During Howard University’s 2025 Homecoming celebration, the university celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Lavender Reception, an event honoring the achievements of LGBTQ+ Bison. 

In signature Lavender Reception fashion, Howard’s Blackburn Ballroom was awash in ambient lavender lights as students, alumni, faculty, staff, and various supporters enjoyed a festive celebration uplifting LGBTQ+ Bison on Wednesday evening. The event, organized by the Office of Intercultural Affairs and LGBTQ+ Resource Center, included a surprise performance by actor and singer Jussie Smollet. The entertainer encouraged the crowd to “turn up the volume of love” and briefly shared encouraging words on the need to continue to support LGBTQ+ communities during turbulent times. Smollet, who is largely known for his role as Jamal Lyon in the Fox series “Empire,” sang a medley of songs, including one of the show’s popular tracks, “You’re So Beautiful,” a song that celebrated his character’s infamous coming out moment as a gay man.  

The night also marked a major milestone for the organizers behind the annual reception. Each year, several current Howard students who identify as LGBTQ+ are awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Lavender Fund, created by alum Christopher N. Cross (Ph.D. ’19). In 2015, Cross helped to launch the first HBCU fundraiser dedicated to affirming and supporting LGBTQ+ students through financial awards, student-led programming, and campus initiatives. This year, 10 students were awarded Lavendar Fund scholarships. Since its inception, the event has awarded more than $50,000 in scholarships to Howard students and continues to grow in reach and impact. 

“From day one in Founders Library and now we’re here,” Cross said to the Lavender Reception audience. “This is 10 years of love, leadership, and legacy made visible. As a former trustee, I’ve witnessed firsthand how this institution continues to stretch toward equity and inclusion, not as an afterthought but as part of the very fabric of what it means to be to be Howard. We don’t just talk about representation, we invest in it, we make room for it, we nurture it.” 

The Lavender Fund’s Impact 

The 2025 Lavender Reception featured guest speakers such as David J. Johns, CEO and executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC). Johns briefly studied at Howard and was a staff writer for the school’s student newspaper, The Hilltop.  

“This place taught me that queerness and Blackness are not contradictions to be managed but powerful intersecting truth to be celebrated in living technicolor,” Johns said in his remarks.  

He also made mention of alum Victoria Kirby York (B.A. ’09, MPA ’11), who is the director of public policy and programs at the NBJC and was amongst the reception attendees. As a student at Howard, York served as a graduate assistant to the Office of the President, a student government member, and a member of BLAGOSAH (the bisexual, lesbian, allied and gay organization of students at Howard University), now known as CASCADE. Her student thesis, entitled “Lavender Report,” explored the unmet needs of HBCU LGBTQ+ students and their inclusion on campuses. The Lavender Fund was named as an homage to York’s thesis.  

Interim President Wayne A. I. Frederick M.D., MBA, expressed his pride in supporting the Lavender Fund, which has included matching the dollar amount of the donations raised for the fund each year.  

“The Lavender Fund has changed Howard’s culture and gave visibility to students who often felt unseen a permanent place in our community,” said President Frederick via video remarks shown during the reception. “Today, Howard cannot be imagined without it.” 

The team behind the Lavender Fund launched a campaign to raise $100,000 to establish a permanent endowment. During his remarks, President Frederick announced that “my wife and I will continue to match all the funds that are raised by the Lavender Fund. If the fund reaches its goal of $100,000, we will match with a gift of $150,000.” 

He continued: “For me, the most powerful moments have been hearing directly from students how this fund gave them the courage to pursue their dreams, to be their authentic selves, and to know they below here.” 

Sophomore Trinity Wright was a recipient of a 2025 Lavender Fund scholarship. Wright, a health sciences student on the pre-med track, is the vice president of CASCADE and shared that the scholarship “is a great opportunity for me to carry on my educational journey, and being in pre-med, I have a very long journey –– every dollar counts.”  

“[LGBTQ+ students] are a large population on Howard’s campus, we contribute to the diversity and what makes Howard, Howard,” she added. “It’s important that we continue to be celebrated and have things like the Lavender Fund and the Lavender Reception to bring our community together. It’s important for us to be represented.” 

Kai McFadgion, a sophomore studying international affairs, was also a 2025 Lavender Fund recipient, and said that “I feel very comfortable here at Howard, especially being a nonbinary individual. Before coming to Howard, I was thinking that since I was coming to an all-Black institution, I didn’t know how they would feel about my [nonbinary identity], but as soon as I walked through the door, I was like ‘this is such a welcoming community.’ Howard’s done a great job in making sure that we all feel comfortable. This scholarship especially is showing how much they care.” 

AJ King, director of the Office of Intercultural Affairs and LGBTQ+ Resource Center, acknowledged the work and accomplishments of the university’s LGBTQ+ community.  

“Lavender Fund recipients, you’re the embodiment of resilience, leadership, and pride,” he said in the event’s closing remarks. “Your voices, your scholarship, and your advocacy is exactly what this space was created to support. We see you, we believe in you, and we’re excited about the futures that you’re shaping.”  

The 2025 Lavender Fund recipients:  

• Leilani Anderson, freshman, theatre arts major from Redwood City, California
• Bright Cofie, freshman, computer information systems from Clinton, Maryland
• Nyla Crowder, junior, health sciences major from Boston, Massachusetts
• Teron Jones, junior, strategic communications major from Baltimore, Maryland
• Kai McFadgion, sophomore, international affairs major from Washington, D.C.
• Noa Jordan, senior, art major, from Atlanta, Georgia
• Aidan Newell, junior, biology major, from Port St. Lucie, Florida
• Tyler Patterson, junior, musical theatre major from Columbus, Georgia
• Paris Taylor, sophomore, TV and film major from Richmond, Virginia
• Trinity Wright, sophomore, health sciences major from Kansas City, Missouri 

Photos by Simone Boyd, Howard University Office of University Communications