Hear from leaders from the United States and beyond to discuss issues affecting Black communities and participate in strategy sessions and social events.
Event Schedule (subject to updates):
| Thursday, September 26 (all events in the Kennedy Room at the Charles Hotel unless noted otherwise) | |
| Registration + Networking Breakfast | 8:00 AM |
Annual Meeting of the HKS Black Alumni Association (BAA)
| 8:30 AM |
| Opening Remarks: Ruthzee Louijeune MPA 2014, Boston City Council President | 9:00 AM |
| Fireside Chat and Q&A with Jeremy Weinstein, Dean and Don K. Price Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School | 9:15 AM |
| Faculty Panel: Democracy, Race, and Equity with Cornell Brooks, Hauser Professor of the Practice of Nonprofit Organizations and Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership and Social Justice; Yanilda María González, Ford Foundation Assistant Professor of Public Policy; and Zoe Marks, Oppenheimer Faculty Director of the Center for African Studies and Lecturer in Public Policy, HKS | 10:15 AM |
| Luncheon + Awards Presentation: Transformative Leadership: Black Women in Politics with Dr. Sesha Joi Moon, former Director, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, U.S. House of Representatives, in conversation with Eugene Scott MC/MPA 2015 | 11:45 AM *Longfellow Room, Charles Hotel |
BAA Honors Celebration with Corina Santangelo MPA 1999, Member, HKS Alumni Board
| 12:45 PM *Longfellow Room, Charles Hotel |
| Afternoon Faculty Keynote: Scholarship in Action with Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Ford Foundation Professor of History, Race, and Public Policy | 1:30 PM |
| The Legacy of Black HKS Alumni with Marvin Benton MC/MPA 1988, former President, BAA; Amoretta Morris MPP 2009, former President, BAA; and Rodas Girma MC/MPA 2021, Secretary, BAA | 3:00 PM |
| Tribute to Fletcher "Flash" Wiley MPP 1974, with Bennie Wiley and Joseph J. McCarthy, former Senior Associate Dean and Director of Degree Programs, HKS | 3:30 PM |
| Policy Flashes: Alumni Showcase with Hassan Tetteh MC/MPA 2009, Lenora Peters Gant HKSEE 1997, 1999, and Dwight Hutchins MPA 1996 | 3:45 PM |
| Strategy Session with Dr. Robbin Chapman, Associate Dean of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging | 4:15 PM |
| Reception and Evening Program: Video Remarks from Bryan Stevenson MPP 1985, and Andrea James, Founder and Executive Director, The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, in conversation with Eugene Scott MC/MPA 2015 | 5:30 PM *Regatta Bar, Charles Hotel |
| Social Mixer | Rosebar @ HUE Boston | 8:00 PM |
| Friday, September 27 (all events in the Kennedy Room at the Charles Hotel) | |
| Registration + Breakfast | 8:00 AM |
| Presentation and Discussion: Harvard’s Slavery Legacy Initiative with Dr. Sara Bleich, Vice Provost for Special Projects, Harvard University | 8:30 AM |
| HKS Admissions Strategy with Rosemary Hilliard, Senior Director, Admissions & Financial Aid, and Meredith Siegel, Assistant Dean for Enrollment Services | 9:30 AM |
| Fireside Chat with Hill Harper MPA 1992, Activist, Actor, and Business Owner, and Deval Patrick, David R. Gergen Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership | 10:30 AM |
| Closing Fireside Chat with Debra Lee MPP 1980, Chairman Emeritus, BET Networks; and Deval Patrick, David R. Gergen Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership | 11:30 AM |
| Closing Remarks with Rudy Brioché MPP 2000, President of the BAA | 12:30 PM |
The Harvard Black Alumni Weekend: Global Changemakers Conference will kick off in the afternoon on Friday, September 27, after the conclusion of this event.