Under sunny skies, more than 180 alumni, friends, faculty, and staff united in the Bodman Courtyard of the Martha Vineyard Museum for the third annual Bruno on the Vineyard event.
Though Bruno on the Vineyard is relatively new, the joyous gathering has already become a summer tradition that Black alumni look forward to.
“This event has become the one event I annually remind and encourage all Black alumni within my network to attend, as there is nothing quite like the picturesque Martha's Vineyard backdrop underneath the bright sun shining in a cloudless sky on our melanated skin,” said Aiyah Josiah-Faeduwor ’13. “It's joy, magic, and a true privilege to be amongst the Black excellence congregating and communing for this event.”
Hosted by Jill and Stephen Davis P’23, the August 11 event offered alumni more than just an afternoon in the sun: It empowered them to forge lifelong bonds and lend a helping hand to promising students of color.
“I joined the [Bruno on the Vineyard] committee this year so that I could give back and be with fellow leaders and friends not just for the afternoon but for weeks and months in advance,” said Brickson Diamond ’93, a former Brown University trustee, who traveled from California for the Reunion-styled celebration.
A gateway to a world of possibilities
Each year, the event’s organizers invite members of the Brown community to share important work that is advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at the University.
This year, Prudence L. Carter, Ph.D. '91, director of the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America (CSREA), discussed upcoming priorities for the CSREA—one of the earliest academic centers in the country focused on scholarship on race and ethnicity.
Senior Vice President for Advancement Sergio Gonzalez P’17 spoke about philanthropic efforts that have helped to support students, such as the Inman Page Black Alumni Council (IPC) Brown Annual Fund (BAF) Scholarship—which saw a 41% increase in dollars raised and a 110% rise in donors during Fiscal Year 2024. Guests got to hear about the immense impact of this giving, too.
As a first-generation, low-income student, IPC Brown Annual Fund scholarship recipient Jennora Blair ’24 knows first-hand how transformative this aid can be.
“This scholarship gave me the financial freedom to find myself at Brown,” she shared in her remarks to event attendees. “I grew into the certainty of myself, utilizing my short, precious time in college to explore storytelling, performance, community, and everything I could possibly become.”
