“I want current Brooklyn Tech Black and Latino students to feel connected to and supported by alumni," Ms. Oyedijo said. “It is no secret that the Black and Latino student population of Brooklyn Tech is a small fraction of what it was in the 1980s and ’90s.”

Black and Latino students, she said, “do not feel the alumni connection nor are they aware of the many thousands of Black and Latino alumni who came before them.”

“As an alumna from the ’90s, I attended Brooklyn Tech when Blacks and Latinos represented over 40% of the student population. I believe that it is imperative that we alumni give back to our alma mater, providing students both connection and support through our time and financial contributions. We want all of our students to walk through Tech’s doors feeling welcome and included, knowing that this is a place where they belong.”

In response to discussions with the BSU and ASPIRA, more than a dozen Tech community members already came together in June to fund Black and Latino heritage stoles for 2023 commencement. Generous donors included: Damien Bevelle ’92, Naneka J. Brathwaite ’92, Erica Cochran ’92, Michelle Corley, Onyel Gibson ’92, Gregory Henry ’92, Bola Oyedijo ’92, James Goodwille Pierre ’83, Yvette Rodriguez ’92, Ned Steele ’68, Marcel Vaughn-Handy, Denice C. Ware ’83, and Giselle Williams ’92.

“I am calling on all alumni, particularly those from the ’80s and ’90s,” says Ms. Oyedijo, “to join me in making an annual financial commitment to sponsor this fund.”