Coming Home: UWindsor Black Alumni Weekend An Origins Story

Reengage. Reconnect. Reignite.

That is the purpose of UWindsor Black Alumni Weekend. 

Black Alumni Weekend at the University of Windsor is an opportunity for Black alumni from across  generations to return to campus for a celebration that is about much more than reminiscing. It is a  homecoming, a recognition of excellence, and an opportunity to strengthen the connections that bind alumni,  students, and the broader University community together. 

Launched in 2023 to coincide with UWindsor Alumni Week, Black Alumni Weekend was created to  welcome Black alumni back to campus while providing meaningful opportunities for reconnection,  networking, mentorship, learning, and cultural celebration. The inaugural weekend marked a significant  milestone for the University, offering a dedicated space where Black alumni could reconnect with one  another, engage with current students, and reaffirm their ties to the institution. 

The event grew from an idea sparked by Marium Tolson-Murtty, a three-time UWindsor alumna and  longtime University of Windsor educator. During a 2021-2022 secondment as Strategic Planning Officer,  Initiatives Against Anti-Black Racism, working with former President Dr. Robert Gordon, she contributed to the development and the implementation of recommendations arising from the UWindsor Anti-Black Racism  Task Force Report. Through consultations with Black alumni about their experiences at the University, a  recurring theme emerged. While alumni experiences varied, many spoke about feeling disconnected from  alumni engagement opportunities and described a desire to engage with the institution as alumni, which  would in term foster greater connection, representation, and belonging. 

These conversations occurred at a pivotal moment. The University was emerging from the COVID 19 pandemic while institutions across North America were grappling with renewed calls for racial equity and accountability following the global resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement after the murder of  George Floyd. Together, these circumstances highlighted the importance of creating intentional spaces where  Black alumni could reconnect with one another and with their alma mater. 

From this vision, the UWindsor Black Alumni Group was established, and a dedicated planning  committee of proud UWindsor alumni quickly went to work to bring the initiative to life. The group was  created to recognize and celebrate the contributions Black alumni have made to the legacy of the University  of Windsor through leadership, scholarship, athletics, research, advocacy, and community engagement. Their  stories, achievements, and experiences are an integral part of the University’s history, and Black Alumni  Weekend provides an opportunity to honour that legacy while helping to shape its future. 

Since its inception, the weekend has brought together graduates from different decades and  disciplines through a range of activities designed to celebrate Black excellence and foster meaningful  connection. Programming has included networking receptions, panel discussions, mentorship opportunities,  campus tours, and conversations highlighting initiatives such as the Black Studies program, the Black  Scholars Institute, Black Student Support Services, and scholarship opportunities available to students today. 

The weekend provides alumni with an opportunity to reconnect with former classmates, revisit  familiar spaces, discover new sites on campus, and celebrate shared accomplishments. It also serves as a  platform for alumni to invest in the next generation by sharing their experiences, offering career guidance,  and helping students navigate their educational and professional journeys. 

For current students, the impact is equally profound. Meeting Black alumni who once walked the  same halls demonstrates what is possible beyond graduation. These interactions create pathways for  mentorship, professional networking, and community support while reinforcing students’ sense of belonging  on campus. Seeing alumni return as leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, healthcare professionals, lawyers,  researchers, and community advocates helps students envision themselves in those future roles. 

At its heart, UWindsor Black Alumni Weekend is about fostering inclusion, belonging, and  community. It creates a space where stories are shared, relationships are cultivated, and generations of Lancers come together to celebrate a shared legacy while building new pathways for the future. By  strengthening connections between alumni and students, the weekend demonstrates the power of community  and the lasting impact of mentorship, representation, and collective pride. 

As part of the annual UWindsor Alumni Week festivities, Black Alumni Weekend helps launch a  broader celebration of alumni engagement across the University. It sets the tone for a week dedicated to  connection, pride, service, and lifelong relationships with the institution while highlighting the diversity and  strength of the UWindsor alumni community. 

What began as a historic first gathering in 2023 has quickly become a cherished alumni tradition.  It is a celebration of legacy, a commitment to community, and a reminder that once a Lancer, always a  Lancer.  

From Coming Home to Building What Comes Next

What began as a vision to reconnect Black alumni with the University of Windsor has grown into something even more powerful: a celebration of Black excellence, a bridge between generations, and a space where alumni and students can see themselves—and each other—in the story of the University. 

This year, UWindsor Black Alumni Weekend takes another important step forward. 

Building on the foundation established in 2023, the 2026 weekend will bring alumni together from across generations for a series of experiences designed to celebrate where we have been, recognize how far we have come, and invest in where we are going. 

At the heart of this year’s weekend are two signature events. 

The Comeback Walk: Regraduation Honouring Black Excellence will officially kick off the weekend on Friday evening. In what is the first-of-its-kind celebration for a Canadian University, Black alumni will have the opportunity to walk across the stage once again—not because we need another degree, but because sometimes our accomplishments deserve to be celebrated again. 

Alumni will receive official Afrocentric stoles, symbolizing Black identity, pride, achievement, and belonging. The re-graduation is an opportunity to honour the journeys of alumni.It is a reminder that graduation is not the end of the story. 

Saturday’s Next Gen, Same Roots will shift the focus from recognition to connection. This intergenerational networking experience will bring together Black alumni and current Black students from across all faculties. It is designed to create authentic opportunities for mentorship, professional networking, knowledge-sharing, and relationship-building. 

The message is simple: we may be from different generations, but our roots connect us. 

For current students, seeing Black alumni return to campus as entrepreneurs, executives, professionals, educators, researchers, community leaders, and changemakers provides something incredibly powerful—representation in action. It allows students to meet people who once sat in the same classrooms, walked the same campus, and wondered what their futures might look like. It creates opportunities to ask questions, build relationships, find mentors, and envision possibilities beyond graduation. 

For alumni, it is an opportunity to give back, reconnect with the institution that helped shape their journeys, and play an active role in shaping the next generation. 

And for the University of Windsor, this weekend represents an important demonstration of what can happen when an institution recognizes the value of its diverse alumni community and creates intentional opportunities for them to remain connected. The University’s willingness to

support and embrace Black Alumni Weekend speaks to the importance of fostering belonging and recognizing that the experiences, accomplishments, and contributions of Black Alumni are an essential part of the University’s broader story. 

Black Alumni Weekend is about making that legacy visible. 

It is about giving flowers while people are here to receive them. It is about creating spaces where Black alumni can see themselves reflected in the institution they once called home—and where current students can see a future that includes them. 

Most importantly, it is about recognizing that legacy is not simply what we leave behind; it is what we make possible for those who come after us. 

From the first gathering in 2023 to this year’s expanded celebration, UWindsor Black Alumni Weekend continues to evolve. What started as a call for greater connection has become a tradition rooted in pride, community, mentorship, and belonging. 

This year, we come home to celebrate our accomplishments. 

We come home to reconnect. 

We come home to pour into the next generation. 

And we come home to remind ourselves that no matter how many years have passed, once a Lancer, always a Lancer. 

Join us! Register at uwindsor.ca/alumni/alumni-week_26