Itanwa Orinwa “Black Graduation”

On behalf of ltanwa Orinwa committee, please join us to celebrate the 2021 Itanwa Orinwa, “Persistence Through Resistance.”

History

ltanwa Orinwa (Our Story, Our Song) is a graduation ceremony dedicated to celebrating the achievements of Syracuse University graduates of color. ltanwa Orinwa was founded in 2002 at Syracuse University by a group of distinguished Black students. Their mission was to create an annual observance honoring all degree candidates who identify as being part of the African Diaspora. This includes, but is not exclusive to: African American, African, Caribbean and Latin American students. The purpose of this celebration is to acknowledge the historical plight of our people’s pursuit to and through higher education systems and to provide a historical voice and story that can be a legacy for generations to come.

The ceremony recognizes degree candidates as scholastic leaders and the program also includes student performances, a keynote speaker, and the distribution of authentic Kente stoles. The Kente cloth is a meaningful sartorial material and Kente stoles have a historical presence in our culture, representing the pride we have in our African heritage. Every aspect of the cloth is symbolic. The gold symbolizes status/serenity; yellow for fertility; green for renewal; blue is symbolic of pure spirit/harmony; red represents passion; and black symbolizes union/spiritual awareness. It is a tradition adapted from Ghana in which Kente is a royal cloth and its presentation is a loving rite of passage gift.

For more information, please contact Yasmine Goring.