Black Graduation

The Black Graduation Celebration is an annual event held in June to commemorate the many achievements of Stanford's graduating students with family and friends. In conjunction with the traditional commencement, it is meant to celebrate the long tradition of cultural awareness at Stanford.

Over the past 40+ years, this event has grown in attendance to more than 1,500 family, friends, faculty, staff and alumni. An integral part of the ceremony includes a family member joining their graduate on stage to place a Kente Cloth around their shoulders when their name and degree are called.

Significance of the Kente Ceremony: Kente Cloth originates from the Asante (Ashanti) people of Ghana in West Africa. The Kente Ceremony acknowledges that our achievement is made possible by the support of family, friends and loved ones. This "passing of the torch" recognizes the contributions and sacrifices of our ancestors on whose shoulders we continue to stand in pursuit of our goals.

2023 Black Graduation Photos!

2024 Black Graduation Information coming in winter 2024! 

Black Grad Registration is closed until winter quarter 2024! You must register to be a part of the ceremony. We will not take walk-ups. All the information you need is on the registration from. We've also provided it below for your convenience.  

Black Graduation Ceremony - Information coming in 2024

You Must Register: Every graduate is required to register in order to participate in the Black Graduation Celebration, there is a one-time, non-refundable registration fee. You DO NOT need to pay a registration fee for family, friends, and other guests of the graduate. Graduates may invite as many guests as they wish. 

What's Included with the Registration Fee?: The registration fee includes a beautifully designed Kente stole embroidered with the graduate’s class year and also covers ALL the weekend’s festivities. We are using a platform called Stripe to process payments. You can find the link to pay in the Registration form.

Schedule of Events

Hotel Booking

Hotel Address: Information coming 2024

The Black Community Services Center secures a block of hotels for graduation. Booking information coming in winter 2024. 

Transportation

Stanford is near three international airports.

1. San Jose, (SJC) ~10 min. from hotel.
2. San Francisco (SFO), ~45 min. from hotel.
3. Oakland (OAK), ~50 min. from hotel.

If you have any questions, please email stanfordbcsc@stanford.edu or visit us at the Black Community Services Center in-person. We look forward to celebrating your accomplishments!