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Conference increases
campus black solidarity
By Jeanne Hoffa and Joyce Kelly
On-line Forty-Niner
The 22nd annual
Black Consciousness Conference at Cal State Long Beach broke
its own attendance records this weekend. The workshops were
packed, the banquet overflowed and the talent show blew the
roof from the University Student Union Auditorium.
Members of the Black Student Union and the campus chapter
of the NAACP organized the two-day event to expand black solidarity
on campus.
"History says being black is a bad thing," said
organizer Jasmine Norman, senator-at-large for Associated
Students Inc. "There's nothing wrong with being black.
I want people to gain knowledge, and feel proud of who they
are."
The conference, with an approximate crowd of 300 on both days,
assessed black students' needs from a racial perspective,
and formulated goals to meet those needs. Black studies professor
Amen Rahh said that political change comes when the community
pools its resources and seizes opportunities to get involved
in viable organizations.
Groups of 70 to 120 participants brainstormed in workshops
on personal relationships, political strategies and business
acumen. About 25 children created African art projects, danced
and played instruments at a mini-conference just for them.
The Long Beach Ballroom was decked out in clusters of red,
black and green balloons for Saturday night's banquet. The
crowd ate spicy jerk chicken, salmon, beans and rice, catered
by Derrick's Jamaican Cuisine.
Four African drummers of the band Unity of the Drum played
throughout the four-hour dinner. Keynote speaker, psychologist
NA'IM Akbar from Florida State University, said it was the
largest conference of its kind he had ever attended.
While the banquet and workshops were well attended, the evening's
highlight was the previous night's talent show. About 25 groups
of performers shook the stage of the USU for a show that lasted
from 8 p.m. until midnight.
Singers belted out tunes, poets sent riveting messages, jazz
bands rocked the crowd and the dancers - including the African
Student Dance Team from UC Irvine and the Pilipino American
Coalition - brought the crowd to its feet.
Six committees - consisting of the finance, publicity, sponsorship,
speakers, banquet and talent show committees - worked in tandem
for the event on. Members sent invitations to black studies
programs throughout the state, and to area high schools with
large black student populations, such as high schools in Bellflower,
Compton and Inglewood.
The CSULB black undergraduate population rose to 8.2 percent
in fall 2000, according to institutional research, compared
to USC's 6.8 percent and Cal State Fullerton's 1.5 percent
during that same period. The surrounding Long Beach and Los
Angeles area has an estimated 12.3 percent black population.
The black studies program aims to increase black student enrollment
by showing high school students how and when to apply to college,
said BSU President Akira Jackson. The program also pushes
students to take advantage of financial aid.
Other students came from as far away as UC Berkeley. Members
of the Chicano and Latino studies department and the Pilipino
American Coalition worked on the event as well.
The Black Student Union wants students to know they are not
alone on campus.
Jackson said many black students try to make it on their own
at college, only reaching out for help only if faced with
a failing grade or if they have problems with a professor.
"People think [the BSU] is just about radicalism,"
Jackson said, "but it's not just about that. It's about
mentoring, and advising."
He said every black student on campus is considered a member.
The black studies department faculty develops relationships
with students, and make themselves available to talk about
problems, Jackson said. Bede Ssensalo is his favorite.
"Even though he's a black studies professor, he reaches
out to all races and nationalities," Jackson said. "I
can call him any time, even at home."
The Black Student Union meets Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. in the
Multi-Cultural Center, FO3-003. The black studies department,
in the Psychology Building, can be reached at (562) 985-4624.
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Jeanne
Hoffa/On-line Forty-Niner
At the Children's Mini Conference, from right
to left, Taharka Anderson, 10, and brother Adisa,16, teach
African drumming to Ahmadou N'dour, 8, Anthony Gaston, 7,
and Baye Watkins, 6.
President
Akira Jackson says the Black Student Union mentors and advises
students. "It's not just about
radicalism."
The Philipino
American Coalition students ripped up the University Student
Union Stage at Friday's talent show.
BSU
advisor Dr. Bede Ssensalo and wife Rene S. Collins helped
to rejuvinate the Black Conciousness Conference.
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