BY SONIA VERMA; PHOTOS BY MATT CLARKE AND JESSICA VINLUAN
MAY 27, 2024
“To paraphrase Beyonce: We get it from our mamas and papas.” — Nigela Purboo, co-founder and executive director, Onyx Initiative
From start to finish, this year’s Black Excellence graduation celebration honoured not only the graduating class of 2024, but also their families, friends and communities.
Inspired by the African concept of Sankofa — the wisdom of learning from the past for a brighter future — Black Grad gave students a joyful and emotional opportunity to reflect on where they’re coming from and where they’re going.
In graduation festivities unlike any other held at First Ontario Concert Hall, the celebration began with pulsating traditional djembe drumbeats, as Afiwi Groove School drummers led the procession of academics and students through the concert hall, where friends and families were seated.
Professor emeritus Gary Warner opened the ceremony. Warner, who was McMaster’s first Black faculty member when he was hired in the 1960s, reminded students that they are surrounded by, and supported by, a network of Black excellence.
McMaster Daily News
Read the full story here. The photos give you a real sense of the event.