To empower and motivate our Black and Brown young men to excel in academics and to accept nothing less than excellence from self.
| 11:30 a.m. | Login/Zoom room open |
| 11:45 a.m. | Welcome by Rashad Norris |
| 12:00 p.m. | Keynote w/ Q&A: Kevin Powell (Writer, civil and human rights activist, biographer of Tupac Shakur )
Manhood, Power, and Movements
Movements are the mass energy of people, at anytime and anywhere in history. In these times that means the explosion of both Black Lives Matter and #MeToo, and it means street protests unlike anything we have seen since the anti-apartheid movement of the 1980s and the Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War and feminist and gay rights movements of the 1960s. As we talk about manhood in these times, we must also talk about what it is, what is power, and why movements matter, and why we must be involved, to change ourselves, to change our world. |
| 1:15 p.m. | BREAK |
| 1:30 p.m. |
Keynote w/ Q&A: George Lee Jr, aka The Conscious Lee
Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired
Students will develop an understanding for the political awareness, Explore Current climate and movements, Acknowledge differences of diversity, equity and inclusion to get our own goals and define key terms around diversity and inclusion. |
| 2:45 p.m. | Close out |
Kevin Powell is one of the most celebrated political, cultural, literary, and hip-hop voices in America today. The Jersey City product of a single mother, absent father, horrific poverty, and violence, he was able to study at Rutgers University in his home state of New Jersey due to the Educational Opportunity Fund, a program created during the Civil Rights Movement to benefit poor youth. Says Kevin, “Just to be able to get to college, to be exposed to a new world, a new way, changed my life forever, and I am forever grateful for the chance.” Kevin has gone on to be a poet and journalist and the author of 14 books, including When We Free The World, his new short essay collection about freedom, justice, and equality in America; and his critically acclaimed autobiography, The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy’s Journey into Manhood, which is being adapted for the screen. One of his upcoming books will be a biography of Tupac Shakur, who Kevin interviewed several times while a senior writer for Quincy Jones’ Vibe. Indeed, he has penned articles, essays, and blogs for a wide range of newspapers and magazines and major websites, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, The Nation, NPR, ESPN, Essence, Ebony, Rolling Stone, Esquire, HuffPost, Utne Reader, The Guardian, The Baffler, The Progressive, Complex, and British GQ. As a civil and human rights activist, Kevin will launch a new American organization in 2020, yet to be named, focused on voter education and voter empowerment, and bringing people together, and which will showcase a website full of blogs from contributors of diverse backgrounds. Kevin’s activism also includes an annual clothing drive for homeless youth in New York City; a leadership role in the movement to re-define manhood away from sexism and violence; a deep responsibility to mentorship and development of people of every age as agents for change; and a commitment to democracy, justice, diversity, inclusion, and equality for the American people, be it education, #MeToo, immigrant rights, gun violence prevention, marriage equality, economic opportunity, healthcare access, or an end to racial profiling. To further demonstrate that commitment to a life of service Kevin ran for Congress in his adopted hometown of New York City in 2008 and 2010; he has lectured and worked and traveled in all 50 American states and 5 of the world’s 7 continents; he is directing, writing, and producing his first documentary film, “What’s Going On,” about healthy manhood versus toxic manhood, about fathers and sons; and Kevin is the playwright of an upcoming stage play, based around his poetry and conversations about what it is to be a man. Kevin is a proud and long-time resident of Brooklyn, New York.
George Lee Jr, aka The Conscious Lee. Education is Elevation. George believes in the educational power of discomfort and deploys what he calls “purposeful provocativeness” that spurs critical engagement by pushing limits of perspective. As a proud Bryan, Texas native, Lee now seeks to share wisdom with others through his efforts of diversity inclusion training, teaching high school and college students along with his seasoned experience as a public speaker and social media influencer.
