The UMass Boston Africana Studies Department held its first “Africana Homecoming” on November 9. Alumni from the last 32 years came together to celebrate the history of the department and to initiate the Africana Mentoring Program.

“We reached out to alumni for the past 32 years. We thought it was very important for the alumni to come together to celebrate the department and to connect with each other,” said Robert MacEachern, a Class of 2000 Africana Studies graduate, who chaired the event. “The department is growing and we wanted to provide an opportunity for alumni and current majors to interact.”

Professor Robert Johnson, Jr., chair of the Africana Studies Department, explained, “I want to make our department more friendly for the students. We should use our experience and contacts for the