The Association of Vanderbilt Black Alumni (AVBA) will not only reflect on its achievements the past 25 years but also consider issues pertinent to current and future African Americans on campus during a series of events Oct. 15-17.
Bishop Joseph Warren Walker III, pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church of Nashville, Tenn., will be the featured speaker for the 25th anniversary banquet at 6 p.m. on Oct. 16 at the Vanderbilt Student Life Center. The banquet is open to the public with a reservation deadline of Oct. 12.
Walker, a community leader and philanthropist who has worked to provide hundreds of thousands of dollars to deserving college students through his founding of J.W. Walker Ministries, earned his master’s of divinity from Vanderbilt in 1992.
Other events during the celebration include:
- Vanderbilt Divinity School’s Cole Lectures with the Rev. James Lawson, civil rights movement leader and Distinguished Visiting Professor. Part 1 will be at 7 p.m. on Oct. 15 and part 2 will be at 10 a.m. on Oct. 16. Both sessions will be in Benton Chapel.
- “Lost in the Ivy Overview,” lecture by Rosevelt L. Noble, senior lecturer in sociology, from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center. Noble will present his research on the past and future experiences of black students, faculty and staff at Vanderbilt. Noble earned his bachelor’s degree in 1997 and his doctorate in 2003 from Vanderbilt.
- “Life as a Vanderbilt Alumnus,” panel discussion from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center, that will be moderated by Calvin Baldwin, who received a bachelor of engineering in 1998. Several alumni in classes ranging from 1985 to 2008 will be part of the panel.
The AVBA was formed in 1984 to promote the mission, aims and general welfare of Vanderbilt University with particular focus on the needs and concerns of black students, faculty, staff and alumni.
Among its founders was the late Walter R. Murray Jr., a member of the Class of 1970 who was selected by his classmates as a Young Alumni Trustee. He became the first African American elected to the Vanderbilt Board of Trust. Murray earned his bachelor’s degree from the College of Arts and Science and a master’s in management in 1974.
The first president of the AVBA was Eugene Watkins, who earned his bachelor of science in 1975. Watkins is an Austin, Texas, businessman whose companies have specialized in the development of affordable housing and economic development. The current president is retired Brig. Gen. Kenneth Jordan, of South Pittsburg, Tenn., who earned his law degree in 1974.
To make reservations for the Oct. 16 banquet, call 615-322-3434 or email carolyn.t.dunlap@vanderbilt.edu. More information about AVBA is available at www.vanderbilt.edu/alumni/avba.
Media contact: Ann Marie Deer Owens, 615-322-NEWS
annmarie.owens@vanderbilt.edu