| 11:30 a.m. | Welcome |
| 11:45 p.m.- 12:45 p.m. | Keynote: Michael Tuncap & Conrad Trayvon Webster, OST
Building Brotherhood for Black & Brown Male Professors: the Malcom X Men
Learn new communication skills for classroom and community settings. What is cultural resilience? How are we adapting during these unprecedented times? Professor Tuncap will share a UC Berkeley's Ethnic Studies model along with Hip Hop and WE THE FUTURE art campaign. Professor Webster will share leadership models for Black student organizations & equity. Learn how majors in the humanities, education and social sciences can prepare you for careers in education, entrepreneurship and non-profits. Breathing our stories to life, can empower us with mindfulness to walk in the pathways of our ancestors. |
| 12:45 - 1:00 p.m. | BREAK |
| 1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. |
Political Panel w/ Jesse Johnson, Eric Pettigrew, Aaron Garcia, Joe Nguyen
View more about this session
This session will be a panel of esteem males who currently hold positions in politics and school boards. They will discuss their roles that they have been voted in by communities and the importance of participating in change through effective advocacy, action, and most importantly voting. They will also be discussing racism, and classism in today’s environment and how their racial backgrounds play a role of how they are perceived and received. They will also talk strategies that has helped them navigate through the systemic and institutional racist practices they face daily. Panelist will discuss what inspired and motivated them to be a part of the "Good fight" and act on the Awakening for change. |
1:50 pm - 2:50 p.m.
Workshops |
Robert Unzueta
Schools are Prisons
Roberto Reyes
We are going to explore the historical and contemporary ways schools perpetuate the criminalization of men of color.
Using Art to enact Social Change
Diego Luna and Aaron Modica
We will be looking at discussing the roll of public art and art in social movements now and passed.
Get Out the Vote and Get Outta Here with that Vote: Black & Brown Rights in Dangerous Times
So voting. Why is it a thing? What do we know? What’s the history? It even worth it? This space will be an interactive, informative conversation about the politics of voting explicitly as it sticks, and don’t stick, with young Black, Indigenous, and Asian men. |
| 2:50 pm - 3:00 p.m. | Closing |
Dr. Conrad Webster is a critical race theorist, writer, organizer, facilitator, professor, an education consultant from Houston, TX. Founder of Get Me to The Prom Foundation, Founder of AllAccessRecruitment.com, Cofounder of African American Leadership Conference and Cofounder of TrillUp LLC. Conrad serves as a Racial Equity Advancement Advisor for Seattle Public Schools and as an adjunct for professor at Oregon Institution of Technology, Pierce College and Cityu. Conrad uses storytelling as a form of liberation through education, and his work inspires audiences to use their lens to visualize their power to organize change.
Professor Tuncap was born in Aniguak, Guam & raised in Tacoma, He was the founding Director of the UW Pacific Islander Student Commission in 2000 & studied race and American politics at the University of Virginia as a Ralph Bunche Summer Institute fellow. From 2003-2009, he taught Ethnic Studies courses to over 1,200 undergraduates at UC Berkeley while earning his M.A in Ethnic Studies in 2005 & is currently completing his PH.D. Tuncap served on the Guam Delegation to the United Nations 2008-10. He served as a Director of Diversity at GRC, TRIO SSS advisor for UW Seattle as a Coordinator & Teacher for the TRIO Upward Bound Evergreen State College. Served as faculty at City College of San Francisco, SPSCC, NW Indian College, Pierce, Shoreline, TCC & now teaches at Highline College. Co-founder of the Pacific Islander Studies Institute of Washington and the Men of Culture Academy (MOCA), Washington's first state wide PI coalition between colleges & universities. Professor Tuncap and his students published work is featured in Matamai: The Vasa in Us, an anthology of indigenous writings.
Jesse Johnson is a lifelong Federal Way resident and a graduate from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Masters of Education. The son of a Navy Veteran and a Commercial/Residential Painter, Johnson was the youngest City Council member in Federal Way history when he first took office at the age of 27. Now he serves as one of the Legislature’s youngest members, where he works to help working families and seniors struggling with high costs, students looking for the right pathway to a good paying job and families struggling with housing insecurity across the state. Johnson’s values are rooted in equity, inclusion and social justice. His focus comes from his close partnership with the community in the South King County region, where he also works in Workforce Planning and Development for the Highline School District. His passion for education and youth development comes from his own experiences growing up in Federal Way, where he apprenticed with his father at a painting and general contracting company. Addressing youth violence prevention and expanding behavioral health services are important issues for Johnson, stemming from the work he championed on the Federal Way City Council. He also looks to address housing stability, needs of veterans in his community, and fostering entrepreneurial spirit and small business ownership. Johnson lives in Federal Way with his wife, a University of Washington Medical student.
