Mark Your Calendar!
Black Student Success Week: April 25-29, 2022
Celebrating Student Success
In celebration of Black Student Success Week, our Umoja program will highlight a De Anza Umoja student for every day of the week, April 25-29. Check out their stories!
In addition to sharing student stories, Umoja – in collaboration with the Transfer Center – is hosting an HBCU Transfer Guarantee Workshop this Thursday, April 28. Learn more.
Black Student Success Week is an annual campaign that encourages everyone across the California Community College system to examine the resources and programs that support Black student success. This year's theme is "A Vision for Black Student Success: Creating a New Landscape to Succeed." Click on the tabs below to learn about the daily webinars planned for the week. All webinars are scheduled from noon-1 p.m. See the Black Student Success Week Linktree for additional information about this week's activities.
Monday, April 25
Beyond Mattering: Centering the Student Narrative
Black Student Success Week will open with welcoming remarks from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Board of Governors President Pamela Haynes, California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley, and scholar Dr. Frank Harris. The Black Hour will include highlighted Black student success data presented by The RP Group and will conclude with a panel of students and faculty sharing an intergenerational conversation centering the student narrative and moving beyond mattering.
Tuesday, April 26
No Leaks: Securing the Pipeline for Black Student Success
Many California Community Colleges are experiencing severe drops in enrollment, particularly among Black students. Enrollment in California Community Colleges has been steadily declining, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation. During The Black Hour, we will learn more about the California Community Colleges' enrollment decline and hear from K-12 professionals and leaders about their enrollment and strategies community colleges can implement to support the educational pipeline for Black students.
Wednesday, April 27
The Path to Transfer Success: A Clear Highway or a Traffic Jam
This webinar will focus on how we can improve support for student transfers from a California Community College to a CSU, UC or HBCU. The Black Hour will open with a presentation from Dr. Darla Cooper of The RP Group, sharing data from the African American Transfer Tipping Point Study. A panel of administrators from California’s three higher education systems as well as an HBCU will discuss the history of transfer for Black and African American students at each of their respective systems. The practitioner’s perspective will also be explored by two transfer center directors/coordinators who will discuss their hands-on approach for supporting our Black and African American students with their transfer goals. Finally, we will conclude with a testimonial from a student, who will share their transfer experience and what was instrumental in their bachelor degree completion.
Thursday, April 28
Transforming Black Student Success through Courageous State Leadership
California Legislative Black Caucus Chair and Senator Steven Bradford will begin our advocacy and policy discussion with opening remarks. The webinar will include a presentation by Dr. Christopher Nellum, Executive Director of The Education Trust–West, highlighting recent research around Black student access, success, and affordability in higher education and the evidence-based best practices and state policies we should advocate for. The Black Hour will conclude with a panel of state legislators and partners on what they envision for higher education in California as we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and explore ways to uplift Black students and communities through intentional policy.
Friday, April 29
Using Radical Action: Showing Up as Your Authentic Self
Black Student Success Week will conclude with a panel discussion on authenticity told from the Black faculty perspective. The Black Hour will provide a space to amplify Black faculty voices in our system. Panelists will share examples on how they have navigated a system not set up for African Americans to succeed and examples of how to actualize anti-racism through radical action. The discussion will center around acknowledging the harm and understanding the next steps in taking responsibility to move toward transformative action that intentionally and authentically create environments that embrace and support Black excellence.
Black Student Success Week is organized in partnership with A2MEND, Umoja Community Education Foundation, The Campaign for College Opportunity, The Education Trust-West, the Equity Avengers, The RP Group, the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, the Community College League of California, the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, the Foundation for California Community Colleges, and the Student Senate for California Community Colleges.
Previous Events
An Evening For Men Only: Moments in the Shave Room
- Thursday, Nov. 18
- 5-6:30 p.m.
- Guest speaker and clinician Omar Staples, P.A. of the James A. Watson Wellness Center in Oakland, CA
Students, faculty and classified professionals are invited for a special event focusing on men's health hosted by the Black Faculty, Staff and Administrators (BFSA) Network. Topics of discussion will include prostate and testicular health as well as men's suicide. This event is hosted as part of Movember, No-Shave November and Men's Health Month.
Black Student Union Meeting
- Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020
- 3-4 p.m.
- Download the flyer
Join us virtually and be a part of bringing back Black student representation at De Anza College! Sign up and learn more about this much-needed club.
Help create and express your independent voice to eliminate anti-Blackness in the community college system!
The BSU will offer opportunities to learn leadership skills, participate in potential internships, design and conduct club activities, and attend conferences to network with other students driven to amplify the Black student voice!
African American Male Summit
- Oct. 22, 2020
- 4 p.m.
Learn strategies for moving forward during challenging times with these exciting speakers
- Dr. Calvin Mackey, author
- Dr. Marc LaMont Hill, journalist
- Robert Jackson, author
This event is co-sponsored by the Umoja programs at De Anza College, Evergreen College, Foothill College, San José City College and West Valley College.