Celebrating Black Excellence at Swarthmore: Honoring Our Past, Imagining Our Futures

April 10, 2019

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff Members,

I’m writing to share some important and exciting news.

The 2019-20 academic year will mark significant milestones in the history of the College, including the 50th anniversary of the Black Cultural Center, the 50th anniversary of the Black Studies Program, and the 25th anniversary of the Chester Children’s Chorus.

With these occasions in mind, next year will be dedicated to Celebrating Black Excellence at Swarthmore: Honoring Our Past, Imagining Our Futures. Special events, performances, historical highlights, and more will take place throughout the year, and will be open to all members of the community. Details about specific programming will be announced closer to the start of the fall semester.

In the meantime, the Celebrating Black Excellence planning committee invites members of the community to help develop a visual identity that will be used throughout the year. If you have suggestions, symbols, and/or ideas for a design, please share them with BlackExcellence@swarthmore.edu by May 1, 2019. A successful logo design will need to function well in a wide range of media and formats, possess broad recognition and appeal, specify the Celebrating Black Excellence theme, and instill a sense of pride, energy, and celebration. It will have a widespread presence on campus next year, including on the College website, banners, and posters.

The members of the planning committee look forward to hearing from you, and I look forward to sharing these celebrations with you in the months to come.

Many thanks,

Valerie Smith
President