Representative Eric Pettigrew was raised by a single-mother in South Central Los Angeles. He attended Nogales High School where he was a stand-out member of the football team. Following his high school graduation, Eric studied sociology and counseling psychology at Oregon State University on a football scholarship. After graduation from OSU in 1985, Eric moved to Seattle to study social work at the University of Washington. He received his master’s degree two years later. Eric has a diverse background of work experience in all levels of government, the private sector, and the nonprofit sector. He served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Safety to former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice. He also worked as a recruiter to increase diversity in the UW School of Social Work. Likewise, he was the former Director of the Minority Youth Health Project, which worked to reduce teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease rates in Seattle. Eric currently works NHL Seattle as the Director of Suite Services and Community Ambassador. First elected to the House of Representatives in 2002, Eric has worked to promote economic development, create new affordable housing opportunities, and expand educational opportunities for every child in Washington- regardless of race or economic status. In 2010, Eric was chosen by his peers to serve as House Democratic Caucus Chair. The caucus chair is the third-ranking leadership position within the HDC, which makes Eric the highest-ranking African American in the Legislature. Aside from his professional responsibilities, Eric has been heavily involved in community service for many years. He has served as a past president of the Rainier Valley Chamber of Commerce. He has also served on the board of the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club and the ACT Theatre. Additionally, Eric has been a little league baseball and basketball coach. He lives in Renton with his wife Nicole and has three adult children- Justin, Denae and Linda.
Aaron Garcia is the newly elected Highline Schools Director for District 1 in his continual efforts to pave a path for the voices of families and the next generation of diverse young leaders in the community where he was raised. His vision that serves the people local to the Highline District, most notably Burien and White Center, has been molded by over 10 years of professional service in the secondary, postsecondary, and nonprofit worlds, along with a variety of volunteer and community-centered events that highlighted his ability to listen, adapt, and proactively seek solutions to the issues affecting those around him. Aaron has been empowered by Sili Savusa, current Executive Director of the White Center Community Development Association. Her application of a racial equity lens in all aspects of professional and personal life has been inspiring, giving Aaron Garcia the courage to unabashedly stand proudly behind his views of social justice.
Sen. Joe Nguyen was born in White Center, raised in Burien and currently lives in West Seattle. His experiences growing up in an immigrant community as the son of Vietnamese refugees and being raised by a single mother informs much of his service today. He is the chair of Wellspring Family Services’ Associate Board, which works on issues related to family homelessness and is committed to housing 2,000 children and their families in the next two years. Part of the board’s work includes advocacy, and we were able to pass Wellspring’s first bill (HB2861) providing support for trauma-informed care, which was signed by the Governor in the 2018 session. Nguyen is also involved in police relations as a member of the Community Advisory Committee for the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight in King County. His work focuses on building bridges between community and law enforcement to achieve equitable policing. He is a Senior Manager at Microsoft and lives in West Seattle with his wife Tallie, a special education teacher in the Highline Public School District, and their two children, ages 1 and 3.
I am the first in my family to graduate college. Not because I am smarter, or because I work harder, I am here because I stand on the shoulders of giants. I am here because of the activism, the sacrifice, and the groundwork done by those before me, whom paved the way for me. My path here was not planned nor was it smooth but now that I am here, I am going to continue to pave that path for those after me.
Tewa Territory AKA Albuquerque, NM born and raised artist, Roberto Reyes, has been directing the Arts programming for youth through Warehouse 508, a city funded youth arts and event center. Roberto has worked in a variety of mediums at professional levels. He has developed skills in photography, graphic design, screen printing and mural painting. Roberto hopes to inspire and prepare youth to pursue careers in the visual and performing arts.
Aaron Modica was born and raised in Oakland, CA. He attended the University of Nevada, Reno where he received his MA in Sociology, and the University of Washington, Seattle where he earned his M.Ed in Social and Cultural Foundations of Education. Prior to teaching at Highline College, Aaron worked with the Upward Bound Program and Student Success Services TRIO programs, and the Center for Student Cultural Diversity at the University of Nevada, Reno. Aaron Modica is currently faculty in Sociology at Highline College.
Diego Luna is faculty in Ethnic & Gender Studies at Highline College. Born and raised in Miwok lands, rural Northern California, Diego is a Chicano/Anglo who knew he wanted to be an ethnic studies professor after his first Chican@ Studies class. Encouraged by his Chican@ mentors to pay it forward, Diego earned a Ph.D. in Education, Culture, and Society from the University of Utah. When he is not in the classroom teaching EGS 100 Introduction to Ethnic Studies, EGS 150 Latino/a Histories: Race, Migration, and Resistance, EGS 295 Ethnic Studies: Special Topics, EGS 352 Ethnic Studies for Educators, and HIST 148 Modern U.S. History, Diego pursues his love of running, gaming, and speculative writing.
