Weekend Schedule
Check-In
Time: Friday, April 28, 2023, 9 am to 1:30 pm
Location: Black Cultural Center (1149 28th St, Des Moines, IA 50311)
Come see us bright and early to check-in for the Black Alumni Reunion! We will have all your materials you will need for the weekend, including nametags, a schedule, list of attendees, meal tickets, etc.. There will be a small assortment of refreshments and you are welcome to relax and hang out at the BCC. If you cannot make check-in this early on Friday that is okay. We will take check-in materials with us to all official Black Alumni Reunion events throughout the weekend and you can check-in there as well.
BCC Open House
Time: Friday, April 28, 2023, 9 am to 4 pm & Saturday, April 29, 2023, 9 am to 5 pm
Location: Black Cultural Center (1149 28th St, Des Moines, IA 50311)
This Reunion is all about connection and we wanted to give you plenty of time to relax and connect with each other during the weekend. The BCC will serve as your home base and you can come relax and hang out here.
Back to Class with Wanda Everage
Time: Friday, April 28, 2023, 2 pm to 3 pm
Location: Sussman Theatre/Olmsted Center (2875 University Ave, Des Moines, IA, 50311)
Our first official Reunion Weekend event is a Back to Class with Wanda Everage! Wanda is a 1972 Drake alumni and retired from Drake University in 2012 as the Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Academic Excellence. She is a Drake legend who was with the university for over 23 years and in that time she counseled and inspired countless students and kept them at Drake (the flower chair!), in particular Black students. It’s only fitting that Wanda kicks off our Reunion Weekend by asking us to reflect on our Drake experience, the lessons we learned (good and bad), and how our present and future reflects on what we learned.
Raising the BAR Gala
Time: Friday, April 28, 2023, 6:30 pm to 10 pm
Location: Parents Hall/Olmsted Center (2875 University Ave, Des Moines, IA 50311)
It’s time to look your finest and show off all of our Black Excellence at the Raising the BAR Gala! This is a chance to celebrate us and our history at Drake, from the milestone anniversary of the Crew Scholars program that dramatically increased the retention rate of students at Drake, to a celebration of Black employees at Drake that kept a generation of Black students at Drake. Attendees will enjoy a night of good food and drink (first drink on us!), great company, and then get to dance the night away. Thank you to our Gala Sponsor: DSM Dance Party DJs!
Campus Tour
Time: Saturday, April 29, 2023, 11 am to 12 pm
Location: Meet outside Old Main (2507 University Ave, Des Moines, IA 50311)
Campus has changed a lot over the past few years and there is so much more change to come. We’ll take you around campus to show you the vintage, the new, and the upcoming. And yes, there will be plenty of time to reminisce.
Black Alumni Reunion Block Party
Time: Saturday, April 29, 2023, 1 pm to 5 pm
Location: Between 28th & Brattleboro and 28th & University Ave (on the street outside of the Black Cultural Center)
We’re shutting down the street. It’s time to party. This is a casual, family-friendly celebration of Drake and the Black student experience. All are invited, including students, families, and the greater Des Moines community. There will be music, activities, and food! For attendees of the Black Alumni Reunion, we get a meal ticket for a free meal from one of the participating food trucks.
NPHC Step Show
Time: Saturday, April 29, 2023, 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm
Location: Sheslow Auditorium/ Old Main (2507 University Ave, Des Moines, IA 50311)
The NPHC Step Show is an annual cultural event held by Black Greek Letter Organizations through the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). It is the signature program for NPHC fraternities and sororities and is a chance for the Divine Nine to show their pride and unity through competition. The Step Show is put on by the students and is a ticketed event open to the community, but all attendees of the Black Alumni Reunion will have a free ticket to this event.
NPHC Step Show After Party
Time: Saturday, April 29, 2023, 10:30 pm to 12:00 am
Location: Vibes Kitchen & Bar (1303 Walnut St)
We’re celebrating for the rest of the night. Come join us at Vibes Kitchen & Bar!
Fellowship & Brunch
Time: Sunday, April 30, 2023, 10 am to 1 pm
Location: Parent’s Hall/ Olmsted Center (2875 University Ave, Des Moines, IA 50311)
Let’s close out a great weekend with a moment of reflection and praise followed by one last chance to break bread and connect with each other before we all head home.