The Black Alumni Society of the University of Pennsylvania

04/07/2025

BAS Family,

We need you to help us launch our new Mentoring Program!

We're supporting Penn's student groups as part of our Networking and Service pillars! So...We were approached by The Black Penn student group, Umoja, and they've asked us to ask you to sign up to mentor them!

The Black Penn Alumni Mentorship Program is an empowering initiative that connects Black students at the University of Pennsylvania with members of the Black Alumni Society (BAS). Rooted in shared interests ranging from career aspirations and professional growth to common hometown ties and cultural experiences, this program is designed to create meaningful, long-lasting relationships that support both personal and professional development. Please fill out this form if you are interested in serving as a mentor and have the capacity to commit to this initiative.

To sign up, please go to this Google Form link, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeJVBG2RNfHRd8WCqaKhFSmWzHINGEc_3ZBVUry9ZT5b7srRQ/viewform?usp=header

Info about Umoja: https://www.umojaupenn.org

UMOJA speaks as the representative voice of Black students and Black student organizations at the University of Pennsylvania and derives its legitimacy from the consent and confidence of its membership organizations (Constituents). UMOJA is charged with uniting its Constituents into a common political voice, mobilizing its Constituents for a common agenda, and organizing its Constituents under a common calendar.

Thanks
--
Lynch W Hunt Jr, MBA
Penn ENG '89
BAS President
Personal Email:
[email protected]
Personal Cell: 609-851-5521

The 2024-2025 University of Pennsylvania Black Alumni Society Board of Directors
· Lynch W Hunt Jr, ENG89, President, At-Large, NJ
· Tiffany Jackson, LPS18, Vice-President, Philadelphia
· Connie Johnson, CW74, Secretary and Mentoring Chair, Oklahoma City, OK
· Nikita Hamilton, C09, Treasurer, SoCal
· Patricia Fowler, C89, Austin, TX, Membership Chair
· Pamela Felder-Small, GRD05, Philadelphia
· Eric W Apple, W91, NYC
· Tanya McRae, C89, SoCal
· Derick Wilson, C91, Atlanta
· Naran Butler-Houck, SW01, Atlanta
· Tarah Paul, C24, At Large, Recent Grad Director
· April L Claytor, C87, Past President
· Rogers Johnson, C73, Director Emeritus

BAS Links
· Calendar, TBD
· BAS Website: https://www.alumni.upenn.edu/s/1587/gid2/16/interior.aspx?sid=1587&gid=2&pgid=1270
· BAS Email: [email protected]

• We are a part of Penn Spectrum Programs, along with:
o The Asian Alumni Network
o The Association of Latino Alumni
o The Association of Native Alumni
o The James Brister Society
o The Le***an Gay Bisexual Transgender Alumni Association

• To Join BAS: http://www.alumni.upenn.edu/basmembership
· BAS Honoring Legends Fund, https://giving.apps.upenn.edu/fund?program=BAS&fund=601302
o African American Resource Center
o Center for Africana Studies
o MAKUU Black Cultural Center
o W.E.B. Du Bois College House
• BAS Honoring Legends Fund Description: https://www.alumni.upenn.edu/s/1587/gid2/16/interior.aspx?sid=1587&gid=2&pgid=1336

• FB group (private), https://www.facebook.com/groups/PennBAS
• FB page (public), https://www.facebook.com/pennbas
· LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2411353
· Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pennbas
· Twitter, https://twitter.com/PennBAS

02/19/2025

Here's some news you can use! BAS actually has two FB pages/groups, a private one and a public one! Here are the links:
• FB group (private), https://www.facebook.com/groups/PennBAS
• FB page (public), https://www.facebook.com/pennbas
--
Lynch W Hunt Jr, MBA
Penn ENG '89
BAS President

The 2024-2025 University of Pennsylvania Black Alumni Society Board of Directors
· Lynch W Hunt Jr, ENG89, President, At-Large, NJ
· Tiffany Jackson, LPS18, Vice-President, Philadelphia
· Connie Johnson, CW74, Secretary and Committee Chair, Oklahoma City, OK
· Nikita Hamilton, C09, Treasurer, SoCal
· Patricia Fowler, C89, Austin, TX, Membership Director
· Pamela Felder-Small, GRD05, Philadelphia
· Eric W Apple, W91, NYC
· Tanya McRae, C89, SoCal
· Derick Wilson, C91, Atlanta
· Naran Butler-Houck, SW01, Atlanta
· Tarah Paul, C24, At Large, Recent Grad Director
· April L Claytor, C87, Past President
· Rogers Johnson, C73, Director Emeritus