| 11:30 a.m. | Welcome |
| 11:45 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. | Keynote: Dr. Rob Rubalcaba
This Is How We Do It: The BlackPrint for success in STEM with students of color
Students of color far too often face many barriers to high paying careers in STEM: Science, Technology Engineering, and Math. Together we will learn how to create safe, supportive, exciting, engaging classroom experiences that will make students want to change their major to mathematics, computer science, engineering, or one of the many STEM majors in high demand in the job market. Teaching to transcend, show students who never had a positive experience in math that they STILL HAVE the potential to thrive in math and science. It starts with care, with believing in your students so wholeheartedly that they believe in themselves, no matter how hard the challenge. Culture and relevance is key, we will learn financial literacy through tortillas and hip hop mathematics: Cash Rules Everything Around Me, C.R.E.A.M. get the money dolla dolla bill y’all, students should never have to change who they are to learn PERIOD. The work doesn’t stop inside the classroom, that’s just where the party starts and the party don't stop until everyone in class gets the support they need. Learn how to create equitable assessments that celebrate student learning, assessments that give students the freedom to express their knowledge. If your students aren’t smiling, laughing, and dancing when they take your assessments then you need to change the way you assess your students. |
| 1:00 - 1:15 p.m. | BREAK |
| 1:15 - 2:15 p.m. |
Jashon A. Banks Sr., Ph.D. and James Hassan Curtis
Underrepresented: The Pipeline to Injustice and Discrimination in Our Criminal Justice System
Black and Brown people make up less than 10 percent of all lawyers in the United States. However, these people are overrepresented in our criminal justice system—a perfect recipe for discrimination. Why are we underrepresented? How do we get involved? The criminal justice system is the root cause of financial disparities and disadvantages for men of color. This can be said without considering the cost of hiring a competent lawyer, bail requirements, and court fines. A criminal conviction creates barriers to employment, education (financial aid), and housing. Convicted felons face obstacles that may become insurmountable without compassionate intervention. Most prosecutors and judges do not have ability relate to men of color; therefore, the outcomes are without reason or compassion. |
| 2:15 - 3:00 p.m. |
Documentary and Discussion: Boss: The Black Experience in Business
Learn more about this session
The history of business and entrepreneurship lies at the heart of the American story, but often absent from that narrative are the experiences of African Americans. From the country’s earliest days, African Americans have embodied the qualities of innovation, risk-taking and determination to forge a path toward a better life. This documentary traces the lives of African American entrepreneurs over 150 years, from those bound by bondage to moguls at the top of million-dollar empires. Tying together the past and the present, Boss: The Black Experience in Business explores the inspiring stories of trailblazing African American entrepreneurs and the significant contributions of contemporary business leaders. |
Dr. Rob Rubalcaba is an Associate Math Professor at San Diego City College. He was born in Lemon Grove, on the same street where Lemon Grove Elementary planned a separate school for all of its Latino students. He stopped going to Morse High in the 10th grade because of gang violence and he attended Centre City Adult School to pursue a GED, then attended City College majoring in Mathematics with only a 9th grade education in Math. He graduated and transferred to SDSU earning a BA in Mathematics and attended graduate school at Auburn University earning a Masters and Ph.D. in Discrete Mathematics. Dr. Rob then worked with the Department of Defense working in secret facilities around the world before joining the Math Department at City College where he co-teaches in the UMOJA program and co-organizes campus wide Math and Writing Jams where hundreds of students build confidence before midterms and final exams. He is a professional DJ and sushi chef, and teaches mathematics through hip hop, art, sushi, and dance.
James Curtis was raised in the Tacoma Hilltop Community and graduated from Stadium High School in 1994. James struggled as a high school student and, upon graduation, he worked in a series of low-wage labor intensive jobs. Four years later, James realized that his future would consist of largely unappreciated physical labor without a college education. This realization led James to embark on a journey to transform himself from laborer to lawyer. James' educational journey began at Tacoma Community College. Within a year, thanks to the focus and discipline he developed working as a laborer, James excelled as a student. James graduated with honors and received multiple scholarships which allowed him to transfer to the University of Washington. Today, James serves as an attorney in his community and is the founder of The Curtis Firm. He also makes contributions in the areas of education, criminal justice and youth recreation. His work has earned special recognition from the City of Tacoma, Washington State Bar Association and Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association.
