We are proud to announce the launch of the Georgetown University Black Alumni Council, the first-ever affinity group within the Georgetown University Alumni Association. 

The launch of the Black Alumni Council marks a historic achievement for the Alumni Association, the university, and for Black alumni of all classes, schools, generations, professions, and walks of life from around the globe. The Council brings together well-established leadership structures and events that have engaged Black Alumni over the years, including the Georgetown University African-American Advisory Board, the Patrick Healy Dinner, Soul Hoya Reunion, and the Black Alumni Summit under a new, unified structure.

The journey to create the Black Alumni Council began a few years ago when a group of Black alumni leaders, including the leadership of the Georgetown University African-American Advisory Board (GUAAAB), the Black Alumni Summit (BAS), the Soul Hoya Alumni Group (Soul Hoyas), and other Black alumni engaged at the leadership level in various aspects of the university, mobilized to create a structure that would represent the voices, insight, and input of all Black alumni. In partnership with Julia Farr (C’88, Parent’19, ’21, ’24), executive director of the Georgetown University Alumni Association (GUAA), we embarked on an exciting journey to consolidate resources in an unprecedented effort and provide meaningful and effective support for our Black alumni community.

In alignment with the Alumni Association’s mission to foster lifelong connections among alumni and the global Georgetown community, the Black Alumni Council will be guided by its three-pronged mission: to serve as the primary vehicle for the inclusion, engagement, and connectivity of Black alumni across the Georgetown University community; to foster relations between Black alumni, Black students, faculty, and staff; and facilitate outreach from the university to the broader community.

For this initial launch year, the Black Alumni Council will lean on the volunteer leadership of the three founding organizations. The Council will be brimming with opportunities and is seeking volunteers for new and existing initiatives—more information about events and volunteer opportunities will circulate in the coming months. In the meantime, we invite you to explore the Black Alumni Council’s website, which highlights our signature programs and events, including the upcoming Black Alumni Summit (October 20-23) and the We Are Georgetown: Celebrating our Black History oral history project.

As we look ahead, we invite you to share in our joy and enthusiasm for the continual support of Black alumni empowerment and engagement, a mission that is sure to nourish our significant legacy at Georgetown for years to come. 

Hoya Saxa,

Mannone Butler (B’94, L’99), chair, GUAAAB; co-chair, Black Alumni Summit; GUAA Board of Governors
Tyree P. Jones, Jr. (L’86, Parent ’21), Board of Directors; past chair, GUAAAB
Gail Gillis-Louis (C’75), GUAA Board of Governors, senator
Conan N. Louis (SLL’73, MS’78, L’86), GUAA Board of Governors, senator
Tammee Thompson (C’91), Board of Regents; co-founder, Black Alumni Summit
Winoka Wendy Wilkes (SFS’91), co-founder and chair, Soul Hoya Alumni Group
Eric Woods (B’91), Board of Regents; co-founder and co-chair, Black Alumni Summit