By VOICE & VIEWPOINT STAFF
The San Diego State University (SDSU) Baccalaureate Committee, along with families and friends, were on hand May 9th, 2023 at Lincoln High School for the Annual Black Baccalaureate Ceremony. This year’s theme was SANKOFA: Learning from The Past, Living For The Future. This year’s graduates, who formally received their degrees over the weekend in a number of ceremonies as a part of the University’s graduation ceremony, were present in their caps and gowns, as a part of the Processional of African Drummers. Again, the Host of the Ceremony was Dr. Adisa A. Alkebulan, SDSU Chair of Africana Studies and Co-Chair of the Black Baccalaureate Committee.
There were two student speakers, Travis Bowen and Janae Wingfield; and one alternate, Speaker Rhyan Pitts. Filmmaker Logan Coles gave the Charge to the Graduates.
It was Dr. Shirley Weber, the California Secretary of State, and former faculty member of SDSU who, in 1980, proposed the idea of the Black Baccalaureate Ceremony. Historically in the Black community, this ceremony was much like a religious church service acknowledging the graduates achievements, separate and apart from the formal university graduation ceremony that followed.
The Baccalaureate Ceremony originated in 1432 at University of Oxford in England. Each Bachelor student was required to give a sermon in Latin, as part of an academic exercise. The concept of receiving a degree dates back to islamic tradition. The Baccalaureate ceremony as practiced in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) had deep roots in the Black church.
The graduates made the following statement: “We pledge our lives and souls to assist our communities, to be an advocate of our people and devote our lives to the betterment of all African people. We will never break this promise. Our ancestors have heard this pledge. They will hold us to this pledge. This is final and there is no compromise. Yebo.”
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