BAS Links

· BAS Website: https://www.alumni.upenn.edu/s/1587/gid2/16/interior.aspx?sid=1587&gid=2&pgid=1270
· BAS Membership Committee, [email protected]
· To Join BAS: http://www.alumni.upenn.edu/basmembership
· BAS Honoring Legends Fund, https://giving.apps.upenn.edu/fund?program=BAS&fund=601302
o African American Resource Center
o Center for Africana Studies
o MAKUU Black Cultural Center
o W.E.B. Du Bois College House

· FB group (private), https://www.facebook.com/groups/PennBAS
· FB page (public), https://www.facebook.com/pennbas
· LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2411353
· Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/pennbas
· Twitter, https://twitter.com/PennBAS

The Black Alumni Society of the University of Pennsylvania

07/17/2023

WEITZMAN’S AMBER WILEY: ILLUMINATING THE BLACK FREEDOM STRUGGLE IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

The inaugural Matt and Erika Nord Director of Weitzman’s Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights Sites discusses her new role.

In a Q&A, Wiley describes her paired interests in preservation policy and exhibition curation, her work in Washington, D.C., to protect the legacy of the Barry Farm Dwellings as they are being redeveloped, and her work with students to organize an exhibition of Black women artists at Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum.

Full article below:

The inaugural Matt and Erika Nord Director of Weitzman’s Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights Sites discusses her new role.

03/23/2023

The 36th annual Women of Color at Penn award ceremony celebrated the achievements of women of color at Penn and in the broader community, highlighting this year’s theme of self-care and healing.

or the first time in three years, the Women of Color at Penn (WOCAP) hosted its annual award ceremony in person. WOCAP, which is housed in the African-American Resource Center (AARC), used the March 17 event to celebrate the achievements of women of color at Penn and in the broader community, highlighting this year’s theme of self-care and healing.

As the WOCAP chair, Mattie Maria SimBarcelos, a staff member at the Wharton School, gave opening remarks. “The past few years have been so heavy with grief and isolation that I wanted to create safe spaces for restoration, reflection, and healing,” SimBarcelos wrote in her program remarks.

SimBarcelos welcomed Joann Mitchell, senior vice president for institutional affairs and chief diversity officer, who read remarks from President Liz Magill. Magill thanked SimBarcelos along with the WOCAP committee, for “your determination, your efforts, and your passion.” The award ceremony and luncheon, which brings together more than 300 allies, reminds us that we are all committed to making progress, not just here at Penn but throughout our society, she said.

Mya Gordon, a junior majoring in urban studies from Lake Oswego, Oregon, won the undergraduate student award. Gordon is a Silverman Fellow at the Netter Center for Community Partnerships and has worked in the Penn Program for Public Service. Gordon spoke about her commitment to improving relationships between Penn and West Philadelphia and thanked her grandfather, who was in the audience. “The thing he always told me growing up is the mind is a terrible thing to waste,” she said. “So, I’m really trying to use mine to support my community and the people I care about.”

Full article below:

The 36th annual Women of Color at Penn award ceremony celebrated the achievements of women of color at Penn and in the broader community, highlighting this year’s theme of self-care and healing.

03/23/2023

BOTSWANA’S PRESIDENT DISCUSSES GOOD GOVERNANCE, DEMOCRACY

President Mokgweetsi Masisi spoke with Penn Professor Wale Adebanwi at the second annual Distinguished Lecture in African Studies. Masisi discussed his country’s successes in furthering democracy, tackling the HIV/AIDS epidemic, supporting LGBTQ rights, handling the challenges of allowing elephant hunting, and the backsliding into authoritarianism by other nations in Africa. The talk was part of the second Annual Distinguished Lecture in African Studies.

Penn President Liz Magill started the evening with opening remarks to the packed room at Perry World House. “I think it’s fair to say that we are old friends,” Magill said of Penn and Botswana, referencing the Botswana-UPenn Partnership (BUP). BUP began in 2001 as a project to provide HIV/AIDS treatment and over the last two decades has transformed into a clinical success story on many fronts: a scholarly exchange, a research alliance, and an educational investment.

Magill also announced that the first Penn Global Seminar in Botswana will be held in the spring of 2024, saying “This evening’s event is yet another opportunity to strengthen the ties between Botswana’s leadership and this University,” she said.

Full article below:

President Mokgweetsi Masisi spoke with Penn Professor Wale Adebanwi at the second annual Distinguished Lecture in African Studies.

01/24/2023

A Penn degree opened doors all over the world for Michael Barrett, ENG’89, PAR’20, PAR’21. Ultimately, his experiences working and living as far away as Australia, China, and Sweden would open doors back to the University.

“One of the ways I overcame the sense of homesickness was to connect with local Penn clubs,” Barrett says. “We shared stories and would gather to watch Penn football games, even at odd hours.”

