The University of Cincinnati's United Black Student Association (UBSA) says the signature event of UC's now-defunct African American Cultural & Resource Center, Tyehimba, will be held on campus this year, but without the support of the university.
Tyehimba is an Afrocentric graduation ceremony hosted by UC for decades until last year, when the passage of the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, or Senate Bill 1, banned the university from financially supporting the tradition. It also forced the closure of UC's African American Cultural & Resource Center, along with the school's other identity centers.
Last summer, UC stripped the words "African American" from the front of the center, which has been a fixture on campus since 1991, and trimmed the building's name to "The Cultural Center" to comply with the new state law, which specifically targets university offices and resources intended to benefit minority students.
Ife Oshunniyi, a fall 2025 UC graduate and active chair of the UBSA, says keeping the center's traditions alive despite the legislative headwinds was a priority for the college's Black students and alumni this academic year.
After UC pulled funding from the AACRC and its related events, alumni quickly stepped in to create The Cincy Cultural Resource Center Foundation. The foundation's quarterly newsletter reports that in the past year, more than $35,000 has been raised to rebuild programs that were once offered through the university.
Last spring, the school's Black graduation ceremony was held just off campus. Now, Oshunniyi says, with the help of alumni, it's returned to campus. This year's ceremony will be held in the Tangeman University Center (TUC), a smaller venue than its former home, Fifth Third Arena.
"With this one, doing it in Fifth Third was not as feasible, especially with this change, but since we have an organization willing to sponsor it, being able to do it at TUC is still bringing all the students on campus," Oshunniyi told WVXU.
The annual celebration of UC's Black graduates is something she's been looking forward to since she first arrived on campus four years ago. Oshunniyi already received her diploma at the fall commencement in December. Still, after a year of fighting to keep the school's Black traditions alive, she says this year's Tyehimba ceremony will be extra special for her and her close friends who stood alongside her.
"I'm personally more excited for tomorrow than I was for my graduation in December," she said. "Having something where you know all of your friends are going to be there, your old mentors are going to be there, it creates a different level."
The Tyehimba ceremony will take place on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. inside TUC's Great Hall.
Read more:
