NEWS/EVENTS
2022 - 2023 Year in Review
Ushering in a new board
We kicked off the year welcoming our new IPC Executive Officers into their new roles: President
Andrea M. O'Neal '03, President-Elect Reginald D. Williams II '02, Secretary Eleanor Brown '93, and Recent Graduate Officer Randi Richardson '20.
IPC Matriculation Campaign
Our annual matriculation campaign was another great success thanks to the wonderful work of our Black matriculation camapaign committee! With their leadership, IPC hosted two IPC zoom events for early decision and regular decision admits as well as two parent calls. We had over 80 volunteer callers, an increase from last year, and logged a total of 205 calls. This year was the best year for the number of calls made since we began these campaigns! We also had the wonderful participation of some great local alumni at the BCSC (formerly TWC) ADOCH reception. This was the second-largest class of Black admitted students ever, with over 430 early decision and regular decision admits combined, and a total of 256 matriculated Black students! Our matriculation work will continue to be more important than ever in motivating students to say yes to Brown and continue to grow the number of Black students on campus in the coming years!
IPC BAF Scholarship Fund
Thanks to the support of the Inclusive Philanthropic Engagement Team in the Brown Advancement division, Paul Muite, Dr. Alyssia Coates, and Yolanda Meikle, we secured well over 1 million dollars in cash and pledges this past year for our IPC BAF scholarship. This figure represents donations from 570 distinct donors. There are currently 27 Black students at Brown receiving aid from the IPC BAF Scholarship Fund, not including upcoming class of 2027 recipients, and two alumni: our first ever scholarship recipient Peter Simpson '20 and our second ever scholarship recipient, Zakiyah Whitaker '23. Impact funds, like the IPC Brown Annual Fund Scholarship, are part of the Brown Annual Fund family. Donor support of these giving options amplifies a key University and community priority. To learn more about the scholarship and continue supporting the fund visit the IPC BAF Scholarship Website.
Event Highlights
IPC co-sponsored and/or participated in many wonderful events this past year.
Bruno on the Vineyard
Hosted by Jill and Stephen Davis P’23 in Oak Bluffs in Summer 2022, this event was a celebration of Black alumni and our community’s love, learning, and lifelong bonds. 140+ alumni attended and heard from speakers such as Dr. Sylvia Carey-Butler, Brown’s vice president for institutional equity and diversity, and Sergio Gonzalez, senior vice president of advancement.
IPC Atlanta Chapter: An Evening with Dr. Sylvia Carey Butler
This event organized in honor of John Hope, Brown University Class of 1894, President of Atlanta Baptist College/Morehouse 1906 - 1929, and President of Atlanta University 1929 - 1936, by IPC’s Atlanta chapter as a kickoff to revive and engage the IPC Atlanta Chapter and build momentum to send a strong Atlanta/Georgia delegation to the upcoming Black Alumni Reunion. The event featured remarks by Dr. Sylvia Carey-Butler, who shared the latest on Brown’s diversity efforts and impact.
Brown+Beyond: Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice naming
In recognition of the center’s 10th anniversary and thanks to the generosity of donors whose support established a $10 million endowment, the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice was named in honor of Brown President Emerita Ruth J. Simmons at this joyous event hosted at the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
Un(der)told Stories of Black Activism
This reception and panel discussion features three Brown alumni whose works delve into previously untold stories of Black activism, civil rights, and the Black Freedom Movement. They will discuss the evolving narrative of America’s Black history, how the telling and uncovering of new stories is itself an expansion of the historian’s work, and the current struggle at a state and national level to revert to a narrative that silences this history.
IPC Commencement Weekend celebrations
Bernicestine Elizabeth McLeod Bailey '68, P'99, P'03 received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters for her contributions as an IT leader and Pembroke Center champion. Read more about Mrs. Bailey and other honorary degree recipients. Bernicestine and the rest of the Bailey family were featured in a wonderful commencement forum titled It’s a Family Affair: Perspectives from Two Generations on 60 Years of Black Legacy and History at Brown. The Inman Page Black Alumni Council (IPC) hosted our Annual Meeting and Reception, which shared much of what we highlighted above and below, and celebrated the class of 2023 graduates, families, and our broader community. Finally, IPC leaders and alumni also sponsored and participated in the annual Rites of Passage Ceremony, which forms part of the annual Brown Center for Students of Color commencement dinner honoring Black graduates and their families.
Looking forward
All-Class Black Alumni Reunion 2023
October 27-29, 2023
Brown University Campus, Providence, RI
Come together for a weekend of celebration, learning, and community connection. We will explore and uplift Black identity, creativity, and agency through panels, gatherings, and social events focused on the arts, entrepreneurship, and activism.
Please visit the Black Alumni Reunion webpage for a preview of the weekend schedule. Registration opens in September!
July 2022: Welcome the 2022-2024 IPC Executive Officers!
President
Andrea M. O'Neal
Washington, D.C.
A.B. ’03, Business Economics
President Elect
Reginald D. Williams II
Washington, DC
A.B. ‘02, Biomedical Ethics
Secretary
Eleanor Brown
Washington, DC
Sc.B. ‘93, Biology
Recent Graduate Officer
Randi Richardson
Flint Township, Michigan
A.B. ‘20, Modern Culture and Media and African Studies
April 2022: Stay tuned for the next Black Alumni Reunion (BAR) 2023!
If you are interested in serving on the planning committee, let us know by completing this short form and an IPC representative will follow up with you.