From March 1 through 3, over 1,300 students, faculty, staff, and administrators at California’s Community Colleges convened at the 16th Annual African American Male Education Network Conference (A2MEND) in Los Angeles. Berkeley City College was well represented by six scholars; BCC and Laney Instructor of African American Studies and Ethnic Studies, Jimmy Crutison; and Vice President of Administrative Services, Sean Brooks.
This experience was truly inspirational and eye-opening for the BCC participants. One student shared that they had never been on a plane before, yet by “seeing, experiencing, talking with Black men in such a positive space was well worth addressing my fear of flying”. A2mend keynote speaker, Dr. Chris Emdin, stimulated the audience’s power of reasoning by connecting science to African American history.” To be able to talk to and learn from others that have been down a path similar as mine is very motivational,” said BCC scholar Antoine Arceneaux.” It got me thinking that I am going to be an African American Studies professor one day and I need to be speaking on that stage in five or ten years.’’
Crutison spent time in advance preparing BCC’s students for the networking event and encouraged each to have a curriculum vitae accessible. These spirited advance coaching efforts paid off for our students, as one BCC scholar spontaneously applied to and was accepted on the spot to the University of LaVerne with a scholarship for the Fall 2023 semester.” The most powerful tool was going through this process as a shared experience with other college students from Berkeley City College,” said Crutison. “I am elated about continuing my mission and duty to change the narrative of Men who look like me.”
This conference is only a stepping stone leading to a prosperous future and network for our scholars. Each has returned from the A2MEND conference to BCC with renewed energy, excitement, and focus; possessing unresolved strength to reach even greater heights. Crutison notes, “upon our most recent journey, I am witnessing scholars return and navigate with a particular vigor that I have not seen previously. At least every other day, one of the six scholars continues to check in on the thread we created for our travels exclaiming, ‘we were unfamiliar with one another but as we moved through the process of this experience, we began to trust and lean on one another, building a brotherhood’.”
The A2MEND left an indelible impression on all those that attended. BCC looks forward to continuing to sponsor our scholar’s connection to A2MEND and hopes to grow our attendees and access to this partnership in future years to come.
This article was included in the Berkeley City College March 15, 2023 President's Report. To view the full report, click here.
