The BSU Celebration of Black Excellence—A Joyful Event for All

When Damaris Medina BA ’25 walks across the stage at the Black Student Union (BSU) Celebration of Black Excellence in May, she says she’ll be taking in the moment, feeling all the emotions.

“Graduation is a rite of passage,” says Medina, a psychology major from Washington, D.C., who plans to study elementary education in graduate school in fall 2025. “College feels like it went fast. I think graduation itself will feel very surreal.”

In addition to the May 10 commencement with her class, Medina looks forward to participating in the BSU’s celebratory event, a tradition at Lewis & Clark.

To ensure the celebration is and always will be a cornerstone of Lewis & Clark’s senior festivities, Alumni Board Chair Stacy Thompson BA ’79 recently made a generous endowed gift to the college.

“Back when I was at Lewis & Clark, there were three Black students, and no dedicated senior celebration,” says Thompson. “I am passionate about the Black student experience, and a cultural event like the BSU Celebration of Black Excellence importantly connects Black students to their heritage. It’s important that everyone knows our total existence didn’t begin when Africans came to America as enslaved people! A lot of students didn’t have those kinds of conversations in high school, and it’s important that they know we come from brilliant people.” 

Stacy Thompson BA ’79 recently made a generous gift to endow the event.

A cultural event like the BSU Celebration of Black Excellence importantly connects Black students to their heritage.”

The BSU Celebration of Black Excellence is open to any Lewis & Clark student. In 2024, about two dozen graduating Black students and others participated in the event specific to the African diaspora (people dispersed from their homeland), including the wearing of Afrocentric sashes, singing of the Negro National Anthem, experiencing libations (inviting ancestry to come into the room for blessings), and eating African food. 

“I see the BSU Celebration of Black Excellence as a space of support to empower students,” says Medina. “My freshman year looked less diverse than it does now, and I’m glad for the change. Hearing stories about people of color is important. And I love getting advice and helping others.

This celebration is a way for seniors to pass the baton to the next group who will soon be in our shoes.” Adds Thompson, “There was a time when Black people weren’t even able to be educated. So to come to this celebration shows how far we’ve come in this country, though we have a ways to go. It’s a very special event for our Black students and their families, and it’s very special to me.”

To make a gift to the BSU Celebration of Black Excellence Endowed Fund, please contact Stephen LeBoutillier BA ’00, assistant vice president for engagement, at 503-768-7940 or sgl@lclark.edu.