A Biannual Journal of Black Alumni of Drake University
BLACK LIFE, LEADERSHIP,
& LEGACY
The People, Ideas, and Impact Shaping Communities Far Beyond Campus
From classrooms to boardrooms, pulpits to public office, DRAKEVINE™ explores how a small alumni community has made an outsized mark on American life.
The Experience
WHEN EXCELLENCE MEETS REALITY
College Wasn’t Just About Achievement.
It Was About Becoming.
For many Black students at Drake, college life carried layers that were never listed in the syllabus. We arrived as high achievers—honors students, athletes, leaders—only to encounter new pressures, unfamiliar expectations, and the disorienting experience of being a small minority navigating identity, culture, and performance all at once. Much of what shaped us happened quietly, in real-time, without language for what we were living.
We found solace in the Black Student Organization, the gospel choir, Divine 9 sororities and fraternities, and each other.
The Drakevine began in the 1980s as an informal student newsletter created by Gwen Witherspoon (BA '85)—named for how Black students shared information, checked on one another, and stayed connected. She was shocked to discover that after she graduated, Drake's chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) continued producing the Drakevine Newsletter. In 2025, it was published as a commemorative magazine for the Drake BSO Reunion in Minneapolis, and going forward, DRAKEVINE™ will be released as a journal twice a year.
Guided By Those Who Lived It
BORN FROM CONNECTION. CARRIED BY COMMUNITY.
What Started As a Lifeline Has Become a Living Journal
DRAKEVINE™ reflects the lived experience of becoming—friendship, pressure, ambition, doubt, joy—shaped within a small community navigating a much larger institution. While rooted at Drake, these stories speak to anyone who has learned who they were while moving through spaces not designed with them in mind.
This journal is for alumni, students, and readers beyond campus who understand that growth doesn’t happen in isolation. Each issue brings together thoughtful storytelling and striking visuals to explore how identity, environment, and community shape the lives we build—and the impact we carry forward.
A Niche Branded Publication
DRAKEVINE™
IS DESIGNED
TO BE READ, SHARED, & KEPT.
Stories About You
Each issue explores how Black Drake alumni have:
Led in moments that mattered
Built institutions and opportunity
Shaped culture and public life
From Des Moines to cities across the nation.
Carried legacy forward—and expanded it
From Des Moines to cities across the nation.
Charlotte Shaw
Chief Executive Officer
CEO, Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority
Alumni Spotlight 2025
Camille Y. Lilly
Congresswoman and Assistant Majority Leader
Illinois 78th District
Alumni Spotlight 2025
Art Johnson
Chief Executive Officer & Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author
Infinity Systems
Think Tank Panel 2025
Demetrius Henderson & Melvin Mathis
40-Year Friends
& Business Partners
We Are One Family Health Services of Maryland
Alumni Spotlight 2025
Making a Difference
DRAKEVINE™ IS COMMITTED TO SOCIAL IMPACT.
Providing the Support We Needed
Proceeds from each issue support:
Scholarships for Black Drake Students
Community-Based Organizations in Reunion Host Cities
Promoting Black-Owned Businesses
The Continued Documentation of Black Alumni Leadership & Impact
This is what happens when a small group navigates a large institution and carries what they learned into the world.
We're In This Together
IF YOU CARE ABOUT IMPACT THAT LASTS...
You're In the Right Place.
DRAKEVINE™ is for:
Drake alumni and friends who know their stories matter
Partners who value proximity to leadership and influence
Funders who understand cultural stewardship
Contributors who believe Black life deserves depth, nuance, and excellence
DRAKEVINE™ is where lived experience becomes shared understanding, and shared understanding becomes meaningful action.
Join the Alumni Network
GET INVOLVED WITH THE DRAKEVINE™
Explore the Journal
Discover the stories shaping 140 years of Black alumni impact.
Advertise With Purpose
Align your brand with leadership, legacy, and a highly engaged alumni network.
Contribute a Story
Help shape the narrative and expand what gets remembered.
Fund the Work
Support the journal, the scholarships, and the future it makes possible.
TELLING OUR STORIES. SHARING OUR LEGACY. INVESTING IN WHAT'S NEXT.
CONTACT [email protected] | ADVERTISE [email protected] | CONTRIBUTE [email protected]
DRAKEVINE™ is independently produced by Drake University alumni of the Black Student Organization and friends and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Drake University, the Drake Black Alumni Reunion, or the Drake University Black Alumni Association.