September 14, 2006
We drank "Ruth Simmons". Sipped on "Rattys". Threw back "'06ers"...and had a ball as IPCNY welcomed NYCs newest "movers and shakers in the making" with another event of Hot Opulence.
From '76 to '06, over 40 alumni turned out to Negrils in the Village to shoot the breeze and simply catch up with old friends and make new acquaintances. As grads recent and past mingled, cool music and conversation as well as delicious West Indian appetizers and specialty drinks helped to maintain an atmosphere that was simultaneously relaxing and exciting.
The night was definitely a success on multiple levels as IPCNY not only welcomed Brown's newest alumni to NYC, but also was able to raise funds through suggested donations to be allocated towards the Ethel Tremaine Foundation for student outreach, IPCNY's own non-profit initiative which seeks to expose middle and high school students from underserved communities to academic improvement and cultural awareness programs by providing tuition assistance to those who qualify to attend Brown's highly selective P-CEP (pre-college enrichment programs) summer program.
None of this would have been possible if not for the feverish planning and behind the scenes work of several IPCNY committees including On Campus Relations, Fundraising and Hospitality. Special thanks go to Ofiji Parris and Afua Yeboa for the updated Resource Guide and especially Ayana Evans and her planning committee who coordinated every aspect of the event from securing the venue; to preparing the gift bags (big shout out for really coming through to Reggie Nance /Hot 97 and their sister station Kiss, Shop Harlem, and the folks at Viacom who contributed items!!!); to brainstorming names for specialty drinks that would really make the night memorable and truly about the Brown experience. (As many of you said, half the fun of ordering the drinks was the short trip down memory lane that the names provided...an excellent final touch to an overall night of hot opulence...the other half the fun was drinking them!)
For those of you who attended, your presence was truly appreciated as it helped us take the "Hot Opulence" to another level and showed recent grads that they were not alone and had a support system here in the city. For those of you who missed it, you definitely missed out, but fret not, IPC has several other exciting events in the works for the near future and we truly hope to see you at one of the upcoming events. Let us continue to use these opportunities to connect with eachother and reconnect with the university remembering that our numbers provide the strength behind our voice.
Peace and Blessings my people.
Berka Ngong '99
Welcome to the Boldly Black page. These are challenging times for our people and wherever possible, we'd like Brown University to be a resource to and a beneficiary of our individual and collective efforts in the strengthening and empowering of our community.
Hot Opulence 2006