The Young Men of Color Symposium is a leadership conference for students in sixth through twelfth grade. This fall, a group of Blake students, accompanied by Middle School social studies teacher Jayce Alexander and Summer at Blake Director Tony Andrade, participated in the event held at Francis W. Parker School in Chicago.

“This program not only empowered me, it showed me that we all have equal opportunity to become the best version of ourselves,” one student shared about the experience. “There are still problems among races and privileges in our society. Yet if we are able to stand together, we can become a generation where every man, woman and child can feel safe and proud to represent the human race.”

Actor Hill Harper delivered the symposium’s keynote address. Several Blake students commented on their most powerful takeaways from the talk: 

•    “Hill Harper talking about what would make me happy in my future and how to follow that path and my heart.”  


•    “Hill Harper talking about being more energetic and positive.” 


•    “Thinking about what I wanted in my future when Hill Harper said the sky was the limit. 


•    “Thinking about the decisions I would make in my future and what would bring me happiness.”


The students reflected on how they might use what they learned when they returned to Blake. “I will use the power of disrupting the silence,” one student said. “When no one else is around and two people are arguing about how someone acts, looks or identifies [I won’t] just walk by but will step in and disrupt the silence.”

And they also shared why events like the Young Men of Color Symposium are important to them:

•    “As a young man of color there are still spaces I do not feel safe in, and I believe that we still have not achieved equality in the United States. I want to make a difference with this issue, and I take it very deeply to care for all the young men of color who struggle because of their race and identity. If we can stand together, we can make an impact and raise our voice to become members and contributors to our individual societies.”


•    “I like being in a space filled with people like me because I don't normally get that opportunity.”


•    “These types of events allow me to broaden my spectrum about people of color. I feel like when a lot of young men of color come to one same place, it allows them to act freely and not to be ashamed of who they are because of who they are around.”


You can learn more about the conference in this short clip from the ABC news affiliate in Chicago.