STANFORD, Calif. —For the first time in its history, this Thursday, the Stanford National Black Alumni Association welcomed over 600 alumni to campus for their Stanford Black Alumni Summit, which usually takes place in different locations across the country once every two years.
“[It’s] an opportunity for alums to come together, not just to reminisce, but also to talk about the future of Black Stanford,” said Dr. Rosalind Conerly, Associate Dean and Karr Family Director of the Black Community Services Center.
The reunion, unlike Stanford’s Reunion Homecoming in the fall where classes celebrate 5-year milestones, unites Black alums across all class years. Thursday through Sunday, alums sat for panels with guests like former Stockton mayor Michael Tubbs ‘12, mingled in networking sessions and danced at evening parties. The weekend culminated in Blackfest, the Bay Area’s largest free Hip-Hop and R&B festival, hosted at Frost Amphitheater.
After speaking on Friday morning’s panel alongside education professor Dr. Adam Banks, and his wife New York Times Bestselling author, Dr. Anna Malaika Tubbs ‘14, Michael Tubbs ‘12, grabbed lunch at the Old Union courtyard, where alums reflected on their time at Stanford.
Tubbs, who is running for lieutenant governor, was inspired by both his Stockton upbringing and his Stanford education to get involved in politics. In Stockton, Tubbs, whose father is incarcerated, learned about the ways in which the government was not serving himself or his community. At Stanford, he studied away in Washington, D.C., where he worked at the White House with mayors and councils.
“When I came to Stanford, I realized that talent and intellect could be found everywhere but resources and opportunities are not,” said Tubbs. “So that got me inspired with figuring out how can government be used as a tool to create more opportunity.”
Dr. Karol E. Watson ‘84, director of the UCLA Women’s Cardiovascular Health Center, traveled from Los Angeles for the summit.
Once a dolly, her favorite memory of Stanford remains the night she found out she was accepted to the group, her teammates banging on her door to wake her up.
Watson realized she wanted to become a cardiologist by the end of her sophomore year. Stanford, she said, prepared her for her career in every way.
“The thing that Stanford taught me more than anything else was to dream bigger, not just to dream big, but even bigger than I ever thought or imagined,” said Watson.