Dr. Banks holds a PhD in Criminal Justice – Law & Public Policy from Walden University, a master’s degree in criminal justice from Colorado Technical University, and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Saint Joseph’s College. Dr. Jashon Banks Sr. is a Criminal Justice Professor at Green River College, where he devotes time and effort to contribute to the students of knowledge and skills of the changing criminal justice system of America. He joined Green River College in September 2019 as a tenure-track faculty member in the business and law division. His most recent activities have been creating strategic partnerships and community relations for Green River College and developing practices with King County Pretrial Services to create a pathway for re-entry of individual seeking to complete some education. His research revolves around victims of urban violence and post-traumatic stress disorder. He has been also publishing articles with the Criminal Justice Encyclopedia and in progress of other journals that would benefit the criminal justice system of Washington State.
| 11:30 a.m. | Registration/Log-in |
| 11:45 a.m. | Welcome |
| 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. | Keynote: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
"Greatness on the Rise” #boundless
Twenty years later, despite losing prime years of NBA stardom, enduring death threats and having his home burned to the ground, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf still does not stand for the national anthem. The quicksilver guard who foreshadowed NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protest is excited to share his personal movement for justice. In his keynote address, he will talk about the importance of staying grounded in your belief, values and allowing nothing especially money to control your destiny. Arising to greatness resides within you. At age 47, he has no regrets about choosing the difficult journey that Kaepernick is just starting. |
| 1:00 - 1:05 p.m. | Improvised Found Poem by Daemond Arrindell |
| 1:05 - 1:15 p.m. | BREAK |
| 1:15 - 2:15 p.m. |
Advocacy and Activism Within Sports with Ryan Phillips, Aaron Brooks, Tre Simmons, Brandon Gibson moderated by Loyal Allen Jr.
Learn more about this session
The Black and Brown Male Summit has had the pleasure of having John Wesley Carlos, an American former track and field athlete and professional football player as a speaker multiple times. He was the bronze-medal winner in the 200 meter race at the 1968 Summer Olympics, and his Black Power salute on the podium with Tommie Smith caused much political controversy. His story spoke about the importance of personal protests and advocacy for black and brown communities that faced injustice. This year, we've gathered a panel of local professional athletes that will speak to social justice and advocacy work from the civil unrest, police brutality, racial discrimination, and racial assaults on black and brown communities. Many people ask, what is the role of an athlete today? These professional athletes will discuss the platforms they occupy and their allyship and awareness of the multiple injustices that happen to communities of color including in sports. This panel will highlight the importance of young athletes understanding the significance of using the gift and the blessing of playing their sport. |
| 2:15 - 3:00 p.m. |
Documentary and Discussion: 1968 Olympics Protest
Learn more about this session
There will be a short video shown around the 1968 Olympics and the Revolt of the Black Athlete. It has been almost 44 years since Tommie Smith and John Carlos took the medal stand following the 200-meter dash at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, and created what must be considered the most enduring, riveting image in the history of either sports or protest. But, while the image has stood the test of time, the struggle that led to that moment has been cast aside. After the video, there will be a facilitated discussion with the young men on how their voices and actions are needed in all platforms that they may occupy. |
Abdul-Rauf first came to public attention as a Louisiana State University freshman sensation then named Chris Jackson. At just 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds, he averaged 30 points per game with a hair-trigger jumper and acrobatic layups. Despite having Tourette’s syndrome, he went pro after his sophomore year, was picked third in 1990 by the Denver Nuggets, and converted to Islam. By the 1995-96 campaign, Abdul-Rauf was doing un-guardable Stephen Curry things, such as giving Utah 51 points and dropping 32 on Michael Jordan when dealing the Chicago Bulls a rare loss in their 72-win season.
That season also is when Abdul-Rauf’s conscience told him not to stand for the anthem. At first, nobody noticed as he stretched or stayed inside the locker room instead. When a reporter finally asked about it, the issue exploded. Like Kaepernick, Abdul-Rauf said he viewed the American flag as a symbol of oppression and racism. Abdul-Rauf also said standing for the anthem would conflict with his Muslim faith because you can’t be for God and also for oppression.
"Do you get ridiculed? Do you hear the nonsense? Do people try to assassinate your character? Yes, but when it’s all said and done, you’re like, man, i feel good because i know that i’m standing on something that I believe in.”
On March 12, 1996, the NBA suspended Abdul-Rauf for one game, citing a rule that players must line up in a “dignified posture” for the anthem. It cost him almost $32,000 of his $2.6 million salary. The players union supported Abdul-Rauf, and he quickly reached a compromise with the league that allowed him to stand and pray with his head down during the anthem. But at the end of the season, the Nuggets traded Abdul-Rauf, who averaged a team-high 19.2 points and 6.8 assists, to the Sacramento Kings. His playing time dropped. He lost his starting spot. After his contract expired in 1998, Abdul-Rauf couldn’t get so much as a tryout with any NBA team. He was just 29 years old.
