Young, Gifted and Black: Finding Your Voice
2021 Student Empowerment Conference
Wednesday, Feb. 3 | 9 a.m. to Noon
Come together with high school students from across the region!
Join us for an exciting morning of inspirational talks and interactive workshops. We'll be sharing invaluable resources for finding your voice.
Featured guests:
- Kimberly Ellis – Director of San Francisco's Department on the Status of Women
- Lloyd A. Holmes – President of De Anza College
- Joseph Marshall – Founder of Alive & Free, host of Street Soldiers Radio on 106 KMEL
This event is hosted by the De Anza College Office of Outreach, Black Faculty, Staff and Administrators Network (BFSA), Men of Color Community (MC2), Umoja Community and Office of Equity, Social Justice and Multicultural Education.
Program Schedule
All of these activities will be held on Zoom. Click a yellow button to join an activity. Be sure to check the list of breakout sessions so you can click to join one of those at the appropriate time.
| Time | Activity | Speaker |
| 9–9:10 a.m. | Welcome and Opening Remarks |
Lloyd A. Holmes, |
| 9:10–10 a.m. | Keynote Address |
Joseph Marshall Jr., |
| 10–10:10 a.m. | Pause Before Breakout Sessions | |
| 10:10–11 a.m. | Breakout Sessions | |
| 11–11:10 a.m. | Pause After Breakout Sessions | |
| 11:10–11:50 a.m. | Open Student Forum |
Erick Aragon, Maurice Canyon, Sheldon Fields, |
| 11:10 a.m.–Noon | Closing |
Melinda Hughes, Faculty Assistant Director, |
Breakout Sessions Begin at 10:10 a.m. ~ Choose One!
Still I Rise: Navigating Black Trauma
Moderator: Derrick Felton, Instructor, Psychology
Black Gyrl Magic
Moderator: Kimberly Ellis, Director, San Francisco Department on the Status of Women
Village Porch Talk: Everyone's Got Choices
Moderator: Maurice Canyon, Counselor, Umoja Community
Empowering the Black Student: Understanding Who You Are in Society
Moderator: Glynn Wallis, Counselor, Extended Opportunities Programs and Services
Motivating Our Black Men
Moderator: Sheldon Fields, Counselor, Men of Color Community
Featured Guest Biographies
Kimberly Ellis is director of San Francisco’s Department on the Status of Women, where she is responsible for developing policies and programs that increase equity
for women. She is a longtime political activist and former executive director of Emerge
California, which trains women candidates to run for public office.
Ellis, who was appointed to her current post by San Francisco Mayor London Breed, holds a law degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Jacksonville University.
Lloyd A. Holmes became president of De Anza College in 2020. He is a veteran educator with a track record of removing barriers to student success.
Holmes grew up in a single-parent home in rural Mississippi and received an associate degree at Itawamba Community College before transferring to the University of Mississippi, where he earned a bachelor's in accounting, a master's in higher education and a doctorate in educational leadership.
Joseph E. Marshall Jr. is an author, community activist and founder of Alive & Free, an international violence prevention organization that began as the Omega Boys Club
in San Francisco. He's also a longtime host of the Street Soldiers radio talk show on 106 KMEL.
Marshall has a master's degree in education from San Francisco State and a doctorate in psychology from psychology from the Wright Institute.
We regret that San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who had planned to participate, will not be able to attend the conference.