Makuu: The Black Cultural Center

On June 19, 1865, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that the enslaved were finally free—a full two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth is a celebration of that delayed but hard-won liberation. It’s a day to ground ourselves in the truth of our history, honor the ancestors who carried us through, and celebrate the culture and community that keep us moving forward.



Scroll through to see how Philly is celebrating this Juneteenth weekend! Get out and get involved✊

Scroll through to see how Philly is celebrating this Juneteenth weekend! Get out and get involved✊

Scroll through to see how Philly is celebrating this Juneteenth weekend! Get out and get involved✊

Scroll through to see how Philly is celebrating this Juneteenth weekend! Get out and get involved✊

Scroll through to see how Philly is celebrating this Juneteenth weekend! Get out and get involved✊

Scroll through to see how Philly is celebrating this Juneteenth weekend! Get out and get involved✊

Scroll through to see how Philly is celebrating this Juneteenth weekend! Get out and get involved✊

Scroll through to see how Philly is celebrating this Juneteenth weekend! Get out and get involved✊

Get amped up for the Haiti against Brazil tonight with Penn Library! See you at Kislak for celebratory fun. Na wè pita!

Pull up for the Juneteenth/FIFA Worid Cup jawn. You know how we do!!! The multi collabo w/ & us~ Makuu! It’s going down on the rooftop for Juneteenth & FIFA. ❤️

Join Penn BAS NYC for our 3rd Annual Summer Social! This year will also be a special edition as we bring in the celebration of Juneteenth weekend. It will be a festive evening of connection and networking with our New York alumni community. Our mixers have brought together our community of over 300+ alumni across a legacy of five decades at Penn. All graduates and current students/staff are welcome to attend. This is not one to miss! Link in BAS bio✨

Kara is a double major in Communication and Anthropology, with respective concentrations in Culture & Society and Cultural & Linguistic Anthropology. She is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Her on-campus involvements include receiving the Wolf Humanities Undergraduate Research Fellowship and serving as a Makuu Intern. She has also done illustration for the Daily Pennsylvanian and served as a Director for SPEC Spring Fling Daytime. She has also served as a mentor for PennArts, Africana Summer Institute, and DuBois College House.

Congratulations, Kara! We are immensely proud of you and cannot wait to witness all that you accomplish.

Florence is in the Huntsman Program, where she is pursuing a dual degree in International Studies and Business with concentrations in International Relations and Business. She is from Altamonte Springs, Florida.

On campus, she has held leadership roles as Executive Director of Black Wharton Consulting, a three-year Perry World House Student Fellow, and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board. During a semester abroad in Barcelona, she conducted field research on West African migrants for her senior thesis, Survival Is Not a Crime: West African Migrants and the Struggle for Economic Mobility in Barcelona, which received the Rose Award, Penn’s highest undergraduate research award. Florence is a 2026 Rhodes Scholar, Ron Brown Scholar, and recipient of both the Presidential Service and Educational Excellence Awards

Congratulations, Florence! We are immensely proud of you and cannot wait to witness all that you accomplish.

Aisha is a double major in Health and Societies and Nutrition Science in the College of Arts and Sciences from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Her on-campus involvements include serving as Co-Chair of Descendants of African Americans at Penn (DAAP). She has also served as Event Coordinator for Faces of Black Penn, the premier Black student publication, and Finance chair for PAGE (Penn Association for Gender Equity). As Finance Chair for The Accountability Initiative, she raised the funds needed to host their workshop series, which benefited local high school students. She currently serves as President of Onyx Senior Honor Society and is a recipient of the James Brister Society Award from the Black Alumni Society.

Congratulations, Aisha! We are immensely proud of you and cannot wait to witness all that you accomplish.

Xian is an Economics major with a concentration in Marketing at the Wharton School from Long Island, New York.

His on-campus involvements include serving as Director of West African Vibe (Previous Tech Chair), 2x Director of Strictly Funk Dance Company (Previous Alumni Relations Chair), Internal Social Chair of Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity Incorporated, Project Lead and Marketing Chair of Black Wharton Consulting, and Member Relations Chair of Wharton Undergraduate Media and Entertainment Club. He is also a member of the Friars Senior Honor Society and Founder of the EXDigital Collective, a marketing startup that provides small businesses with a digital presence.

Congratulations, Xian! We are immensely proud of you and cannot wait to witness all that you accomplish.

Felicitas is a double major Biology and Fine Arts in the College of Arts and Sciences from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Her on-campus involvements include serving as Co-President of the Fine Arts and Design organization (Charles Addams Fine Arts Department), a FERBS Fellow (First Exposure to Biological Research), and a researcher at CHOP Department of Hematology for Drug-Discovery of Sickle Cell Disease.

Congratulations, Felicitas! We are immensely proud of you and cannot wait to witness all that you accomplish.

Dahai is a Neuroscience major in the College of Arts and Sciences from INSERT HOMETOWN.

His on-campus involvements include serving as Co-Chair of UMOJA and Vice President of the
Penn African Student Association. He is also a research scholar through the SUMR/Gear Up
Program and a member of Friars Senior Society and Onyx Senior Honor Society.

Congratulations, Dahai! We are immensely proud of you and cannot wait to witness all that you accomplish.