Students, alumni, faculty, legislative leaders, educators and community organizations will gather at Fresno City College from Feb. 15-17 for the 12th annual Black Caucus Leadership Conference. The conference will be a weekend of panels, workshops, career and college fairs as well as vendor tents.
The Black Caucus of the California Community Colleges is a statewide collaboration of students and organizations representing students of African descent. The caucus is governed by a nine-member executive board.
Every February, the caucus brings together more than 150 community college students, primarily African-American students, to discuss and take action on issues locally, regionally or statewide.
This year’s conference is titled “A Call To Commitment: Uniting the People, Shaping a New and Lasting Legacy for African-American Students in California Community Colleges.”
“The primary goal [among many] of the Black Caucus of the California Community Colleges is to be the voice of voiceless students of African descent at the table of leadership and governance in the California Community College shared [participatory] governance structure,” said Black Caucus communication officer Nehasi Lee.
The conference rotates between Northern, Central and Southern California. Local students and faculty work with the Black Caucus to make it a successful event.
The Associated Student Government at FCC is planning to get the word out by giving out flyers, contacting clubs on campus and contacting African-American Studies classes. ASG is also responsible for accommodating the members with facilities and getting them in touch with hotels.
The conference is also open to high school students and students who may not be part of the Black Caucus.
“What they preach all the time is just academic success, student leadership and building the leaders of tomorrow,” said ASG Legislative Vice President Edward James. “We’re [going to] bring some high schoolers. And we’ve allocated $450 so we’re giving them one-day passes. They’re [going to] come on Saturday, which is a long day.”
James added that members of the Black Caucus have been gathered from different groups.
“A few of the campuses already have Black student unions, things like that. So they already have groups that would be interested. That’s where a lot of the people that participate [come from],” said James.
Although there is a fee to enter the conference, people who volunteer and work for the registration get their fee waived according to James.
Previous keynote speakers at the conference have included U.S. congresswoman Barbara Lee, U.S. congresswoman Maxine Waters, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and Black Caucus Presidents Reginald James and Latoria Williams.
State Center Community College District chancellor Deborah Blue is expected to speak at this year’s conference. Additional speakers will include Rich Copenhagen, president of the Student Senate California Community Colleges and Juanita Price, former California Community College statewide president and Black Caucus leadership conference founder.
The Black Caucus of the California Student Association of Community Colleges was chartered as a caucus of the California Student Association of Community Colleges in 1998. Previously, the group existed as a social network of Black Students.
The students chartered the caucus feeling that the issues of black students were not being represented at the state level. The first Leadership Conference was held at El Camino College in 1999. Last year, the caucus was officially recognized by the Student Senate for California Community Colleges.
According to James, the Black Caucus is the first caucus recognized by the SSCCC.
James says having the conference in Fresno this year is beneficial for the Central Valley.
“We’re very diverse here in the Central Valley, especially in Fresno. And reaching out to the college students, I think it’s great. I think it’s good just to give young people a visual of minorities that are succeeding,” said James.
