Eighty-five alumni from the classes of 1968 to 2023 attended the event, which kicked off with a celebratory luncheon under a tent outdoors and wrapped up with a "Wakanda Forever Party" in the John Brown Russwurm African American Center.
BCBAA president Michael Owens ’73, P’15, opened the luncheon with a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar called “We Wear the Mask.”
Owens said he wanted to share the poem because it “embodies the mindset people, especially Black people, have to embody to succeed, including at Bowdoin College. Because we are here today, we no longer need to wear this mask in our Bowdoin community.”
WE WEAR THE MASK
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
President Clayton Rose then gave remarks, thanking each graduate “for returning and keeping Bowdoin close to your hearts.”
He added: “I know we’ve been on Zoom a few times in the last eighteen months, and it's great to finally connect with you in person. I’m inspired by your mission and your energy to advance that mission.”
Committee members outlined their goals for future work. David Dickson ’76, P’13, chair of the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) committee, said the BCBAA will be collaborative partners as Bowdoin continues its DEI work.
Crystal Welch ’04, chair of the committee on BCBAA's role in society, which directs community service, said the alumni association will strive to serve current Bowdoin students first.
Carroy Ferguson ’68 leads the committee on co-sponsorship to form partnerships with other alumni groups. He said the committee is “looking to ensure connections with partners that are authentic to the voice and mission of the BCBAA.”
Additionally, Rose presented members of the alumni group's Coordinating Council with a certificate—“a token of appreciation,” he said.
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