Black Students Lead

Learning Outcomes

The overarching goal of the Black Students Lead Conference (BSL) is to help students become stronger leaders and allies to the Black community by practicing inclusion in their organizations and campuses. The Conference empowers them to create a more accepting, equitable environment, and preparing them to work effectively in a diverse workplace. Participants will explore the history and roots of the Black community, examine where they are currently, and look to their future. To this end, experiential workshops and discussions will focus on the following four crucial areas for learning:

Raise Awareness

• Awareness of and ability to explore aspects of the Black community, history, and culture.
• Self-awareness about one’s own biases and acceptance level with/of the Black community
• Awareness of the diverse and intersectionality of identities within the Black community, including sexual orientation, ability, age, ethnicity, gender identity, geographic origin, national origin, race, religion /spiritual traditions, and socioeconomic class.
• Awareness of inequity of privilege within and beyond the Black community
• Appreciation of the ways in which they are different from each other and similar to each other.
• Empathy and concern about the impact of social injustice.
• Taking the important steps to promote becoming agents of social change on their campus

Increase Knowledge

• Understanding that true leadership values and empowers all the members of the group.
• Understanding the levels of prejudice and how earlier levels pave the way for even more damaging levels.
• Learning more about the history of Black-Americans in the United States.
• Learning more about global diversity issues –e.g. human rights violations that have occurred within their lifetimes and are still occurring, as well as in the past.
• Increasing knowledge base about each of the dimensions of diversity.
• Understanding of the essential vocabulary related to the Black community.

Develop Skills

• Communicate effectively, both verbally and non-verbally
• Develop the skills of inclusive leadership, valuing and involving all members of Black community.
• Invite others to open up and share their stories through an attitude of respectful interest and curiosity, using open-ended questions.
• Respond to statements or acts of bias in a way that invites dialogue rather than debate or arguments.
• Stand up and speak out for their own rights and for the rights of others.
• Develop and maintaining spaces on their campuses that are free bias and discrimination.

Plan for Social Action

• Take a leadership role in service projects and other programs that serve the Black community.
• Increase their interactions with people different from themselves.
• Work effectively and create inclusion on campus.
• Actively try to impact those who are within their spheres of influence regarding issues of bias, discrimination, and social justice.
• Make a positive difference on their campuses and in their communities