2022 BBCB Summit Tracks and Proposal Guidelines

Post-secondary education continues to be the critical path to success for Black and Latino men. According to Dr. Shaun Harper’s 2012 National Black Male College Achievement Study, Black and Latino men can achieve success in higher education despite barriers of low teacher expectations, insufficient preparation, racist and culturally unresponsive environments, and severe underrepresentation. Family, personal, and institutional support play important roles in their college achievement. Dr. Robert Franklin, president emeritus of Morehouse College, attributes the survival of men of color in college to the five M’s: Messaging, Mentoring, Monitoring, Ministering, and Money. 

Getting a college education means better living, higher self-esteem and less stress. A 2010 Report by the American Council on Education (ACE) indicates that 46% of Hispanic males and 35% of Black males will earn 2-year or 4-year degrees compared to 59% of White males. While this achievement gap has closed over the past decade, there is still a lot of work to do. Black, Hispanic, and White females continue to out-perform their male counterparts in college success and completion. Studies show that positive peer communities, such as cohorts and teams, greatly benefit Black and Latino males by increasing accountability and yielding greater success. 

Our Education Track addresses best practices and a holistic approach to the success of Black and Latino men in higher education across the United States. 
 

Imagine a world in which Black and Brown men approaching adulthood wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and are unequivocally proud of what they see and where they are headed. How do we achieve this kind of success for every Black and Latino male? What elements and components need to be in place? What layers may need to be peeled back and addressed? What challenges do we expect on the road to achieving this ideal?

Our Success Track explores what is needed for young minority males to see themselves as successful and for higher education institutions to be enthusiastic and committed partners in the process. It’s all about encouraging today’s Black and Brown men to equate their ideas of success with their college and career plans.

Proposals may address college readiness, graduation gaps, retention and completion rates, upward mobility, cultural differences, career and life goals, and a range of other topics related to the ongoing success of Black and Latino males.
 

Justice is “the quality of being just, impartial or fair,” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2021). Black and Latino men often bear the burdens of inequitable systems and practices across our society. Through negative media stereotypes, unequal access to quality education, denied economic opportunity, disparity in healthcare, and marginalization in public policy, men of color still struggle to attain justice and success.

While news reports and scholarly works have revealed and documented social injustices, forging paths to justice for Black and Latino college students may be challenging.

Our Justice Track is designed to highlight solutions to social justice issues such as, but not limited to: poverty, access to quality education, racial injustice, the criminal justice system, policing, and other equity concerns.

Proposals should identify the audience (student or practitioner), offer historical context, provide research-based strategies, and address how to engage the audience in discussions toward positive solutions.