Black Alumni Association
The Black Alumni Association is dedicated to bringing together a large and successful community of Black alumni from Luther and to supporting today's Black Luther students.
BAA Leadership
Loretta Dooley Wetzel ’80
Perran G. Wetzel IV ’79
Co-Presidents
Ashalul Aden ’20
Hemie Collier ’07
Denise Davismckennie ’82
Willie Davismckennie ’84, current member, Luther College Board of Regents
Greg Fields ’77, emeritus member, Luther College Board of Regents
Cyril Jervis ’82
Julie Van Arsdale-Jervis ’82
Activities and Initiatives
The Black Alumni Association is planning a weekend gathering in Washington, D.C., for March 2023. In addition to all the usual sights that make a trip to Washington, D.C., memorable, we are planning group visits to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, an After Dark Tour, a morning worship at the Howard University Sunday Chapel Service, and an opportunity to share your thoughts at a meeting of the Luther College Black Alumni Association.
In 2019, we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Black Student Union at Luther College with a long list of memorable events, guest lecturers, and meaningful dialogue. A spring gala capped off the yearlong celebration, bringing many of us together on campus for the first time in years.
The Black Alumni Association Scholarship was established during the summer of 2020 in memory of slain African Americans who fell victim to racist violence in America.
Formerly known as the Diversity Center Book Fund and the CIES Book Fund, the fund began via two sources: a four-year partnership with Alliant Energy in response to Adell Patton’s challenge at the First Black History Conference at Luther in 2004 to get Black books into Iowa school libraries, and a $4,000 alumnus grant to establish a book fund, which at the 2004 Black Alumni Reunion, was allocated specifically to help African American students with purchasing books. In 2017, in recognition of the 15th anniversary of the then Diversity Center, the book fund was relaunched with the emphasis on helping any student in need. This fund is now renamed in honor of Wintlett Taylor-Browne for her dedication and commitment to supporting Luther’s students and her leadership of the Diversity Center and the Center for Intercultural Engagement and Support. The fund shall be used to provide grants to students with demonstrated financial need for support of textbooks and other resources.