29th Annual Black Graduation Celebration & Kente Ceremony

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The Graduation Celebration Committee and ASUW Black Student Commission along with its partners is proud to announce the 29th Annual Black Graduation Celebration. The event honors the accomplishments of African, African American and Afro-Caribbean graduating students and peers.
2025 Black Graduation Celebration and Kente Ceremony
Sunday June 8, 2025
7:00PM – 9:30PM
Registration
Register here
Deadline: May 9, 2025
Theme: Our Time, Our Triumph, Our Future
Location: Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, UW (3870 Montlake Blvd NE, Seattle, WA 98105)
Note: Registering for the Black Graduation Celebration and Kente Ceremony does not register you for any other graduation celebration including the UW commencement ceremony, and vice versa.
About the Black Graduation Celebration
The Black Graduation Celebration and Kente Ceremony is a pre-commencement celebration to honor African, African American and Afro-Caribbean students and their peers who through unyielding determination have successfully completed an undergraduate or graduate degree from the University of Washington. The Ceremony is representative of African, African American, and Afro-Caribbean culture and heritage, embraces the value of community and scholarship, and culminates with a Kente Stole presentation. This is a Celebration for Graduates to be recognized for their accomplishments and an opportunity to honor significant people who have helped them achieve their goal. Students are honored together in one setting and their families also get the opportunity to celebrate their hard work and dedication.
Participation in this year’s spring quarter UW Black Graduation Celebration is open to all UW Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma undergraduate, graduate and professional students who have earned their degree between the previous Autumn and Winter quarters, the current Spring quarter or are scheduled to earn their degree the Summer quarter immediately following this year’s ceremony.
The Kente Ceremony
Kente is native to Ghana and was developed in the 17th century by the Ashanti people. It has its roots in a long tradition of African weaving, dating back to about 3000 B.C. Often reserved for royalty, the stole is a visual representation of history, philosophy, ethics, oral literature, religious beliefs, social values and political thoughts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any UW Seattle campus student (undergraduate or graduate/doctoral candidate) completing a degree in Spring 2025, Summer 2025 or Fall 2025 may participate. All are welcome to attend.
Graduate names are collected from UW and an email is sent out. If you have not gotten an email and are a graduating student, email uwblackg@uw.edu.
You must be registered for and attend the event to receive a stole. Graduates will be gifted a stole at the event in person, that will be presented to them by people chose. Up to 2 people maximum can come on stage to present a stole to a graduate.
No, stoles are only given out in person at the celebration as a gift to graduates for participating in the celebration, not as a graduation gift.
We do accept walk-in registration but your name will not appear in the program and we may not have a Kente stole or gift for you. Email uwblackg@uw.edu for details.
You can update your registration up until a certain date for it to show in the program correctly and get a stole. That date is usually when registration closes.
No. This year’s event will not be ticketed. It will be live streamed on YouTube. See the home page for details.
Graduates will enter the venue through the loading dock to the back of the stadium. Due to construction this year, graduates will need to walk around the entire building, towards the IMA (follow red dashes to orange square on image).
Guests will enter through 2 of the north entrance doors (purple squares on image).

The UW Black Grad Celebration Committee does not manage or control parking for the Black Graduation Celebration. Please read the information on this website for more details.
Parking is available on the UW Campus and will require you to walk to the ceremony venue. Please note that there may be parking fees. More parking information from UW transportation can be found here, or via the UW Commencement office website here.
Closest Parking Location:
- There are other lots available on campus but are farther away. Please see UW Parking website.
- Street parking is available but will take longer to find and may require a cost.
Graduates are strongly encouraged to wear their graduation regalia (cap/gown) and or cultural attire. Please email the committee if you have any issues with this uwblackg@uw.edu.
Graduates should have been sent a final email with details a few days prior to the event.
You can contact us via email at: uwblackg@uw.edu. Please allow 48-72 hours for a response.
You can use the link below. Click the ADD button next to ‘Office Minority Affairs and Diversity Kente Ceremony Fund.’ Then you can select to give once or monthly and how much to give. Then select ‘Add to Basket’ and then select ‘Give Now.’
The University of Washington is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation in our services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodations, please contact the Disability Services Office at least 10 days in advance of the appointment at (206) 543-6450 (voice), (206) 543-6452 (TTY), (206) 685-7264 (FAX), or dso@uw.edu (email).
For interpreting, captioning, amplification services, and TTYs, contact the Coordinator of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services at 206-543-1415 (voice), 206-543-6452 (TTY), or dhhreq@uw.edu.
In 1997, a group of Black students at the UW decided to host a post-commencement graduation ceremony in order to create a more intimate and personal graduation experience. The group consisted of several students including the President of the Black Student Union, President of Sisterhood, and the Black Student Commissioner. With support from the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity, the students hosted the first Black Graduation Celebration on June 10, 1997, at Grace Apostolic Temple in Columbia City. The ceremony gave students the opportunity to recognize significant people who had helped them reach their goal including faculty, staff, friends and family. The event was deemed a success and has become an annual tradition. To learn more about the first Black Graduation Celebration read Walking to Black Graduation a 1997 UW Daily newspaper article interviewing several 1997 graduates and the reason that they felt a Black Graduation Celebration was necessary.
Today, the tradition of the Black Graduation Celebration continues as a pre-commencement celebration open to all students and acknowledges graduates, who through unyielding determination, have successfully completed an undergraduate or post baccalaureate degree at the UW. The event recognizes their accomplishments and provides an opportunity for graduates to honor those who have helped them achieve their milestone. Graduates are honored together in one setting, as their families celebrate their hard work and dedication. This celebration reinforces the bonds of scholarship and extends the sense of community. It honors African and African American heritage and culture, which culminates with a Kente Ceremony where traditional stoles are presented to the graduates.
The UW Black Graduation Celebration Planning Committee is comprised of students, faculty and staff who are charged by ASUW Black Student Commission with the planning and coordination of this annual event. This effort is done in collaboration with the following student organizations:
- ASUW Black Student Commission
- African Student Association
- A Vision for Engineering Literacy & Access (AVELA)
- Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA)
- Black Student Union
- National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
Special Thanks To
Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity
Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center
UW Multicultural Alumni Partnership
Student Life
Undergraduate Academic Affairs
Health Sciences Center Minority Students Program
Housing and Food Services
Intercollegiate Athletics
Q Center
College of Education