For the third time, Cal State San Bernardino will welcome back around 250-300 male African-American and Latino 10th graders on Friday, May 4, for the annual Black and Brown Conference.
The conference began when these young men — who come from five Inland Empire school districts in Colton, Fontana, Rialto, San Bernardino and Victorville — were in eighth grade. The program was implemented to provide the students with early college awareness, preparedness and information to increase the number of African-American and Latino males who enroll and graduate from college.
“There are few efforts to focus on these young men from our community,” said Felix Zuniga, a conference organizer and director of project management and assessment for the university’s Information and Technology Services division. “Likewise, it is one of the few projects where both black faculty and staff and Latina/o faculty and staff collaborate on a common goal of helping these young men in our community.”
The conference will feature keynote speakers, breakout workshops and tours of the campus. They will focus on various topics, including admissions, cultural capital, self-actualization, financial management, health and wellness, sense of belonging, and social justice. The day will also include a conversation with law enforcement.
The young men not only receive critical college information and the opportunity to talk about relevant issues facing young students today, but they also get to connect with the CSUSB community and establish ongoing mentor/mentee relationships to help them on their educational pathway to college.
CSUSB faculty, staff and students are encouraged to gather in front of the on-campus Starbucks from 7:30-9 a.m. for a “Coyote Mob” to welcome the students as they check-in for the event. Those who participate are asked to show coyote pride by wearing blue and black, either business casual or business formal attire.
Volunteer opportunities are also open to the campus community. Students who identify as part of the male, black and brown community are highly encouraged to participate. Volunteers are asked to wear all black and a CSUSB volunteer shirt will be provided on the day of the event.
The Black and Brown Conference is a collaborative effort among the Santos Manuel Student Union, the Division of Information Technology Services, the Office of Student Success and Educational Equity, the Office of Admissions and Student Recruitment, the Office of Student Engagement, the Office of Advising and Academic Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, and the College of Education.
The conference is sponsored by the Office of the President, the University Diversity Committee, the John M. Pfau Library, the Santos Manuel Student Union, the College of Arts and Letters, the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the College of Education, the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration, and the Office of Student Success and Educational Equity.
CSUSB is nationally recognized for its leadership role in changing the face of U.S. higher education. A reflection of the region’s dynamic diversity, CSUSB, which has the most diverse student population of any university in the Inland Empire, and the second highest African-American and Latino enrollments of all public universities in California, is considered a model of access and excellence in higher education.