The thick aroma of frying fish floated across Appenzeller Field, mingling with the laughter of old friends who had not seen each other in months or even years. Under a white tent pitched Saturday against the backdrop of Guilford College's Homecoming & Family Weekend, the Black Alumni of Guilford College gathered not just to eat, but to remember, to reconnect, and to remind themselves of the circle that once held them close.

Rebecca Mabry ’95 says the event is a reminder of the community that helped sustain Black Guilfordians. “We were our circle of support for four years, so coming out here today is just a way of reconnecting and catching up,” says Rebecca.

Rebecca stood outside the tent, her eyes scanning faces that looked older now, but familiar all the same. “This is a group that celebrated being a Black student on campus and graduating and being part of the Guilford family,” she says. “We had support from other students and faculty but Black Guilfordians were our circle of support for four years. So coming out here today is just a way of reconnecting and catching up.”

That word — support — seemed to hang in the air as the crowd traded stories. Not the kind you post online, polished for likes, but the kind you tell with a laugh, or a wince, in the company of those who lived them too.

“Thirty years ago we didn’t have Facebook or social media to keep up,” said Darryl Nash ’95, standing next to Rebecca. “We do now, but it’s such a better experience to see each other face to face. There are so many, so many other things you can talk about, besides what you put on Facebook. And those stories are those incidents that we encountered here at Guilford that you don’t want to put on paper.”

Interested in joining the BAGC, contact Toiya Hancock ’93, President of the BAGC, at blackalumniofguilfordcollege@gmail.com.