United by pride and overcoming the struggles that have burdened the black community’s existence since the time of slavery, students at Saturday’s 11th Annual Black Issues Conference came together to find the answer to empowerment and societal change.
The conference titled “Black Empowerment Under the Microscope” welcomed an audience of approximately 70 people and started the day with a greeting from the Black Student Union and the director of the program, graduate student Jaimme Jelks.
“What we want students to take away from the conference is a learning experience,” Jelks said. “Rather it be a reflection of their life or where their career path will take them, it’s important that we come together and understand how these issues are affecting the black community.”
A total of seven discussion-based sessions were held throughout the day and were divided into topics to generate student feedback. The topics of the workshops were based on issues ranging from ways to identify a greater sense of self, finding the ability to become a successful student to the roots of black oppression.
The topic “Still Cold in the D? Urban America’s Crisis” focused on the downfall of urban American cities in the Midwestern United States, particularly Detroit and Cleveland. In the workshop, online media sources were used to help demonstrate the media’s impact on the negative perception of urban life and issues facing poverty stricken communities.
Workshop coordinator graduate student Carlos Northern said when black students come to college from an inner city environment, negative stereotypes can accompany where they are from.
“A lot of black students come to college with almost a chip on their shoulder based on how people perceive them,” Northern said. “Rather, these misconceptions are in the media or coming from other people’s own view of what they think about city life; the purpose of this seminar is to get people exposure to the media and its factuality.”
Other topics focused on expanding the economic blueprint for a more sustainable black community. “Building A Bridge for African American Future Entrepreneurs” addressed the changing landscape of the inner city education system and the obstacles facing black student progress. Graduate student Unique Shaw, program adviser, said discussing the personal downfalls of one’s failure can in some instances be the best way to resolve the issues at hand.
“Self doubt is a major issue among many black students,” Shaw said. “It’s important to acknowledge what may be hindering you and sometimes people fail to realize that it starts with yourself. In order to move forward you have to admit your own faults and not blame it on outside sources.”
While many of the workshops were stimulated by student discussion, the presentation of keynote speaker Paula Whetsel-Ribeau was accompanied with a breakdown of three critical issues facing the black community and how progressive change has to start in oneself.
Ribeau, University alumna, was the former assistant vice president for Student Affairs and is also the wife of Sidney Ribeau, former University president. Ribeau also recently shared dinner with President Barack Obama at a conference in Washington D.C.
She said the much-needed change in the African-American community needs to come from one’s own personal values and beliefs.
“The fact that all of you here today would take a hard look at yourself and ask how you can contribute to uplifting and motivating the black community to success is truly admirable and ambitious,” Ribeau said. “Why are we here today? What is the purpose of this conference? When Jaimme [Jelks] called me and asked me to be the keynote speaker, I was thrilled. Then he sent me a text that read: ‘The Black Issues Conference will challenge the black community to look at itself through a critical introspective lens in an attempt to regain the focus of utilizing the success to help motivate and uplift the black community.'” Ribeau went on to explain the rise in single parent families, education and HIV/AIDS were the most crucial barriers facing the struggle for change in the black community. She explained that for progress to be made, students need to reach out to one another and challenge the obstacles that are affecting the black community.
“My challenge to you is to look introspectively and be clear about who you are and what you value,” Ribeau said. “Where are you going? Make it your personal responsibility to live the values and the dreams that our ancestors gave their lives for, to work together to make a vision for our brothers and sisters of tomorrow.”