Come rain, come shine – alumni, friends, parents, currents students, admitted students, faculty, and staff, all gathered together for the annual Black Family BBQ.

DJ Dense from the Fyrm and 93.5 KDAY Hip Hop radio station provided the tunes, while everyone enjoyed BBQ ribs and trimmings provided by celebrity caterer Sharon Childress, Culinary Visionaries; a variety of wings provided by a local Wing Stop, owned by alumnus Robin Kirksey ’95, and topped of the feast with Cold Stone Creamery ice cream provided by alumnus Ernest Henderson ‘95.

The Black Family BBQ is an inclusive event, (open to all), that has taken place annually at LMU over the past ten years. It was conceived out of LMU’s Office of Admissions, by Charles Mason, as a way to recruit and retain recently admitted students who self identify as Black/African-American. Over the years, the BBQ has grown significantly to include other departments on campus as well as the African American Alumni Association. Events like this BBQ have attributed to the rise of LMU as a leading southern California university with one of the largest percentages of African American student populations; which is currently at 8%.