PULLMAN, Wash. — “Empowering Ourselves to Build Our Community” is the theme of the 1998 Black-Male Orientation to Leadership Development and the African American Women’s conferences at Washington State University.
The BOLD and AAW conferences, held concurrently on March 6-8, are for African American college and high school students interested in personal growth and development. Organizers of the conferences expect more than 600 students from Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana to attend.
BOLD is in its sixth year, and AAW in its fifth. The 1998 conferences will be held in WSU’s Compton Union Building and Todd Hall. Attendees for both conferences will take part in various workshops that will “tackle issues young African American students face today, including political empowerment and health risks,” said conference organizers.
On March 6, attendees will participate in a Cultural Extravaganza. The event will include a talent show, open forum and dialogue between conference participants. Open to the public, it will be held from 8-10 p.m. in Todd Auditorium.
On the afternoon of March 7, those attending both conferences will hear from university professor Ronald Rochon of La Crosse, Wisc.; mechanical engineer Carl Mack of Seattle; and motivational speaker anad counselor Jewel Diamond Taylor of Los Angeles. A former WSU faculty member, Rochon is director of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Master of Education-Professional Development Program. He will speak on “Empowering Ourselves to Build Our Community.” Mack will discuss “Our Story: The Power of Our History.” Mack’s interactive presentation is based on his research developing the Black Heritage Day Calendar, the most comprehensive black history calendar ever assembled. Taylor, the founder of Enlighten Circle, will lead a discussion entitled “Sister and Brothers: One Family.”
Keynoting the March 7 evening program will be author Bertice Berry, an award-winning lecturer, stand-up comedian and USA Live host. She wrote a book, “The World According to Me,” based on personal insights from her life.
On March 7 the BOLD sessions include: Nate Miles, public affairs manager, Eli Lilly & Co., “The Political Change: Leading Our Nation into the 21st Century”; Herb Delaney, WSU African American Student counselor, and Algerian Hart, WSU Office of Student Affairs, “Personal Empowerment: Taking it to Another Level”; and Charles Wilson, community health education specialist with People of Color Against AIDS Network, Seattle, “Personal Health is Personal Power.”
The AAW sessions on March 7 include Taylor, “Keeping it Real: Sister Talk About Self Esteem and Relationships”; Vicki Butcher, San Diego attorney and National Medical Association Auxiliary president, “Sisters Understanding Our Bodies: Choosing Between Life and Death”; author Julia Boyd, a Seattle native, “How To Prepare Yourself to Receive the Love You Deserve”; and Kelly Ervin, a member of the WSU Comparative American Cultures department faculty, “Rage vs. Self Hatred: To Know Thyself is to Love Thyself.”
Also speaking March 7 at AAW and BOLD for chaperones will be former WSU College of Education dean Bernard Oliver, now School of Education dean at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. He will speak on “Empowering Your Community.” Deborah Love, director of the WSU Center for Human Rights, will talk about “The Future of Our Race: The Impact of Affirmative Action.”
The closing activities for both conferences will include an evening social in the Compton Union Building Ballroom. The social is open to the public.
Executive directors of the conferences are Bennie Harris, BOLD, and Frankie Harris, AAW.
To register for the BOLD and AAW Conferences, telephone WSU Conferences & Institutes toll free at 1-800/942-4978. If you have questions regarding program content, please call Jai Elliott, 509/335-2384, for AAW and JJ Oliver, 509/335-5173, for BOLD.
tm183-98
