Our History

The Black Policy Conference was created many years ago but sadly faded shortly after. In 2005, an enterprising student, Nicole Campbell, resurrected the idea and its second incarnation began. The conference was born out of the desire to create a lasting institutional legacy for black students on the campus, a homecoming for alumni, and an open exchange of ideas for the most current issues affecting the black communities around the world.
Past conference themes include:

A Celebration of Black Leadership and Alumni: Accomplishments, Challenges, and Emerging Global Trends, 2005

Highlights:

The first ever Black Policy Conference took place on April 8-10, 2005, and sought to strengthen the network of public service leaders in order to address and strategize around issues facing communities throughout the African diaspora. Keynote speakers included Anthony Williams, former mayor of Washington, D.C., and Cheryl Dorsey, president of Echoing Green Foundation. The conference also featured panelists such as Stephanie Bell-Rose, president of the Goldman Sachs Foundation, Lezli Bakersville, National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, and Eleanor Brown of the Caribbean Basin Initiative.

Bridging the Gap: The Intersection of Race, Class, Identity and Gender, 2006

Highlights:

The second Black Policy Conference, held April 21-23, 2006, centered around the socioeconomic disparities faced by people of African descent. In light of the tragedy that we witnessed as Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and the Gulf, it became evident that the endemic inequality we witnessed as a nation, cut across lines of race, class and gender. The conference took note of the fact that this phenomenon is not unique to the United States, but spans globally, to all people of African descent in the Caribbean, Latin American and throughout Africa. It featured speakers such as Hill Harper, star of CSI New York and author of “Letters to a Young Brother,” Andrew Carr, Executive Director of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Dean Christopher Edley of the Boalt Hall Law School at UC Berkeley, Kamala Harris, District Attorney of San Francisco, Dean Donald Stewart of the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, Joyce Ann Brown, President and CEO of Mothers and Fathers Advancing Social Systems, Michael Carson of Partners for Development, and Dr. Felton Earls, Professor of Social Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. Click here to watch the keynote address of Dr. Jendayi Frazer, former U.S. Ambassador to the South Africa and Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

Speaking Truth to Power: Informing the Black Policy Agenda, 2007

Highlights:

The third annual conference took place on April 13th and 14th, 2007. The purpose of the conference was to examine the economic, physical, and educational status of Black America and to identify policies that would be aired during the 2008 national election. Featured speakers included Princeton University Professor of Politics and African American Studies Melissa Harris-Lacewell, who delivered a keynote address to conference participants, and panelists such as Rev. Dr. Gloria White-Hammond, pastor, pediatrician, and co-founder of My Sister’s Keeper, and Rev. Eugene Rivers, president of the National Ten Point Leadership Foundation.

How Making a Difference Works: Approaches to Real Solutions, 2008

Highlights:

In 2008, the Black Policy Conference focused upon the work being done around the country and the world in reshaping Black communities and improving the welfare and quality of life for Black people. During the conference, which occurred April 11 and 12, 2008, speakers provided tangible examples from those who had gone beyond dialogue to creating change. The fourth annual conference featured keynote addresses by Anthony G. Brown, Maryland Lt. Governor (read his speech here), Dr. Michael Lomax, President and CEO of the United Negro College Fund, and John Rogers, Chairman & CEO of The Ariel Fund. Moreover, panelists included Dr. Ian Smith, founder of the 50 Million Pound Challenge and medical/diet expert of VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club, Dr. Julie Sullivan/President and CEO, International Foundation for Education and Self-Help, and Margo McKay, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Victory in Unity: Realizing the Dream Deferred, 2009

Highlights:

The fifth annual conference took place on April 17 and 18, 2009. It was a celebration of the success of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign and the shifting tide in the outlook of the future of Black people domestically and throughout Africa and the Diaspora. The conference highlighted Barack Obama’s power to unite across race, political ideology, gender, and class as an alternative that each of us should consider when devising solutions to the troubled dynamics of race and inequality throughout the world. The conference featured keynotes such as Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, professor, author, and radio host Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, and Editor Emeritus of Essence Magazine Susan Taylor. Other featured speakers included current Essence magazine editor Angela Burt-Murray, and Kim Drayton, director of T.D. Jakes’ Metroplex Economic Development Corporation. » Download Executive Summary ( PDF Format, 1.6MB)

A Call to Action: Empowering the Individual and Mobilizing the Collective, 2010

Highlights:

The sixth annual conference took place on April 16 and 17, 2010 and celebrated the long recognized reality that throughout our history, black people around the world have been revered as people of action. Motivated by a hunger for justice and equality, and inspired by those who came before, generations of ordinary citizens and black leaders alike hailing from Harlem to Harare have worked together to accomplish formidable changes. The conference focused on the crossroads between policy and action discussing the inherent value and power of the actions of individual citizens, while also hearing from policymakers, practitioners, and community leaders who are inspiring collective action.

Igniting the Flame: Reunite | Revitalize | Realize, 2011

Highlights:

The seventh annual conference took place on April 8 and 9, 2011 with two goals: reuniting the African Diaspora and revitalizing a coherent policy agenda in order to realize sustainable outcomes. Through this conference, we brought to the attention of our participants a number of real-world examples of policy solutions that could work from the ground up in order to address the problems facing Black communities today.The conference featured: a conversation with the Honorable Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, interviewed by Michele Martin from NPR’s Tell Me More; Michelle Alexander, Associate Professor of Law at Ohio State University and Civil Rights Advocate; Kaya Henderson, Interim Chancellor of DC Public Schools; Adrian Fenty, Former Mayor of Washington, D.C.; and Kasim Reed, Mayor of Atlanta. Click Here for Conference in Review.