Holy Cross Black Student Union to Celebrate 40th Anniversary

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Black Student Union (BSU) at the College of the Holy Cross will kick off a year-long commemoration of its rich 40-year history with an anniversary celebration titled “Honoring Our Past, Cherishing Our Present, Preparing for the Future,” from Friday, April 11 – Sunday, April 13 on the College campus.

The anniversary celebration will provide a forum for reflection on the heritage of the BSU and the number of people who have played a role in shaping it.  Special honorees include Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J., president emeritus, who was instrumental in helping encourage African American students to consider Holy Cross in the turbulent late 1960s; Ogretta McNeil, former professor of psychology and class dean at Holy Cross and former member of the Worcester School Committee; and Joseph J. Reilly Jr. '55, former chair of the College’s Bishop Healy Committee, a group dedicated to achieving and maintaining a diverse and multicultural campus.

They will be honored at a dinner in the Hogan Campus Center Ballroom from 7:15 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. on Sat., April 12 at which Theodore V. Wells ’72, a partner in the New York law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and one of the leading white-collar criminal defense attorneys in the nation, will give the keynote address.  A member of the College’s board of trustees, Wells was one of the founding members of the BSU. BSU co-chair Donmonique Binion ’09 says, "The 40th anniversary is just what our members have been looking for — a chance to connect with alumni who have gone through the same struggles and have since found success. The Black Student Union is proud of its predecessors and welcomes the opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of the organization and its alumni during the past 40 years."

Other events planned for the weekend include alumni and student panel discussions, a reenactment of the “Great Debate,” campus tours, networking opportunities and a gospel brunch.

Since its first graduating class, the College of the Holy Cross has welcomed students of diverse racial backgrounds. Today, racial and ethnic diversity is reflected in the College’s academic programs and student organizations, as well as in the faces of the community.  Currently, ALANA (African-American, Latin American, Asian-American, and Native American heritage) students make up 17% of the student body at Holy Cross.

Among the College’s many distinguished African American graduates are Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas ’71; Stanley Grayson ’72, president and chief operating officer at M.R. Beal and Company (New York); Eddie J. Jenkins ’72, chairman of the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission and former Miami Dolphins running back; Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Edward P. Jones ’72; Gale Scott ’80, managing director of real estate finance at Standard & Poor’s; Cmdr. Bernadette M. Semple, USN, ’82, deputy director of C4 Systems with the Combined Joint Task Force — Horn of Africa; Ambassador Harry K. Thomas Jr. ’71, director general of the Foreign Service; and white collar criminal defense attorney Theodore V. Wells Jr. ’72.

About the BSU

Founded in 1968, following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the BSU is committed to educating the Holy Cross community about the importance of heritage, the affirmation of identity and the legacy of achievement.  Emphasizing the academic, cultural, social, and political development of its members, BSU aims to provide a support system for African American students and all members of the Holy Cross community by creating an environment that promotes leadership, embraces identity and encourages diversity.  This year’s co-chairs are Donmonique Binion ’09 and Monica Kennedy ’09.