Talking K-12 Black history, activism, HBCUs: Delaware Black Student Summit set for year two

Raina Allen kept her doubts to herself.

Inching away from the worst of a pandemic, fielding renewed calls for activism at the student level, the director knew her Delaware Racial Justice Collaborative was sitting on a good idea. By spring 2022 her team from United Way had long-assembled a planning committee of students, letting high-schoolers take the reins on a first-of-its-kind event.

But she wondered, would people show up? Would kids give up a Saturday to spend it in the Chase Fieldhouse?

“I honestly wasn’t sure we could do it,” Allen said, recalling over 100 students at the inaugural summit. “I stopped, and I looked at the audience and was like, ‘Wow, these chairs are full. I can't believe it.’”

Next time, she wants to see even more.

On March 18, the Delaware Black Student Summit will deliver its second event to amplify voices in Black Student Unions and associations across school systems in the state. The daylong annual event aims to bring all interested students, administrators, advisers and allies out to St. Georges Technical High School to “prepare, train, re-fuel and uplift” students and their support systems.

From performances to panels, soul food lunch to a keynote speaker on Historically Black Colleges and Universities — the DRJC team hopes to strike a tone that keeps students engaged and discussing all things activism, leadership and organization.

Transportation is available from Georgetown, Milford, Newark and Wilmington, and registration will close after March 1. Vendors and information tables will also be in attendance.

“It’s for Black students, their allies and the people who serve them, because we're all public servants,” Allen said.

“So why should you come? Because it's important to support Black students.”

What should I expect at the Black Student Summit?

Aa’Khai Hollis remembers planning the first summit his senior year, before heading nearly 100 miles away to Bowie State University. Coming back from his first semester of freshman year, helping plan next month’s summit in Middletown, there's something specific on his mind.

“I was robbed of my history,” said the current biology major, minoring in public policy.

This summit lands in a challenging atmosphere for U.S. education.

Students are stepping into a new spring clouded with news like Florida’s rejection of an AP African American studies course, the next banned book, the latest perilous learning loss study. And trauma from videos of Tyre Nichols’ beating or other cases of police brutality stream from their phones, adding to other stressors already mounted in health crisis.

This summit hopes to remind them of community, even across a state as small as Delaware. Key sessions include “Mental health,” “Know Your Rights” and “Advocacy 101.”

Another session will be a featured panel discussion on Delaware’s House Bill 198. The bill signed into law in 2021 requires all school districts and charter schools to implement a curriculum for Black history and the Black experience into K-12 education in Delaware. Hollis will be one student speaker.

Background from 2021:Delaware lawmakers pass bill to mandate teaching Black history in schools

As written, the act was effective immediately and told schools to implement “during the 2022-2023 school year.” Many school districts and their communities across Delaware are still discussing this implementation and how to get it right, “all the way.”

This panel discussion plans to dive right into it.

“Accountability is definitely the next piece,” Hollis said, recalling his work alongside state legislators. “I'm excited to actually share my thoughts and how it affected me coming to an HBCU. We were talking about Black history, and some of the conversations I had to sit out on. You know, it hurt my heart.”

Running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the summit also plans to deliver a session on best practices and tips for student organizing and running an effective Black Student Union, alongside networking opportunities over lunch from a local soul food restaurant.

“The event is designed to help empower Black Student Unions, Black Student Associations, Black-serving student groups in schools,” Allen said. “We think that if we can help grow these vehicles, then the students who are a part of them can push the movement forward.”

State of education:From test scores to mental health challenges, Delaware students are struggling. Here's why

Keynote speaker Ashley Christopher to talk HBCU Week

Another undertone of this summit could be hope that students know they have a place in schools and in higher education, too. This year’s keynote speaker will certainly look to remind them.

Ashley Christopher is the founder and CEO of the HBCU Week Foundation, started in 2017, seeking to encourage HBCU enrollment and “sustain a pipeline of employment from undergraduate school to corporate America,” according to the summit’s website.

With over 6,000 acceptances offered, over $50 million in scholarships secured, her foundation says it looks to expose high school students to the history and legacies of HBCUs.

“She is fantastic,” Allen said. “All she's done to help expose students in Delaware to HBCUs, what their roles are and that they are a viable option — she is right in line with our theme, 'Amplify Black Youth Voice.'”

For subscribers:What’s the cost of failing math? Well, for Delaware kids it could be $66 billion

If you go

What: Delaware Black Student Summit

When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 18

Where: St. Georges Technical High School: 555 Hyett’s Corner Road, near St. Georges

What do I need to do? Online registration is required by March 1. Transportation is available from Georgetown, Milford, Newark and Wilmington.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Second Black Student Summit to talk Black history in K-12, activism, more