Last Updated on May 6, 2025 by BVN
Alyssah Hall
The National Black Grads (NBG) organization is the largest African American high school recognition ceremony in Southern California and it celebrated the 2025 class of scholarship recipients on Sunday, May 4, 2025 at the Inland Empire Black Graduate Recognition Ceremony. More than 750 high school graduates and college-bound students participated in the event at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) in the Coussoulis Arena.
Founded in 2011, NBG has awarded over 240 scholarships totaling almost half a million dollars to Black students across the region. This year’s recipients reflect a wide range of talents, from aspiring entrepreneurs and engineers to future civic leaders, educators, artists and athletes.
“This ceremony is more than a graduation event,it’s a powerful act of affirmation,” Keynasia Buffong, co-founder of NBG stated.
“Our students deserve to be seen, celebrated, and surrounded by a village that reminds them their Blackness is not just beautiful, but brilliant,” Buffong continued.
NBG celebrates students who not only excel in the classroom, but also uplift their communities, embodying the spirit of leadership and excellence. Scholarship recipients are selected through a thorough evaluation process that considers academic achievement, artistic contributions, civic engagement, athletic excellence, community service, and the colleges and universities they have chosen to attend.
“My involvement in the IE Recognition Ceremony was a diving board that sprang me into the world of higher education. I still remember the moment in 2019 when I felt seen, supported, and inspired. That was where my passion truly began,” stated Amaturrahman Medlock, a 2025 Master’s degree recipient and former NBG honoree.
The NBG event is sponsored and supported by the Youth Action Project, Cooperative Economic Empowerment Movement (CEEM), BLU Educational Foundation, CSUSB, CLAY Counseling Foundation, and Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE). The event was open to the public.
For more details on event policies and procedures visit their website at https://nationalblackgrad.org/.
