Charter Day Weekend a time to celebrate
By Kelvin Childs
The 159th Charter Day Convocation, March 6 at Cramton Auditorium, is a joyful and reverential observance of Howard University’s history providing higher learning for African-Americans. Charter Day Dinner, on March 7 at the Marriott Marquis Washington DC, keeps the tradition alive, raising funds for student scholarships and honoring achievements of distinguished alumni.
Charter Day Convocation speaker Donald B. Christian (’90, BBA, magna cum laude), CPA, CISA, has served on the Howard University Board of Trustees since 2018. Christian is founder and CEO of EquaNX LLC, a consulting firm that provides executive advice for entrepreneurs, founders and C-suite executives. Christian retired in 2025 after a 36-year career with PricewaterhouseCoopers US, as a consulting risk management partner and lead client partner. He was also formerly a member of the boards of PwC US and PwC Global. A native of St. Andrew, Jamaica, Christian is a certified public accountant and certified information systems auditor and has an executive education certification from Harvard Business School.
The Charter Day activities mark the anniversary of the March 2, 1867, signing by President Andrew Johnson of the charter that established a new institution of higher learning, post-Civil War, for free African-Americans and freed enslaved people. For more than a century and a half, graduates of Howard have led in every professional sphere — law, politics, medicine, education, research, science, the arts, the clergy, business, social work, engineering and architecture, communications and social science.
More than $1 million toward student financial aid was raised as part of the 2025 Charter Day Dinner. The scholarships help cover student costs beyond tuition and are an investment in the potential of graduates from our 14 schools and colleges.
Find out more, including how to register, book accommodations at the host hotel, the Marriott Marquis Washington DC, and become a sponsor, at Charter Day Dinner.