Black and Brown Summit

The past is not something Black and Brown young men simply read about - it is present in the identities they carry, the communities that shaped them, the obstacles they navigate, and the possibilities they have inherited. Knowledge of SELF: The Past Is Present, and the Future Is YOU is an energetic, culturally affirming keynote designed to help young men ages 14-19 recognize the connection between legacy, identity, resistance, purpose, and personal agency. Rather than delivering history as a lecture, Cedric A. Washington brings history into the young men's present. Through storytelling, audience interaction, reflection, humor, call-and-response, and practical challenges, participants will examine what it means to come from communities with deep traditions of brilliance, innovation, resilience, and resistance - and what responsibility comes with carrying that legacy forward. The keynote connects Cedric's Knowledge of SELF philosophy with his FOCUS framework - Fallback, Opportunities, Cultivate, Understanding, and Succeed - so students leave with more than inspiration. They leave with language and a practical framework for making decisions, responding to setbacks, identifying opportunities, developing their gifts, and becoming intentional about the men and leaders they are becoming.

Every movement for Black and Brown freedom has also been a fight over ownership: who tells the story, who controls the money, and who owns the platform. In this interactive session, students trace that legacy from Freedom’s Journal in 1827, through Greenwood’s “Black Wall Street,” the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Delano grape strike, to today’s creators, founders and marketers. Students examine real federal labor data showing who leads marketing today, learn how to document their work and their experiences so no one can erase them, and know their civil rights in the workplace. They finish by mapping their own legacy brand and delivering a 30-second pitch. The message is simple: own your message, inherit and expand your voice, and carry the past into the present.

My path through education wasn’t straightforward. There were times when I needed support, times when someone saw something in me, and times when I had to figure out my next step. Those experiences shaped why I work in education today: I want to be the help I didn’t get. In this workshop, I’ll share parts of that journey and invite students to think about their own. We’ll talk about the expectations placed on Black and Brown men, strengths we don’t always recognize in ourselves, and why success doesn’t have to look the same for everyone. Through storytelling, reflection, and small-group conversation, students will explore what they want to carry forward from their experiences and communities, what they want to change, and who can support them. We’ll also talk about asking for help, learning from setbacks, and recognizing progress along the way. Students will leave with a next step toward a goal they choose and a clearer idea of the people and resources that could help them get there

Resistency in the moment of difficulty can be the fuel to your goal, dreams, aspirations, and visions. It's not about what happens to you but how you respond to what happens to you. Understanding, the option to do something different falls on us and not on anyone else. The decisions we do can affect the foot print we leave for tomorrow. Use the taste of yesterday to be the fuel and motivation to be resistant in the present moment so your legacy can flourish. If you know how it taste like, why would you want to repeat it?

This workshop provides an overview of the policy making process, the impact of public policy on daily life, and the specific civil rights guaranteed at the state, county and national levels.We will also discuss how young men can participate in Washington state's legislative process and effectively advocate for themselves and their communities. The goal is to inspire these young men to pursue higher education and build professional networks.

This workshop will explore the role Black and Brown men have played and continue to play in shaping students, transforming schools, and strengthening communities. Participants will reflect on the different teachers they have had (inside and outside the classroom), learn about education as resistance, participate in a Legacy Lab, and discover ways that they can carry that legacy forward and become teachers or all disciplines.

In this workshop, students will have an opportunity to search for and vocalize the main issues they have faced in working to pursue higher education or in their current academic career. By having them share these experiences through conversations and written work, they will develop a better understanding of how these current and past struggles, while difficult and painful, have set them up to better understand how they problem-solve and develop solutions when new issues arise.