Hope and Community Power AOCC 2025

The Harvard Graduate School of Education hosted the Alumni of Color Conference (AOCC) on February 28 and March 1, an annual homecoming for students and presenters now in its 23rd year.

The two-day event saw more than 400 registrants attend 30 different presentations from 80 speakers and educators, including keynote addresses by Sharif El-Mekki, CEO and founder of the Center for Black Educator Development, and Gholdy Muhammad, author and professor at the University of Illinois Chicago.

“We are here today and tomorrow to reset the way we think. To reimagine what is possible and to move forward with boldness, tenacity, and conviction. Most importantly, we want this space to feel like a homecoming,” said AOCC 2025 co-chair Angelique Smith (Ed.L.D.) to open Friday’s keynote. “A place where we can reconnect, recharge, and reaffirm our shared purpose.”

AOCC’s theme for 2025, “The Power of Critical Hope: Reset. Reimagine,” invited participants to consider how to navigate a world marked by persistent challenges and find opportunities for change.

“It is more than just a call to action, it is a declaration,” said Smith. “Hope is not passive. You don’t just sit around. Hope is force. Hope is action. Hope fuels progress and ignites imagination and propels us toward justice.”

AOCC’s schedule for 2025 included a number of different panels, including a session featuring high school students sharing their ideas and perspectives. Affinity breakfasts, breakout sessions and even an R&B sing-a-long highlighted the warmth and spirit of a conference that brings critical hope to Appian Way each year.

“This is such an honor to be here,” said AOCC co-founder Daren Graves, Ed.D.'06, who moderated a fireside chat in Askwith Hall on Friday. “It’s always beautiful to be able to stare out in this direction and see all the faces and see the way that we transform this space.”