The 1980's with Lisa Boykin, Kevin Hawkins, Margret LaChapelle Sonnier, and Phyllis Stone

The 1980s

Presented by

Black Domers: Pioneers (Part 2)

Black@ND is a talk show that discusses the experiences, successes, and challenges of the University of Notre Dame’s African American students, current and alumni, and the steps taken to survive in a community that lacks representation of color. It is our job to discuss the difficult topics and have honest perspectives followed by ways of improvement with aims to build a better community. For today’s topic “What Does it Mean to be Black at ND?” co-hosts Emorja Roberson ’17, ’22 Ph.D., James Riley ’94 BA, EMNA ’27, and Lynnette Wukie ’21 are joined by Don Wycliff ’69, David Krashna ’71, Ben Finley ’60, and Percy A. Pierre ’61, ’63 MS, ’77 Hon D.Eng.

Breaking Down Barriers to African American Entrepreneurship

The benefits of entrepreneurship are well documented. Startups are responsible for nearly all job growth in the United States, experience growth rates substantially higher than other businesses, can help eliminate poverty and have an outsized impact on overall economic productivity and GDP. Despite this, entrepreneurship and venture capital have been largely closed to minorities, with African Americans being impacted particularly hard.

African Americans make up approximately 13 percent of the U.S. population yet only 2.2 percent of small businesses are owned by them. By comparison, whites make up approximately 60 percent of the population but own 82.5 percent of all businesses. Black-owned businesses are also valued eight times lower than white-owned firms and their annual revenue averages nine times less than white-owned businesses. Compounding this is the fact that only one percent of venture capital dollars go to Black entrepreneurs. All of this has helped contribute to our economy’s growing inequality.

In June 2020 the IDEA Center at the University of Notre Dame hosted a conversation featuring Philip Gaskin, vice president of entrepreneurship at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; G. Marcus Cole, the Joseph A. Matson Dean and Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School; Andrew Welters ’14, CEO and partner at 5Lion Ventures; and Bryan Ritchie, former Vice President and Cathy and John Martin Associate Provost for Innovation at Notre Dame, about how to break down systemic barriers around African American entrepreneurship. More specifically, our panel of speakers discussed what barriers exist for Black entrepreneurs (and why); what needs to be done to increase Black entrepreneurship; how models of Black entrepreneurship might look different from what traditional models expect; and how Notre Dame, other universities, investors, politicians, and attendees of the webinar can support these efforts now.

Protest fears

Presented by With Voices True

“But then the police showed up, and everyone, the energy obviously shifted. And most of it was fear.” – Erica Browne ’22

With Voices True is an archive of personal narratives on race. In partnership with University of Notre Dame Archives, the Klau Institute seeks to give voice to the Notre Dame community on issues of race and racial identity. Through written, spoken, or visual stories, our community reflects on how we experience race, how it shapes our lives, and how we navigate relationships within it. For more information on With Voices True, to explore the archive, or to share your story, please visit their website.

We Are ND Stories

Presented by Notre Dame Alumni Association

A week after his arrival at the land that now makes up our campus, Father Sorin predicted Notre Dame would become “one of the most powerful means of doing good,” and to this day, that sentiment resonates within the Notre Dame family. Its members—both alumni and friends—live out that aspirational mission in their day-to-day lives. This shines through in the good things they do for their friends and neighbors and for complete strangers; through their day jobs and volunteer efforts; and within their local communities and beyond. 

We Are ND, a digital publication from the Notre Dame Alumni Association, tells these stories of Domers doing good in the world. Each Monday, we will publish a new piece highlighting a member of the Notre Dame family who is making a difference. We welcome you to read our stories, and to check back each week for a new one.

• Dr. Eleanor Walker ’84
• Darrell Gordon ’88, ’89 M.S.

Art for Thought: "All The Boys"

Presented by Raclin Murphy Museum of Art

Learn more about the art work and its artist here.