For ten years, the University of Rochester’s Douglass Leadership House (DLH) on the River Campus has served as a symbol of—and space for—Black excellence, persistence, and fortitude. House residents have enriched campus life by hosting presentations and discussions, and through projects they’ve undertaken related to the “four pillars” of DLH: Leadership Models, Community Engagement, Artistic Diversity, and Conflict Resolution. In 2021, DLH became the University’s first “living-learning community,” moving out from under the jurisdiction of Residential Life and forming tighter, more permanent partnerships on campus.
To mark the 10th anniversary of the creation of DLH, the house’s leadership organized a weekend of events, including information sessions, house tours, a talent showcase, and a virtual reunion for its alumni. With University President Sarah Mangelsdorf in attendance, the celebrations kicked off with a commemorative address presented by DLH President Andre Hodges ’22. He remarked on the house’s history as well as on its instrumental role in fostering a sense of family and support, not only for himself but also for countless other students at Rochester. Hodges charged DLH members—past, present, and future—with continuing to build on that legacy of community and safety in the years and decades to come.
