The Umoja Steering Committee is hosting its annual pre-commencement celebration at Illinois State University. Umoja: Celebration of Black Graduates will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 9, in the Brown Ballroom of the Bone Student Center. The theme for the 2019 celebration is “Unapologetic Blackness.”

Students can sign up to be part of the celebration until Wednesday, April 1. Registration is available at the Umoja website.

Alumnus Julius Patterson will be the event’s keynote speaker, Patterson, who earned a master’s degree in social work in 2016, is a candidate for 5th Ward Alderman in Harvey, Illinois.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit the Umoja website.