Ryan Phillips is the defensive backs coach for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and a former professional Canadian football defensive back. He played most of his career with the BC Lions, where he has been part of two Grey Cup championship teams (94th Grey Cup and 99th Grey Cup) and was the last remaining active Lions player from the 2006 roster that won the 2006 Grey Cup. He holds numerous Lions franchise records and had been named a western all-star five times and a CFL league all-star four times.[1] Phillips was known for his durability, having only missed four games in his 12-year career which includes a consecutive games-played streak of 181 games. He’s one of five players in CFL history with over 450 tackles and 45 interceptions in a career. He is a 2006 graduate of Eastern Washington University which is also where he played college football for the Eastern Washington Eagles.
Born in 1987 in West Lahndstul Germany, Gibson moved to the the King/Pierce county area as a youth. He attended Rogers (Puyallup) high school. Lettering in football, basketball & track before ultimately accpeting a scholarship to be a student-athlete at washington state university. While attending Washington State Gibson played all 4 years & made the honorable mention all-academic team as a sophmore. As a junior Gibson was named a 1st team all pac-10 performer. Gibson finished his college career at Washington state as the school's all-time leading receiver with 2,756 yards and 182 receptions along with 17 touchdowns. He also played for the Washington state basketball team during the 2005-06 season, but decided to focus his attention on football. In 2009 Gibson was a 6th round draft pick for the Philadelphia Eagles. Gibson was then traded as a rookie to the St. Louis Rams where he spent the majority of his playing career. Gibson finished a 7 year stint in the NFL also playing for the Dolphins & the Patriots. Gibson retired in 2016 due to injuries & started his coaching career at Central Washington. Now Gibson helps the youth in close neighboring areas & coaches at Kentwood high school.
Aaron Brooks, last played for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL). An NBA first-round draft pick of the Houston Rockets (26th overall) and also played for the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves in his distinguished NBA career. He won the NBA Most Improved Player Award for the 2009–10 season. A 2017 Oregon Duck Hall of Fame Inductee, two-time team MVP and first-team all-conference selection, was the Ducks’ only finalist for the John R. Wooden Award as the nation’s top men’s college basketball player within a 39-year span. Averaging 17.7 points per game as a senior, the four-year starter was the first Oregon player to lead the conference in scoring in 16 years. He graduated as one of only five players in school history to rank among the top 10 in career scoring (1,511 points), assists (471), and steals (127). The Seattle standout engineered one of the more remarkable postseason runs in program history in the spring of 2007. He first led the Ducks to the 2007 Pac-10 Tournament title with wins over Arizona, California and USC. He then sparked Oregon to the NCAA Elite Eight with wins over Miami (Ohio), Winthrop and Nevada-Las Vegas before the Ducks lost to eventual NCAA Champion Florida in a game in which he scored 27 points. As a senior in 2007, he was an all-Pac-10 selection, earned first-team All-America honors from the Wooden Award, second-team laurels from The Sporting News and third-team status from the Associated Press. His most indelible moment as a Duck came in McArthur Court on January 6, 2007, when his running jumper with 13 seconds left lifted Oregon to a 68-66 upset of No. 1 UCLA. Franklin High School Graduate and 2003 McDonalds All-American.
Chester Simmons III, better known as Tre Simmons, is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Odessa, Green River CC and Washington, where he was named to the 2004-05 season's All-Pac-10 First Team and the dawgs reached the sweet sixteen that season. Tre played professionally in Greece, Spain, Israel, Czech Republic, Russia, Puerto Rico and France. Tre began his professional career in 2006 when he joined the Greek League club PAOK. He then moved to the Spanish League and ULEB Cup club Gran Canaria for the 2006-07 season, but in the middle of the season moved to Israel and signed for the Superleague club Hapoel Galil Elyon. The following season he moved to Hapoel Holon with whom he won the league championship. He’s won seven championships and four MVPs. Tre announced his retirement from professional basketball in November of 2018 and had another opportunity to play again being drafted in the second round of the Big3 Draft in 2019. Tre is now an assistant coach of his Alma tar Garfield Bulldogs, who are the reigning 2020 3A state champions and has a new clothing line, ‘True Motivation’.
