YBAA National Programming Survey
As we plan YBAA National Programming for the year ahead, we still want to hear directly from you! Your responses to this brief survey will help us create events and experiences that bring our community together, strengthen connections across Black Yale alumni, and reflect what you're genuinely excited to participate in.
Call for Volunteers: Alumni Board Committee Members
We are seeking engaged alumni to serve on our Board committees as we prepare to launch our 2027 programming.
Committee Opportunities
We are seeking volunteers for the following committees:
Commitment
Eligibility
We welcome alumni who demonstrate a commitment to volunteer service and have relevant professional experience, skills, or expertise aligned with a committee's focus and responsibilities.
How to Apply
To apply, please email the following to ybaa@aya.yale.edu by November 30, 2026:
Selection timeline: Interviews will be scheduled on a rolling basis through the end of December 2026.
Black Solidarity Conference 2027: And Still We Rise
For more than three decades, the Black Solidarity Conference has been a cornerstone of intellectual discourse and community building at Yale University, as well as at colleges and universities across the country. Originating as a small gathering to discuss issues facing the African Diaspora, it has grown into Yale's largest undergraduate conference, drawing over 700 participants from across the nation. The conference consistently provides a platform to analyze challenges within the Black community and explore innovative solutions that attendees can apply on their campuses.
In 2027, we turn our attention to a theme that asks us to learn from the systems, places, and people that came before us: And Still We Rise: Honoring Our Past, Building Our Future. This theme takes inspiration from the long history of education as both a site of exclusion and a pathway to liberation. It challenges us to confront the ways miseducation has been used to distort narratives, limit opportunities, and perpetuate injustice—while also reclaiming education as a radical tool for empowerment, resistance, and collective transformation.
Boston: The Game
We're excited for the 142nd Harvard-Yale Game and have two great opportunities to connect and celebrate.
Yale College Classes: Night Before the Game
Complimentary food will be provided, with drinks available for purchase at the cash bar. Whether you're planning to attend or still deciding, please RSVP!
YBAA: Game Day Meet-Ups
Want to connect on Saturday for Game Day?
RSVP on Eventnoire to stay in the know and let us know your plans! Your RSVP will help us identify opportunities to connect.
Details on Game Day Meet-ups will be shared on Tuesday, November 17th.
New Haven: Fireside Chat with Ray Dalio and Erik Clemons
Yaw Owusu-Boahen (SOM '24) is moderating a fireside chat with Ray Dalio and Erik Clemons on November 4th at Yale. It's hosted in partnership with Yale SOM, so Yale students and alums are welcome. If you're interested, please join the waitlist. The event is private and begins at 1pm with lunch.
The Indigo Algorithm at the House
Sheryl Carter Negash (YC '82) invites you to her book talk and signing for "The Indigo Algorithm: Ancient Codes and Modern Moves - A Self-Liberation Guide for Black Professionals."
If you will be in New Haven, please plan to attend and invite others to come. All are welcome. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase.
Ask Us Anything with Brea Baker (YC '16, Saybrook) and Deesha Philyaw (YC '93, Pierson)
Got questions about writing, publishing, or other aspects of the business of writing? Join Brea Baker (YC '16, Saybrook) and Deesha Philyaw (YC '93, Pierson) for a virtual Ask Us Anything conversation on Thursday, Dec. 3 @ 7-8:30 pm ET!
Please note that this is a closed event for YBAA members only.
Can't make it? This Zoom event will be recorded and shared. Also, feel free to DM Brea or Deesha your questions in advance, and we'll answer them during the session.
About Brea
Brea Baker is a freedom fighter and writer (in that order) who has been working on the frontlines for over a decade, first as a student activist and now as a movement journalist and author. Her book, Rooted: The American Legacy of Land Theft & The Modern Movement for Black Land Ownership, is about her family's experiences across the South and why reparations is a critical economic, racial, and environmental justice policy that we need to embrace. In 2027, her second nonfiction book BRICKTOP will be released with Amistad Books and is a biography of an iconic Jazz Age cabaret owner who fled American racism and built a glamorous world of her own in cities like Paris, Rome, and Mexico City.
She has a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University and is on the boards of YWCA USA & Black Farmers' Market, and is a cohort member of the BLIS Collective.
About Deesha
Deesha Philyaw is the author of the debut novel, The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman. Her debut short story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the Story Prize, the LA Times Book Prize: The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction.
Deesha has a B.A. in Economics from Yale and an M.A. in Teaching from Manhattanville College.
Emma Claye on The Tonight Show
Emma Claye (YSPH '16) earned her MPH from Yale, and has since pivoted to being an actress, singer and songwriter. She was recently featured on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon! She won his segment Battle Of The Instant Songwriters, where two musicians are given a random prompt and have to write a song in one hour. A few days after, she also released a single entitled "Keep Going", an original R&B song with music and lyrics written by her, and an accompaniment composed by New York City based artist Ra Le Bu. This song (available on all platforms) is meant to embolden and encourage anyone on the path toward their dreams to stay the course and not give up on the journey.
Please join us in congratulating Emma!
Daileann Hemmings, Woman of the Year
This year Daileann Hemmings (YSN '24) has been chosen to be Woman of the Year at The Village for women and girls.
The mission of The Village is to build a community of strong, healthy families who protect and nurture children.
Dr. Daileann Hemmings, DNP, RN, is a maternal health equity leader with more than 25 years of experience in nursing, healthcare leadership, advocacy, education and community engagement. As System Director of Maternal Health Equity at Hartford HealthCare, she leads initiatives to reduce health disparities and advance equitable care for birthing people. Dr. Hemmings earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Yale University's Healthcare Leadership, Systems, and Policy program. She is a certified counselor in lactation and Sickle Cell Disease.
The Girl Within Event is Friday, December 4, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM, at the CT Convention Center in Hartford.
Please join us in congratulating Daileann!
Kyndall Donalson on The BLAC Network
Kyndall Donalson (YC '23) has been featured on The BLAC Network, a national map of more than 180 graduates of color from over ninety institutions.
She graduated from Yale College in May 2023 with a bachelor's in History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health.
Please join us in congratulating Kyndall!
Ifeoma Ajunwa Appointed at Goizueta
Ifeoma Ajunwa (LAW '24) has been appointed Professor of Organizations and Management (by courtesy) at Emory University's Goizueta Business School.
Please join us in congratulating Ifeoma!