By: Josiah Sanon
On Friday, Oct. 2nd, the 21st annual CUNY-wide Black Male Initiative (BMI) conference was held at Brooklyn College (BC) for the first time in the Claire Tow Center. Students, educators, guest speakers, and 200 high school students from across New York came together for open, honest discussions on topics like masculinity, self-love, professional development, finance, and teaching.
The opening keynote was filled with greetings from multiple speakers, who all talked about the importance of celebrating the community and security that BMI aims to provide black men and students of all other marginalized communities.
Charles Barron, one of the keynote speakers, is a CUNY graduate from Hunter College with a degree in sociology, a former NYC politician, and a veteran Black Panther. He emphasized the importance of young black men to focus on the collective success of their peers and their communities rather than their own individual ambitions.
When asked why it was so important to come talk at the conference, Barron shared his wish for empowerment.
“I feel these are the world’s present and future leaders and I wanted to deliver a revolutionary message that we shouldn’t focus on our individual motivations but instead focus on uplifting each other.” Setting the tone for the rest of the conference, a message of collectivism echoed throughout the morning breakout sessions, where attendees were given safe spaces to discuss their emotions and feelings regarding their identities.
The six morning sessions included a fireside chat where different perspectives on masculinity were shared, a discussion on maintaining and safeguarding immigrant rights on campus and in different communities, and how to effectively maintain wellness and self-love. After these starting breakout sessions, non-BC attendees conversed with the campus’s various clubs at the resource fair, which was held at the cafeteria.
The afternoon sessions were career-focused, aiming to give younger BMI members spaces to engage with and talk to experienced professionals from many different fields.
The Careers in Content panel featured content creators in areas such as finance, community service, music commentary, and much more.
One of the panelists was Shadiq Williams, the Program Coordinator for BC’s Black Latino Male Initiative (BLMI), who has been making videos before YouTube was even on the map.
After the panel, Williams shared his thoughts with the Vanguard on how people are viewing content creation as a stable career.
“I see it going back to longform since people are getting tired of short bursts of content and that makes it harder to actually build connections and community,” Williams said.
The Careers in Content panel gave attendees across CUNY different perspectives on more unorthodox careers like content creation while maintaining the conference’s overall message of fostering community and giving back.
After the afternoon sessions, the conference concluded back where it started: the Claire Tow Center, where BMI thanked everyone who came together to make this conference a reality.
Following the excitement of a step performance by Nu Omega Chi Fraternity Inc., the organizers of the conference made sure some particularly outstanding BMI members did not leave the conference without getting recognition for their commendable work.
Jonathan Rivera, Ron West, and Jay Hershenson were given the Humble Hero Awards for upholding the same values of compassion, authenticity, and giving back to their community that were being discussed all throughout the Panel.
Christopher Rodriguez, the Program Director of BLMI, had a few parting words on why the conference is so important for the BMI.
“In this current social climate, we are more divided than ever. Conferences in places like Brooklyn College help us maintain community as well as build up a sense of legacy. There’s many individuals who graduated from the program and came back to mentor, which not only helps our younger members, but gives them a great example of a community that gives back.”
For more information regarding Brooklyn College’s BMLI, visit their instagram: @bcblmi