Daemond Arrindell is a multi-genre writer, performer, educator and arts & equity consultant. He is a Jack Straw Writers Fellow, a VONA/Voices Writers’ Workshop fellow and he has written for City Arts, Specter, and Crosscut magazines, as well as Poetry NorthWest and Seattle Review of Books. In 2019, he performed his first one-man show, “Frozen Borders,” a performative exploration in imagery, poetry and emotion on the subject of the United States’ southern border.
| 11:30 – 11:45 a.m. | Welcome |
| 11:45 a.m.- 12:45 p.m. | Keynote: Loyal Allen Jr.
Healing with my brothers
Let’s have a conversation about trauma and healing. We will look at how trauma impacts us, the stigmas around counseling and how society plays on toxic masculinity. At the 2016 Black and Brown Male Summit, we asked the young men to describe their educational experience in one word and the most common word used was STRESSFUL! We all manage stress in various ways: where we feel it at in our bodies, how we respond and release our stress. I want to acknowledge our stressors, as families have been impacted by this pandemic and provide some tools to help us cope. |
| 12:45 - 12:50 p.m. | Spoken Word: Aaron Reader |
| 12:50 - 1:00 p.m. | BREAK |
1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Workshops |
Kamron Reese
Reclaiming and Redefining Masculinity for One's Self
Luis Chavez
Man up. Stop crying. Be strong. Take a joke . We see these phrases and ideas about being a man everywhere. We've fed into it and regurgitated it until it's been vomited out enough that we've convinced ourselves we love the smell of this "masculine" throw up. But, is what we think of being masculine in America truly the only way of being a man, or can we redefine our masculinity so it at least it's not constantly suffocating us? This workshop explores the history of American masculinity, and its effects on us all as men of color. This workshop then delves into redefining masculinity on a personal level that better serves our mental health. At the very least, make American masculinity puke smell better for sure.
Beyond Flow States
Roberto Martinez
A multi faceted approach to wellness and health based on the works of Abraham Maslow and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and 20 years of martial arts practice.
Radical Self Compassion
Self Compassion can be a tool for healing. For BIPOC communities, oppression and racism affect our emotional and physical wellbeing. Radical self compassion can help us recognize the negative messages that our society has ingrained within us, recognize our connection to our ancestors and communities, and help us meet our pain with kindness and compassion. |
| 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. | George Lee Jr, aka The Conscious Lee
Knowledge of Self
Establish and develop ”Knowledge of Self” while exploring our understandings of own person identity by discussing examples of Implicit Bias amongst Black and Brown Males, define Important Terms of Implicit Bias and develop strategies that build knowledge of self. |
| 3:00 p.m. | Closing |
Loyal Allen Jr. was born and raised in Seattle, WA. Graduating from Rainer Beach High School, he is a first generation graduate who received his Associate of Arts from Highline College in 2002. While working part-time at Costco, he attended Seattle University where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work in 2008. In 2009 Loyal started working part-time at Highline College as a program assistant for Workforce Education Services. He received his Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Argosy University, Seattle in 2014. Currently serving as the Associate Dean for Student Funding Services, Loyal oversees financial aid, workforce education services and student success through United Way King County Benefits Hub.
Loyal is a proud Seattle native with deep roots in the community and is passionate about mentoring youth and facilitating educational opportunities for students. He is a committee member of Highline’s Black and Brown Male and YELL (Young Educated Ladies Leading Summits). In his spare time he enjoys sports, traveling, spending time with family and friends. Loyal is the Head Coach for SCAA (South Central Athletic Association) a summer track & field program he began running for at 9 years old. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity Incorporated. Through these avenues he is able to give back to his community to promote leadership, social justice, and higher education.
Education is Elevation. George believes in the educational power of discomfort and deploys what he calls “purposeful provocativeness” that spurs critical engagement by pushing limits of perspective. As a proud Bryan, Texas native, Lee now seeks to share wisdom with others through his efforts of diversity inclusion training, teaching high school and college students along with his seasoned experience as a public speaker and social media influencer.
Roberto is a clinical social worker with over 10 years of experience. He has worked with domestic violence survivors, immigrant and refugee communities, incarcerated and gang involved youth, and is now currently working with college students at the University of Utah's Counseling Center. He is an alumnus of UC Santa Barbara (Chicanx Studies and Economics) and San Jose State University (Masters in Social Work). He lives in Salt Lake City with his spouse, his 6 year old son Emiliano, and his dog Chava.
