This past weekend, Makuu, the Black Cultural Center that I direct at the University of Pennsylvania, held our annual Senior Celebration and Awards Ceremony. There we recognized fifteen outstanding seniors nominated for awards by their peers, and we honored the entire senior class of Black students at Penn. Tears were shed, loving laughter and warm applause filled the room as family and friends gathered to commemorate students’ many accomplishments. At the close of the ceremony, we presented the soon-to-be-graduates with kente stoles, along with custom pillows from Solace, a home decor company started by our keynote speaker and 2013 Penn grad, Sharree Walls. A wonderful reception and photo session followed.

These sorts of ceremonies have become more commonplace nationally. They are rooted in the same spirit that created Black Studies programs and departments, Black Student Unions, Black Cultural Centers, and uplifting community partnerships. At a place like Penn, where inclusion, equity, access, and diversity are heavily prioritized in policy and practice, there’s still much work to be done in addressing structural barriers and marginalizing norms. Today’s Black students certainly have more access to Penn’s many campuswide organizations and activities, but also face situations when they are the only one in the room, or worse – when they are made to feel less than, simply for being who they are. This is why we’ve created a space to celebrate our Black graduating seniors for nearly the past two decades. We fully embrace who they are, and strive daily to help them become everything that they are meant to be.

Makuu’s Senior Celebration is our moment. I believe that we owe it our students to acknowledge the many facets of their greatness, including their abilities to rise above the negative energy that seeks to pull them down. By creating a small, celebratory and familial ceremony during graduation weekend, students and guests feel an unspoken emotional connection throughout the room. Parents reflect on all of the sacrifices made and hope invested in making this achievement possible. Students remember the greatest four years of their lives, and share one final memory with the family that they created on campus.  In an era where we have to maintain a hashtag declaring that Black Lives Matter, we believe that #BlackJoy and #BlackExcellence should be acknowledged, embraced, and highlighted every chance possible. We celebrate because we can. We celebrate because you are worth celebrating.

Congratulations to the Class of 2017. And in the words of Penn’s Commencement speaker Cory A. Booker, “I see you. I love you.” (Special shout-out to one of our newest Penn alumnae, Araba Ankuma, for sharing these photos, and many others over these past four years).