Hundreds of young men of color are expected to attend the 2023 Black and Brown Male Summit at Highline College on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023.
Under the theme “The Rhythms and Rhymes of Revolution,” in honor of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, this year’s summit will primarily focus on providing a space for high school and college-age men to:
- Critique social structures that inhibit them from being successful in education
- Celebrate their achievements despite the obstacles and barriers they may face
- Contextualize their self-identity socially, culturally, historically and politically through a sense of self and value of self
The ultimate goal of the summit is to empower and motivate young Black and brown men to excel in academics and to accept nothing less than excellence from self.
“As with every summit, we hope the young men walk away feeling empowered and motivated to continue the conversations they were engaged in beyond the summit and share what they’ve learned,” said Tanisha Williams, a co-chair of Highline’s Black and Brown Male Summit planning committee. “Ultimately, we want them to feel seen, heard, valued, and to believe that they can excel in all things they choose to pursue.”
The daylong summit will feature two keynote speakers, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The morning keynote speaker is activist, author and filmmaker Kevin Powell, and the afternoon keynote speaker is Dr. Rob Rubalcaba, an associate math professor at San Diego City College.
“Both of our keynote speakers are no strangers to the Black and Brown Male Summit,” Williams said. “This will be Kevin Powell’s third time presenting at the summit! He was our keynote speaker in 2016 and presented during our virtual summit series in 2020. Kevin is a pop culture curator and biographer of Tupac Shakur. He is able to speak to the philosophy of hip-hop and what it means for Black and brown males in America. Dr. Rob Rubalcaba also presented during our virtual summit series in 2020. Dr. Rob has a unique and engaging way of correlating math and computer science to hip hop.”
Students can expect 10 other interactive workshops outside the keynote presentations that speak to the summit’s theme.
In addition to speaker presentations and workshops, the summit will offer a Resource Fair in which attendees can learn about academic programs and resources provided at Highline College and some community resources available for young men of color.
“We’re thankful for the continued support from the community, as well as the local high schools and the parents for trusting us to provide this influential event for their students,” Williams said.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided for those who have registered.
Event Details
Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023
8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
Highline’s main campus
Building 8 (Highline Student Union)
Questions?
Visit bandbsummit.highline.edu or email bbsummit@highline.edu.