Black Cultural Graduation Celebration

Person Theatre
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Black Graduation celebrates the brilliance and unapologetic Blackness that is represented within SSU's Black student population. We honor the accomplishments of graduating students who identify within the African Diaspora by highlighting the common experience. The ceremony also pays tribute to graduating students' families and the communities that contributed to their success. 

2024 Black Cultural Graduation Celebration Program

Faculty and Student Processional

Welcome and Land Acknowledgment

Kirstyne Lange, CEO and Principal Consultant KAL Consulting, LLC (Emcee) and SSU Alum '15

Greetings from University Leadership

Gerald L. Jones, J.D., Vice President for Student Affairs 

Performance

Watson-Ellison Foundation Choir

Black Graduation Student Speaker

Taneesha Porter, Graduate, Bachelors of Arts in Sociology 

Spoken Word

Porsche Veu, The Poetic Activist

History and Significance of the Kente Cloth

Chance Lujan, Black Student Union (BSU) President 

Presentation of 2024 Graduates

Kim Hester-Williams , PhD., Professor of English and American Multicultural Studies

Keynote Address

Joanna Paun, Petaluma City Schools Board President and SSU Alum ‘02

2024 BSU D.R.E. Award and Closing Remarks

Tramaine Austin-Dillon, Manager of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs and Initiatives

Performance

Watson-Ellison Foundation Choir

Special thanks to: Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, The HUB Cultural Center, Associated Students, SSU Alumni Association, Campus Prints, Conference & Event Services