15 Black Boston University Alums Who Have Left Their Mark
Recognized CFA alums include Grace Bumbry (CFA'55) and Uzo Aduba (CFA'05)
15 Black Boston University Alums Who Have Left Their Mark
In the worlds of politics, civil rights, sports, the arts, media, medicine, education, to just name a few, these prominent BU alumni, both living and deceased, are worth celebrating
This article was first published in Bostonia on February 10, 2025. By Doug Most
EXCERPT
To celebrate Black History Month, Bostonia combed its archives for Black Boston University alumni, both past and present, who have left their mark across society in some way. It’s no secret that Martin Luther King, Jr. (GRS’55, Hon.’59) is a notable BU alum, which is why he’s not included on this list. (And no, we did not overlook Howard Thurman [Hon.’67], dean of Marsh Chapel from 1953 to 1965. Thurman was not a BU alum, but rather an honorary degree recipient.) Here with our list, in no particular order, of BU alums worth honoring during Black History Month.
Grace Bumbry (CFA’55), b. 1937
In the arts, awards don’t get much bigger than the Kennedy Center Honors. In 2009, internationally celebrated mezzo soprano Grace Bumbry was among those honored by the Kennedy Center. Her voice, sultry and wide-ranging, may have defined her on stage, but off stage she was equally influential as a world-leading vocal teacher who created the Black Musical Heritage Ensemble. Bumbry broke a color barrier at the Bayreuth Festival in Germany in 1961, when the grandson of Richard Wagner cast her as Venus in a performance of the opera Tannhäuser, and she received 42 curtain calls. Just 24, she was the first Black singer at the festival, and it caught the attention of Jackie Kennedy, who later invited her to sing at the White House. “It was an enormous success, and a wonderful feeling that my efforts were not in vain,” Bumbry said of her Bayreuth performance.
Uzo Aduba (CFA’05), b. 1981
There is no other way to say it: she created one of the most riveting, dramatic, searing roles on television in the last 20 years. Uzo Aduba’s character on the smash Netflix comedy and dramatic series Orange Is the New Black, was named Suzanne Warren. But anyone who watched the show knew her by her nickname: “Crazy Eyes.” And it led to other hit shows, including playing a therapist in the remake of In Treatment and starring now in the Shonda Rhimes Netflix drama The Residence. But her role on OITNB remains career-defining for her. Here is how Bostonia described her portrayal there: “OITNB inmates and guards alike struggle to maintain their humanity in the confines of the fictional Litchfield federal minimum security prison. Although modesty and professionalism would prevent Aduba from agreeing, Crazy Eyes upstages them all. She is a complex, nuanced creation—an innocent with a quick, well-versed mind, a child’s frail psyche, and a simmering lethal violent streak.” Aduba knew the role was the perfect fit for her. “When I met Suzanne, it just felt right,” she said. During her time at BU, she was one of the University’s all-time top sprinters. She excelled in the 55-meter, 100-meter, and 200-meter races and won the BU Athletics Aldo “Buff” Donelli Leadership Award, given to a senior for “outstanding leadership on and off the field.”