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Mission Statement

The Black Youth Conference aspires to create a safe space for Black middle and high school students in the San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Orange County and Riverside counties, to explore, inspire and celebrate our Blackness.

BYC ’25 Online Registration

The ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ Black Student Union and the Draper Center for Community Partnerships are excited to announce the 3rd Annual Black Youth Conference on February 8, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Black Youth Conference is designed to inspire Black Pride and Black Excellence among middle and high school students through thought provoking workshops, hands-on activities, and engaging conversations with current college students from the Claremont Colleges. Separate workshops are designed for students and parent/guardians.

This year’s conference theme is Our Story, Our Glory. We have an exciting day planned to build the Black community. The ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ Black Student Union Executive Team and the Draper Center will kick off the day with a panel discussion followed by 3 college student-led workshops titled: Our Black History in SoCal, Politics of Social Justice, and Media to Material (Black Art & Music). During the lunch hour, guests can enjoy a resource fair, a catered lunch on the Smith Campus Center patio, and interactive activities. Our afternoon program will continue with an uplifting vocal performance and an inspiring message from a dynamic keynote speaker.

Parents and students must register separately.

BYC ’25 Theme Breakdown

The Black Youth Conference is to teach, reflect and learn from our Black Youth in the surrounding areas near ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ College. This year we decided to focus on learning about what it really means when we talk about Black politics and social justice. Although we can’t fit the entirety of this topic into three workshops, we wanted to highlight these three topics:

• Our Black History in SoCal
• Politics of Social Justice
• Media to Material (Black Art + Black Music)

Below you will find the description of each workshop.

Our Black History in SoCal

Facilitators: Eze Iheanacho ’26

History helps us understand how past events have shaped the present and how societies can change and develop. For black people in Southern California, more specifically, ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ and the Inland Empire, what is our history? For our workshop, we first want to recognize why it is important to learn from our ancestors and history, especially where we are at now.

Politics of Social Justice

Facilitators: Sokhna Lo ’25

The Politics of Social Justice workshop aims to connect the historical and contemporary struggles for Black freedom and equality with the overarching theme of "Our Story, Our Glory." This session will delve into critical systemic issues and the tragic cases of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tamir Rice alongside activist figures and the importance of grassroot organizations, like the ƽÌØÎå²»ÖÐ 4As, while celebrating Black resilience and excellence to inspire and empower students with the powerful legacy of their ancestors.

Media to Material (Black Art + Black Music)

Facilitators: Bola Adekoya ’25, Davion Nutall ’27

The Politics of Social Justice workshop will explore how Black art and Black music intersect with activism, focusing on how we tell our stories through creative expression. This session will dive into the power of music and cinema in communicating the ongoing struggles for Black freedom, from historical movements to contemporary voices. Drawing on the lyrical mastery of Kendrick Lamar’s Damn, participants will analyze the messages in his music, dissecting how it speaks to and for the Black community. The workshop will engage in critical conversations about films like Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Get Out, and They Cloned Tyrone, unraveling the deeper meanings behind these works and their role in the politics of Black identity and justice.