Ian Chapman's parents offer their congratulations.

6:00 p.m., May 31, 2003--UD graduates of African descent were recognized for their achievements and their heritage during the Center for Black Culture and Black Student Union’s sixth annual Kente Stole Ceremony held the night before Commencement.

Sixty-five students were presented with Kente cloths by a loved one of their choosing during the ceremony on Friday, May 30.

The colorful stoles, originating in the African nation of Ghana, are a symbol of unity, leadership, accomplishment and pride and were worn by students over their gowns the next day at Commencement, May 31.

The ceremony included remarks by Tia Truxon of Wilmington, a UD alumna who received her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 1993 and a law degree from Widener University School of Law in 1998. She served as a civil litigator for the state of Delaware, and, after earning a master’s degree in business administration, she joined J.P. Morgan as a contract administrator.

Mical Masango's mother celebrates her daughter's graduation in song.

Truxon has won many awards for community service and is a member of the board of directors of the UD Black Alumni Organization and READ-ALOUD Delaware.

The ceremony featured an ongoing slide show of senior reflections—photos taken during the graduates’ time at UD—followed by a statement from UD President David Roselle congratulating graduates. He urged them not to consider their departure from the University as an end “but rather as the beginning of the rest of their lives. I trust that they will pursue opportunities to continue to learn…and accept the responsibilities related to being good citizens, good friends and good family members.”

Article by Barbara Garrison
Photo by Duane Perry