Members of the black community gathered together on Saturday morning for the fourth annual Black Solidarity Day Conference. The meeting was held in the Koury Business Center and was one of several events in February to honor black contributions to the campus.
Coordinated by the Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education, the conference consisted of three sessions geared toward the needs, wants and aspirations of the black community at Elon. The attendees were given advice for networking and engaging with alumni through the Elon Black Alumni Network.
Brandon Bell, assistant director of the CREDE, stressed the importance of inclusion on Elon’s campus. “Students will always have a deepened sense of community, or if not, an increased sense that there is a space on campus that speaks directly to parts of their identity,” Bell said.
The morning keynote address was given by Randy Williams Jr., associate vice president for campus engagement. He encouraged students to embrace their racial identity and to find strength in it. His discussion came full circle with the theme of the conference, “Awaken, My Love!”
The conference was a celebration of black heritage during Black History Month. Black students at Elon have been coming together all month through events organized by the university's Black History Month Planning Committee.