The sixth annual Kente Summit kicks off Friday at Macalester College, and St. Thomas will be well-represented among the attendees.
The Kente Summit convenes male college students of African descent from across Minnesota to build community across campuses, identities, experiences and commonly faced issues. With 17 students, St. Thomas will have the largest delegation at the summit.
Brad Pulles, associate director in Student Diversity and Inclusion Services, serves on the Kente Summit planning committee.
“What makes this event so powerful is the incredible energy and sense of pride felt in a room of 100 bright, ambitious men of color – all of whom are working to provide a counter-narrative to what our society so often tells us about them," Pulles said. "Opportunities for these men to be surrounded by others who look like them can be rare. In this setting, they embrace the sanctity of what they have before them. I feel blessed to be a part of it.”
In commemoration of the summit, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman has proclaimed Friday, Nov. 4, as Black Collegiate Men Day in the city of St. Paul.
The official proclamation states:
Whereas, the first Black graduates of Minnesota’s colleges and universities helped pave the way for Black men to benefit from educational opportunities today; and
Whereas, many Black men from Minnesota’s colleges and universities were and are part of the City of Saint Paul’s strong path of progression; and
Whereas, today, the 6th Annual Kente Summit brings together male college students of African descent who attend colleges and universities in the state of Minnesota in order to build communities across campuses, identities, experiences, and commonly faced issues; and
Whereas, the Summit will take place in Saint Paul on November 4, 2016, and will include featured speakers, discussions, breakout sessions, and networking opportunities for Black men attending Minnesota’s colleges and universities,
Now, Therefore, I, Christopher B. Coleman, Mayor of the City of Saint Paul, do hereby proclaim Friday, November 4, 2016 to be:
Black Collegiate Men Day in the city of Saint Paul.
The second day of the summit will be held at Hamline University. St. Thomas hosted the second day in 2015.
Learn more about the Kente Summit.
