[Gallery] NCCU Boys of Color Conference Is Successful Re-Dedication to Black Male Achievement
Durham, NC – My Brother’s Keeper Durham and North Carolina Central University Male Achievement Center (M.A.C) held its inaugural Boys of Color Conference on the campus of North Carolina Central University (NCCU). The convening of youth, advocates and change-makers on April 13th was designed for young African American males, elementary school age to young adults, to expose them to various professions and serve as a one-day mentoring event.
The theme of the conference, “Be The Change: The Re-Dedication to Black Male Achievement,” set the tone for a stirring, productive and engaging day. The conference began with an introduction from the President of the NCCU Men’s Achievement Center, Mr. Roderick T. Heath. In the introduction and greeting he states why he started this program and the importance of it.
According to Mr. Heath, he grew up without a father, and always wanted to teach the importance of being a black male in society. Once he obtained his college degree he ended up at NCCU as the Men’s Achievement Director. His desire to help lead black males in the right direction landed him in this position.
After the introduction the conference broke out into sessions around campus. Leaders from the mentoring, community engagement, responsible fatherhood, and youth development fields shared their expertise, evidence-based practice and lessons learned during the myriad of sessions. ‘What Happened to the Playbook’, ‘Your Future is Now…If You Want It’, ‘We are the Kreators of our Reality’, ‘Building Bridges of Trust with Law Enforcement’ and ‘Reaching your Greatness’ were titles of a few of the sessions.
The keynote speaker was Founder and CEO of Architects of Justice John P. Comer, a results-driven community organizer with over 15 years’ experience in civic engagement design in the areas of education, criminal justice, and voting rights. He has extensive experience in project management, policy reform, and conflict resolution involving various non-profit and government agencies and diverse communities.
Conference participants were asked about their community needs and how they can be utilized to change the narrative to so they can thrive. They were also given the platform to provide suggestions, insight and solutions for community change.
Overall the conference provided understanding and context to fight a system that they may find to be anti-black and brown people. The organizers anticipate that the impact of the collective and individual learning during the conference will continue the positive momentum in service of boys and young men of color across Durham and surrounding areas. The successful conference made major strides in the re-dedication to black male achievement.
To learn more about NCCU Men’s Achievement Center, visit http://www.nccu.edu/mac/index.cfm
Boys of Color Conference Highlights (Photos: Marika Daniel):
