2024 ANNUAL DONNING OF THE KENTE CEREMONY CELEBRATES ACHIEVEMENTS OF GRADUATING STUDENTS
May 2024 — On Thursday, May 9, 2024, the annual Donning of the Kente ceremony was held in the Apfelbaum Family Courtroom and Auditorium of Penn State Dickinson Law. Hosted by Black Law Students Association (BLSA), this long-standing tradition provides the opportunity for Black graduates to be celebrated prior to their official graduation ceremony. The Donning of the Kente serves to honor the specific challenges overcome by students of African descent.
The Donning of the Kente ceremony is held annually in honor of the late Paul E. Waters ’59. Waters made history with Shumaker, Placey, Smeltz and Waters as the first attorney of color in Dauphin County to become a law firm partner, and the first African-American to serve as counsel to the Pennsylvania State Senate Judiciary Committee. In addition to his many legal accomplishments, Waters was also the founder and editor of the U.S. and Pennsylvania Judicial Reporters, both monthly periodicals of caselaw.
Dickinson Law students, family, and friends gathered to honor 17 members of the class of 2024: Anthony Austin, (LL.M.), 1. Nabby Bangoura (LL.M.), Tiffini Barton (LL.M.), Ayanna Byers, Rukeme Stephanie Dundun (LL.M.), Andrea Faulknor, Barry Howard, Brandon Garner, Buruk Gherezghiher, Tyler Gorbett, Kysia Jones, Abraham Lamptey, Quamaine Montgomery, Jaiden Moore, Morgan Rainey, Evan Summers, and Alixandria Wright.
Kristi Lane Scott ’03, served as the ceremony’s keynote speaker. Kristi was the founder and inaugural president of BLSA at Dickinson. A Pittsburgh native, she is currently an Associate Counsel at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Scott explained to the students that “this tradition of Donning the Kente goes back to the 12th century in Ghana. This ceremony was reserved for kings and queens and other people who were of royal nature and high esteem. And so please, with all of that history, when you receive your cloth, please carry yourself and continue to hold the tradition of holding your heads high, as kings and queens, because that is what you are.
“The cloth serves as a visual representation to a multifaceted heritage that includes history, philosophy, ethics, moral values, social conduct, and political thought. All of these qualities and qualifications are necessary to become an exceptional lawyer, and this Law School has prepared you to be just that.
“There are going to be rooms that you’ll enter into, and people aren’t going to want you there. You will have to remember, and carry that invisible cloth, and remember that you are there for a reason . . . Just remember that your ancestors sacrificed so much for you to be here, and that you stand on the shoulders of greatness and you have a solemn obligation to be in the room, so I say, ‘keep fighting.’”
Shaakirrah R. Sanders, Associate Dean for Antiracism and Critical Pedagogy, Professor of Law, and Lewis H. Vovakis Distinguished Faculty Scholar, was the recipient of BLSA’s second annual Faculty Excellence Award. This award honors a Black professor who exemplifies distinction within the Dickinson Law community through their support of Black students and their excellence in service, teaching, scholarship, and research. The recipient of this award is selected by BLSA members based on the following criteria: commitment to supporting Black students; excellence in teaching, scholarship, and research; service to the Law School and beyond; and service in leadership and as a role model.
In addition, BLSA recognized previous leaders of their organization who are members of the graduating class: Andrea Faulknor, Barry Howard, Abraham Lamptey, Morgan Rainey, and Alixandria Wright. Faulknor also received BLSA’s Leadership Award for her service to the organization as de facto president during the 2022-2023, at which time she served with distinction and pride.
