Suffolk University community members gathered to celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of the university’s Black staff, students and alumni during the annual Celebration of Black Excellence Awards March 21.
Current Suffolk seniors Clinton Oreofe and Kayci Resende-Abbott and law student Stacey Charlot received the three student awards, recognizing their contributions to the Suffolk community. Morjieta K. Derisier, BA ’08, Tiffanie Ellis-Niles, JD ’04 and Malik Augustus Richard, BSBA ’19, MBA ’20 were presented with alumni awards, and Director of Career Equity and Access Ade Igbineweka was named the year’s outstanding faculty/staff.
Throughout the night, honorees and speakers, including university President Marisa Kelly and Black Studies program Director Trent Masiki, reflected on both the triumphs and the trials being faced across the nation, and how the accomplishments of the honorees will continue to build community and inspire change.
“Whenever I think of Black excellence, I understand that us as a community, through every administration, in every challenge, we always seem to be reborn, coming back brighter,” said Oreofe. “It’s moments like this that prove and it isn’t just an individual thought or an individual accolade, it’s all of us being reborn through the ashes.”
As hundreds came together to celebrate and reflect, the crowd filling the ballroom in Downtown Boston’s Hyatt Recency Friday night symbolized the community support propelling many of the night’s honorees.
“This award is not just a reflection of my individual achievements, but also a testament to the support and mentorship I have received along the way,” said Ellis-Niles.