Eager to reconnect, Barrett joined the Penn Alumni Interview Program, launching a history of volunteer service that has culminated in his newest post as President of Penn Alumni. “One of the things that I will prioritize is being visible, listening to our alumni, and being an advocate for our global community,” Barrett says. “I am excited about this opportunity to serve Penn and our people.”

Full article below:
https://giving.upenn.edu/all-roads-lead-to-penn/?fbclid=IwAR1AqM4TYUSZ6lYCcNJDWYuhKOzM15WjT_QzW44600jquJ2JB4IhJr5tC5c

A Penn degree opened doors all over the world for Michael Barrett, ENG’89, PAR’20, PAR’21. Ultimately, his experiences working and living as far away as Australia, China, and Sweden would open doors back to the University.

12/14/2022

AT ENGAGING MINDS, THREE PENN INTEGRATES KNOWLEDGE PROFESSORS TAKE THE STAGE

This past weekend in New York City, the University of Pennsylvania showcased its 24th Engaging Minds event, the first in person since 2019. It was hosted by Penn Alumni.

Three Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professors - Lance Freeman, Dolores Albarracín, and Kevin Johnson - each discussed their research. The audience, at least 600 in person and remote, heard about using city planning to promote racial equity, how conspiracy theories come to life and propagate, and about the need for physicians to communicate effectively with patients and families.

Freeman, who holds appointments in the Department of City and Regional Planning in the Stuart Weitzman School of Design and in the Department of Sociology in the School of Arts & Sciences, started off by playing to his audience. “I’m a native New Yorker, born and raised in Queens. Go Queens, right? I see this as a homecoming of sorts,” he said. “I don’t have to tell you that New York is one of the greatest cities in the world. But it’s also a city of great inequalities and inequities.” He said growing up amid such disparities motivated him to study city planning, to understand why different groups fared better than others and how to address such imbalance.

More from the event in the article below.

Alumni heard Lance Freeman examine racial equity in city planning, Dolores Albarracín talk about how conspiracy theories take hold, and Kevin Johnson discuss the importance of clear science communication.

07/28/2022

PENN’S MEDICAL SCHOOL FORMALIZES ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH HBCUS IN PURSUIT OF GREATER DIVERSITY

The Penn Access Summer Scholars program strives to bring more undergraduate students from underrepresented groups into medical school, guaranteeing them admission to Penn’s highly competitive Perelman School of Medicine if, among other things, they complete two summers of research, maintain at least a 3.6 GPA in college, have a 1300 on the SAT or 30 on the ACT, and secure strong recommendations.

They also are exempt from taking the medical college admission (MCAT) exam, something of a rarity, and at least 50% of their tuition, equivalent to about $35,000 annually, is covered. The summer program — which enables 12 new students annually to conduct research, shadow doctors, meet patients, and benefit from the building of supportive networks — is free and comes with a $4,000 stipend.

More details in the article below:

Students are guaranteed admission and are exempt from taking the MCATs if they meet requirements including maintaining a 3.6 GPA, completing two summers of research and getting recommendation letters.

06/17/2022

Penn observes Juneteenth as an official University holiday with events and resources across campus.

JUNETEENTH EVENTS

Sunday, June 19, 1:00 to 5:00 pm:
Black Music City at World Café Live Philadelphia
To celebrate the second year of the Black Music City collaboration, the event will feature project highlights and musical performances from a handful of grant winners, along with spoken word, photography, video, painting, sculpture, fashion and more. Philly rapper The Bul Bey MCs the event, which is free to attend with RSVP.

Monday, June 20, 5:30 pm:
Special Juneteenth Lecture (Zoom)
Hosted by the Clinical Practices of the University of Pennsylvania Committee on Anti-Racism and co-sponsored by Penn Medicine’s Department of OBGYN and FOCUS, Raegan McDonald-Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide, will speak about “Reproductive Oppression Yesterday and Today and Why it Matters.”

More info below:
https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/penn-commemorating-juneteenth

05/27/2022

Penn anthropologist Janet Monge has sued the university and other organizations for defamation, following accusations of mishandling the remains of the 1985 MOVE bombing victims.
Monge claims, in a civil complaint filed on Friday, that the accusations – published last spring in The Inquirer and Billy Penn articles – harmed her reputation and that she was unfairly depicted as a racist. The lawsuit has been issued against Penn, The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Association of Black Anthropologists, and the Society of Black Archaeologists, among other groups.

More info in article below:
https://www.thedp.com/article/2022/05/penn-anthropologist-sues-penn-move-bombing-lawsuit

05/05/2022

The American Economic Association named trailblazer Sadie T.M. Alexander, who earned economics and law degrees at Penn a century ago, a 2022 distinguished fellow.

More details in article below:

The American Economic Association named Alexander, who earned economics and law degrees at Penn a century ago, a 2022 Distinguished Fellow.