nominations!
SOBA is adding new members to its steering committee for the 2023 – 2024 academic year and invites you to complete this form to nominate yourself or a friend for consideration.

Philadelphia Black Alumni Event
We co-sponsored an event on January 15 at Jerry’s Bar in Philadelphia. It was a great opportunity for alumni to reconnect with alumni and share their campus experiences. We also captured young alumni who haven’t been back to campus and let them know about the current work that SOBA is doing. We look forward to hosting more events like this in the future.

Black History Month Dinner
This year we partnered with the Office of Student Involvement & Leadership to host the annual Black History Month dinner. It was held Friday, February 24th, and featured performances from the Zion Step Team and Domino Players. The event was well-attended by alumni and students.

Alumni Weekend Event
We’ll return to Roessner Hall from 2 – 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 22 during Alumni Weekend for our annual Vibe Fest event. We look forward to connecting with you then. Register here!

Empowering Albright Voices Event
Along with Alumni and Donor Engagement, we hosted a Paths After Albright panel discussion with Black men to discuss how they found their careers after graduating from Albright. It was held Friday, March 3rd, and was a great discussion about life, careers, passions beyond work, and navigating the workspace. Panelists included Andre Ezeugwu ’10, Rev. Dr. Lawrence Claiborne ’11, Yan Davis ’12, Moe Siddiqu ’07, and Hammed Alabi ’07. A dinner before the panel discussion took place with the alumni speakers and 20 black male students. Enjoy the photos from the event, below!

The Society of Black Alumni (SOBA) has been very active on campus this Fall Semester. On October 14, we partnered with the Office of Alumni & Donor Engagement to host a panel discussion for the Empowering Albright Voices event. The panel discussion included Black alumni across several decades who spoke about how national movements and contemporary culture influenced their experiences on campus.

In October and November, Dr. Teresa Gilliams led a two-part, online discussion of the novel “The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead. Members enjoyed seeing Dr. Gilliams and the in-depth conversations about the Pulitzer-Prize winning book.

On November 18, SOBA joined the Black Women’s Leadership Association for a game of Family Feud. This event allowed students to connect with alums, network, and have fun.

We look forward to seeing you in 2023 for our Black History Month Talent Showcase and Dinner on February 24, on March 3 for Empowering Albright Voices, and on April 22 for our Alumni Weekend VibeFest.

The Society of Black Alumni (SOBA) is looking forward to the opportunity to connect with Black students and alumni this academic year. During the summer, the SOBA Steering Committee worked on programming to engage students and foster deeper alumni relationships. To that end, SOBA will be doubly visible on campus for Homecoming Weekend 2022! Join us on Saturday, September 17 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. to hand out merchandise to students at the street fair. From 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. we invite you to socialize at our tailgating spot.

Please save the date, Friday, October 7, for an impactful panel of alumni across generations sharing their unique experiences at the Empowering Albright Voices event, “A Living History of Empowerment from the Voices of Albright’s Black Alumni.” Register for the event here. In the interim, if you have any additional questions, please reach out to soba@albright.edu.

After a year of virtual events, the Albright College Society of Black Alumni (SOBA) is excited for the opportunity to host on-campus events this year. In collaboration with Office of Student Involvement and Leadership SOBA participated in Welcome Weekend where alumni were able to engage with incoming freshmen on topics ranging from networking opportunities to internships. The society also hosted a basketball free throw tournament during Homecoming Weekend the John Scholl Life Sports Center.

Additionally, in July SOBA elected Adrie Neal ’09 as Vice President of SOBA, who will work in conjunction with Andre Ezeugwu ’10, president, and Tomesha Campbell, secretary, of SOBA to further our mission through four annual events:  Welcome Weekend, Homecoming, Black History Month and Alumni Weekend.

If you’re interested in learning more about SOBA or participating in future events, please contact us at soba@albright.edu.