Luis Chavez was born in northern California and has lived and worked around the west coast getting by with a variety of retail and light industrial work, including a stint in North Dakota working on oil pipelines. While living in Washington State as a teenager he began practicing Serrada Eskrima. He became an instructor in the art and has been teaching and practicing ever since.
I am a biracial educator currently living in the state of Utah. I have been teaching in a dominant white district for 6 years, primarily with elementary school aged students. Lord of the Rings, creating piano music, and LEGOs are my jam.
Please email us if you have any questions.
In order to create the best possible environment for growth, learning, and empowerment, please take note of the following:
Although we have allowed 8th grade students to attend in previous years, the summit is now reserved for high school students only.
You are in for a tremendous day of enlightenment and fellowshipping. You young men deserve this day and this day is for you to be recognized as assets in our communities. Our mission at the summit is to have you leave knowing that you, your fellow classmates, and other young men of color have the ability to put posturing aside and work together to combat all stereotypes and perceptions.
I acknowledge that I have read the above statements, understand the summit’s expectations and mission, and am ready to engage and succeed!
YES. ALL ATTENDEES, BOTH STUDENTS AND ADULT CHAPERONES, MUST REGISTER TO ATTEND
Unfortunately, we are unable to have a waitlist for the summit. Registration is capped at our capacity plus 30 percent, which takes into account the substantial number of no-show attendees on the day of the summit.
Only registered students will be guaranteed admittance to the summit. If an unregistered student shows up on the day of the summit, they will be required to wait in the will call area until all registered students have been processed. In the event that there is still space available after all the registered students have been admitted, unregistered students will be admitted in the order that they arrived. After we have reached capacity, any remaining unregistered students are required to leave the campus for liability purposes.
Although we have allowed 8th grade students to attend in previous years, the summit is now reserved for high school students only for the following reasons:
Maturity level: The planning committee strives to bring presenters and topics to the summit that speak to current events and issues important to young students of color. As many of the topics discussed revolve around the dense and multi-faceted issue of social justice, many middle school students do not have the comprehension level needed to both engage in, and respect, this dialogue.
Behavior: Attending the summit requires students to have the strong personal responsibility and critical listening skills that are more common in older students; we simply do not have the staff or the ability to continuously monitor individuals who need to be reminded consistently to behave appropriately.
The summit is an all-day event, from approximately 8:00am to 4:00pm.
We cannot facilitate late arrivals. Our registration and check-in tables open at 8:00 am sharp and close promptly at 9:15 am when the keynote speaker begins. IF YOU ARRIVE AFTER 9:15 AM, EVEN IF YOU HAVE REGISTERED, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE SUMMIT.
The summit is FREE to attend.
The student summit is located in the Student Union Building (Bldg 8) on the Highline College campus, with adult chaperone programming located in Building 7. Individual student workshops are held in various classrooms on campus; students are escorted by summit volunteers to and from these classrooms.
No. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be provided for you.
Workshops will be assigned as students are processed through the registration table the day of the summit.
To ensure equal workshop sizes, students are assigned a workshop. Students are not able to choose their workshops. However, workshop presentations are thoroughly screened by the Black & Brown Summit Planning Committee to ensure each workshop is equally informative, engaging, and impactful.
No. All attendees (both students and adults) must be registered individually to attend. We can NOT hold spots under any circumstances.
No. If a student or adult has registered but is unable to attend, they cannot substitute another individual.
No. Adult chaperones/attendees and students are on different activity tracks in different buildings. The summit is for the students and part of the impact of the summit comes from being able to have real, open dialogue. Please respect this space and understand that you will be reconnected with your students at the close of the summit.
We greatly appreciate attendees or adult chaperones registering themselves and/or their students. Having attendees or chaperones directly enter their information increases accuracy, so we politely ask that you register attendees individually.
As the summit is geared focused and created for high school aged males, chaperones are not permitted to sit in on these workshops; adult chaperones are able to view the keynote speeches remotely but have a fixed adult chaperone agenda in an adjacent building.
If you would like to volunteer at next year’s Black and Brown, please contact Rashad Norris or Rickitia Reid.
Unfortunately, adult chaperones are ineligible to receive giveaways. As Highline absorbs the entire cost of the summit, we decided to limit giveaways to students to increase the quality and quantity of items they receive.
One of the values of the summit is to encourage meaningful conversations and create new friendships. In order to facilitate this, students are assigned to workshops by individual rather than by school. Some students in you group may end up in the same workshop by chance, but it is highly unlikely that you student group will stay together for the entirety of the summit.
