The Oklahoma City Black Alumni Coalition is launching its first-ever Reunion Weekend, set for Thursday, July 31 through Saturday, Aug. 2. The free, family-friendly event opens with the Alumni Convocation & Empowerment Night at 6 p.m. Thursday at Page Woodson Auditorium. A multigenerational panel of graduates from Oklahoma City’s predominantly Black high schools, including Douglass, John Marshall, Star Spencer, Northeast, Dunjee and Millwood, will share insights on leadership, education and civic engagement.
On Friday, Aug. 1, at 6 p.m., the Coalition will host a community screening and fifth anniversary celebration of A Most Beautiful Thing, the documentary about the first all-Black high school rowing team in the nation. The screening will be followed by a panel featuring cast members, director Mary Mazzio, U.S. Olympic rowers Aquil Abdullah and Patricia Spratlen Etem, and OBAC founder Shawntay Alexander. Oklahoma State Senator Nikki Nice will moderate.
The weekend culminates with the fourth annual River Bowl Classic Regatta on Saturday, Aug. 2, at 6 p.m. at RIVERSPORT. This is the nation’s first and only Black-led regatta. Alumni teams from local historically Black high schools will race on the water. Youth participants will compete in kayaking, and community groups, OG&E, TFCU, OKC NPHC and the Major Taylor Cycling Club, will join in dragon boat heats. The festival atmosphere includes live music, food trucks, vendors and informal celebrations.
The Coalition also will honor its 2025 R.E.A.P. awardees, celebrating Relationships, Excellence, Advocacy & Placemaking. Honorees include Dr. Nancy L. Davis, Tanya Ruffin Mustin, Vanessa Morrison and the Original 13 sit-inners led by Clara Luper.
Founded in 2021, the Oklahoma City Black Alumni Coalition is a 501(c)(3) organization committed to increasing the Black community’s educational, social, economic and political capital in the metro area. Originating from a 2018 university classroom assignment, OBAC now advocates through alumni partnerships from six historically Black schools and leads placemaking initiatives like the Walnut Grove restoration.
Join friends, alumni and community partners next weekend for a weekend of reflection, celebration and unity in Oklahoma City. For more information, click here.
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