The Wisconsin Association of Black Men (WABM) will host their 5th Annual Black Male Initiative Forum on Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23. This year’s event is entitled “You Have the Right to Remain Educated: Black Male Interaction with The American Legal System” and features keynote speaker Dr. Ivory Toldson, senior research scientist for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, an associate professor at Howard University, and the editor-in-chief of The Journal of Negro Education, an historic national higher education publication. Co-hosted by the Office of the Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer, the event is free and the public is invited.
WABM has developed this year’s topic around one of the major impediments to black male achievement and full citizenship given the recent happenings on the UW-Madison campus and the statistics on black male incarceration for Madison. In the words of this year’s WABM President Shawn Harris, “we felt as though this topic was relevant and that it would be beneficial to educate ourselves and others on these issues, it’s a matter of being a leader and a role model for our communities.”
Under the guidance of the Madison Chapter of 100 Black Men, leaders in the community and campus mentors, WABM has taken amazing strides in developing student leaders, reaching out to other campuses in the Midwest and mentoring high school students across Dane County. The young men of Chicago Urban Prep Academy, a school particularly focused on the educational needs of African American males, will be our esteemed guests at this event once again.
This year, the opening evening of the forum featuring Dr. Toldson and small group discussions will be held at Gordon Commons Dining and Event Center (770 W Dayton Street) from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday morning’s continuing seminar, including four expert-led workshops, will be held at the Pyle Center (702 Langdon Street) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Partners across the campus and community have been deeply involved in mentoring and helping to develop these promising future leaders. Please save the date and register to attend either, or both of the events below. Please know that this event is open to anyone in our community.
Registration for Friday, Feb. 22:
http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/reg/catalog_course_detail.asp?course_key=41670
Registration for Saturday, Feb. 23:
http://www.ohrd.wisc.edu/reg/catalog_course_detail.asp?course_key=41672
