Support BLAAC to School's Designated Funds
Black Alumni - Get Involved
BLAAC to School 2007 Video
Commemorative T-Shirt
BLAAC to School Mission
Why not every year?
Are you a performer?
Special Thanks
Support BLAAC to School's designated funds
One of the goals of BLAAC to School is to raise funds to benefit Black students at Penn in general, as well as those students in Black culturally-focused performing arts groups in particular. Your contributions will be split between the wonderful Black Alumni Society's 125th Anniversary Honoring Legends Fund and the Annenberg Center's Ben's Tix program. Please see BLAAC to School Mission for more information.
Support these valuable funds and improve the quality of life for Black students at Penn. (NOTE: You'll be prompted to log in to QuakerNet, the Penn Alumni Online Community.)
Black Alumni - Get Involved
Black Alumni Society
James Brister Society
Alumni Relations
See how you can get involved Based on region, graduation year, cultural affinity group. Learn about the Legacy program for when your children or grandchildren apply to Penn.
Secondary School Committee
Help the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to recruit students to Penn. Ask about the Multicultural Recruitment Subcommittee.
QuakerNet
Join the Penn Alumni Online Community. Find – and be found by – other alumni! Update your contact information here.
Penn Alumni Career Network (PACNet)
Be a career mentor to current students, and a resource to other alumni. Join Quakernet (see above) and click on PACNet.
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BLAAC to School 2007 Video
Watch the first ever BLAAC to School concert! The show was a great success – don't miss the next one! BLAAC to School 2007 took place during Alumni Weekend on Saturday, May 12 at the Annenberg Center's Harold Prince Theater.
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Purchase a Commemorative BLAAC to School 2007 T-shirt
In the video, several Co-Chairs and performers sport a very snazzy BLAAC to School 2007 T-shirt — here's your chance to pick one up as a souvenir of this first-ever Black alumni concert event! Because the T-shirt purchase is made through a third party, gift credit cannot be granted for any amount that we might have charged over and above the cost. For this reason, we have decided to allow you to purchase the shirt at cost. If you would still like to offer your financial support to BLAAC to School, thank you! Please donate directly to the funds and begin — or continue — a record of stewardship that benefits Black students at Penn.
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BLAAC to School 2007 Mission Statement
Black Alumni Arts Consortium
The goal of BLAAC to School is to establish a consortium of Black alumni from the University of Pennsylvania who were involved in Black culturally-focused performing arts groups at Penn. This group would function in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania Black Alumni Society and plan a reunion event every three years during Alumni weekend. The reunion would include a show featuring select Penn performing arts groups (e.g. Penn Gospel Choir/New Spirit of Penn, African Rhythms, Black Arts League/African American Arts Alliance, Destination Hip Hop, The Inspiration) and their alumni.
BLAAC to School will also engage in alumni fundraising efforts to benefit Black students at Penn . To this end, half of all proceeds will go directly to the Penn Black Alumni Society 125th Anniversary "Honoring Legends" Fund, with the understanding that these funds will support important student resources such as the W.E.B. DuBois College House and the MAKUU Black Cultural Center. The other half of all proceeds will go to Ben's Tix, a ticket subsidy program designed to make performances at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts more financially accessible to students. BLAAC to School would stipulate that tickets funded by these efforts be earmarked for current members of our selected performing arts groups.
Again, this consortium/reunion event is meant to complement the BAS. The hope is that with this concerted effort we can a) further support the various Black culturally-focused performing arts organizations and students, b) strengthen ties between current students and alumni in order to share our rich legacy, and c) encourage more Black alumni to return and contribute to Penn, as well as become involved in BAS and its events.
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Why not every year?
The Black Alumni Society graciously offered their regularly scheduled Alumni Weekend reception timeslot for BLAAC to School 2007. We want to ensure that BAS has the opportunity to continue offering other types of programming for Penn's Black alumni community. BLAAC decided to go with a number less than five so that the event will fall on different class reunion years.
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Are you a performer?
If you were a member of one of the featured performing arts groups and did not find out about the event in time to perform, please send an e-mail from your preferred e-mail address to Nicole Maloy in Alumni Relations, and include:
1) Your name (and your name when you graduated if it is different now)
2) Your graduation year and school
3) Your current mailing address
4) Your preferred phone number (indicate whether it is home, work or mobile)
5) Which of the following group(s) you were in while at Penn (please include any leadership positions): The Inspiration, Destination Hip Hop, Black Arts League/African American Arts Alliance, African Rhythms, Penn Gospel Choir/New Spirit of Penn.
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Special Thanks
This event would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the following:
Black Alumni Society
Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
PENN Development and Alumni Relations
The Inspiration (Alumni Coordinator: Stephanie Renée, W'91)
Destination Hip Hop (Alumni Coordinator: Nkechinyere Nwaobasi, C'02)
Black Arts League/African American Arts Alliance (Alumni Coordinators: Courtney Patterson, C'03; Michelle (Watson) Taylor, C'02)
African Rhythms (Alumni Coordinator: Marjorie Janvier, ENG'97, W'97)
Penn Gospel Choir/New Spirit of Penn (Alumni Coordinator: Sharon Fleshman, ENG'90)
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BLAAC to School Steering Committee
Chair - Samantha Buery-Joyner, C'90
Co-Chair - Sharon Fleshman, ENG'90
Co-Chair - Lolita Jackson, ENG'89
Co-Chair - Nicole Maloy, W'95
Lisa Andujar-Ray, W'88
Bryan Keys, C'90
Cynthia Long, C'90
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