2023 BLS | Futurism: Creating a New Generation
Black & Latinx Summit 2023
Futurism: Creating a New Generation
- Date: February 18, 2023
- Location: I-Hotel, 1900 S. First St., Champaign IL 61820
The theme for the 2023 Black & Latinx Summit, "Futurism: Creating a New Generation," was chosen with a focus on breaking down generational barriers and promoting solidarity between the Black and Latinx communities. The conference aims to bring students from all intersections into a shared space to learn, connect, and build bridges between communities. The theme of futurism provides a framework for attendees to imagine a future that is inclusive and equitable, and to take steps to make that vision a reality.
In today's rapidly changing world, it is more important than ever to foster unity and collaboration between communities. The Black & Latinx Summit provides a platform for attendees to connect with like-minded individuals and establish meaningful relationships. Through workshops, discussions, and keynote speeches, attendees will learn about the power of futurism and how they can use it to create a future that transcends generational and cultural divides. The conference aims to inspire a new generation of leaders who are dedicated to breaking down barriers and promoting solidarity, both within their communities and beyond.
2023 Black & Latinx Summit Program (pdf)
2022 BLS | Renaissance: Transforming Our Resilience Into Power
Black & Latinx Summit 2022
Renaissance: Transforming Our Resilience Into Power
- Date: February 19-20, 2022
- Location: I-Hotel
This year’s summit theme pays homage to the powerful movement work from the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and 1930s. This period of intellectual and cultural revival is paramount in our collective conscious as it is one of the building blocks in which today’s movements for social justice stand upon. Thus this year’s theme is titled: Renaissance: Transforming Our Resilience Into Power. The theme invites Black and Latinx communities to critically engage with one another through an interdisciplinary, intersectional, and multi-generational lens that breeds innovation and transforms these new ideas into power.
This summit, formally known as the Black and Latinx Women’s Summit and the Black and Latinx Men’s Summit, has been revamped based on stakeholder feedback to move beyond the gender binary and be more inclusive of all gender identities. With this, we also recognize the importance of affinity spaces across multiple identities and the summit will still provide an opportunity for such engagement. We invite you to fully engage throughout the summit in the educational workshops, networking opportunities, and an expert keynote speaker address to explore the intersections of our shared liberations. BLS serves as an opportunity to build coalitions across communities and foster inclusive excellence in your everyday lives.
2022 Black & Latinx Summit Program (pdf)
2021 BLWS | Against All Odds: Rise Up!
Black & Latina Womxn's Summit 2021
Against All Odds: Rise Up!
- Date: Saturday, April 3, 2021
- Time: 10:00 am-2:00 pm
Our 2021 Black and Latinx Womxn Summit theme is Against All Odds: Rise Up inspired by Andra Day’s song Rise Up.
In the song, Andra Day reminds herself and others to preserve and “stand up” in order to take the next step. Historically, we have been oppressed and subject to systematic, psychological, and emotional distress. Therefore, it is imperative for every Black, Latinx, and Afro-Latinx womxn to understand the power within their voice and existence.
This theme will take an analytical approach on how our cultures can collectively challenge oppressive ideologies placed on womxn of color. Through the Black and Latinx Womxn summit, we will reclaim, redefine, and establish aspects of our resilience.
2021 BLMS | Mending Our Past and Present to Forge a Brighter Future
Black & Latino Men's Summit 2021
Mending Our Past and Present to Forge a Brighter Future
- Date: April 10, 2021
- Time: 10:00 am-2:00 pm
- Location: Zoom Event
BLMS is an annual conference and summit that seeks to bring students from all intersections into shared space to learn and connect and this year in our virtual format, our theme is Mending our Past and Present to Forge a Brighter Future. This focus is intentional understanding of the traumas that communities of color in the United States have faced both historically and contemporarily. It is also cognizant of the strides we are taking each day to heal our wounds and better prepare us for the next change in our circumstances. By creating this space, we hope others join us in exploring the landscape of our communities and finding ways to make us stronger as a collective.
Subthemes
In addition to our theme, the summit is organized around subthemes, provided below.
- Worldbuilding: This sub-theme will examine theoretical frameworks we can utilize to foster coalition-building, make our communities better places to live, radically transform how our communities function, take care of each other, and how to produce new knowledge that challenges the status quo and makes our communities stronger.
- History: This sub-theme invites participants to be part of the building of counter-narratives that center the history and education of our communities including dispossession and systemic and institutional erasure. This theme recognizes the stories of past Black and Latinx communities who were victimized as well as those who have paved the way for contemporary victories and movements.
- Current Events: This sub-theme looks to assess the events of 2020 and 2021 and their personal and global impact including an examination of the impact of COVID-19, online learning, presidential transition, social unrest on people of color and their escalation of societal inequities.
- Identity, Intersectionality, Positionality: This sub-theme aims to look at the similarities and differences of Black and Latinx communities, communaly and individually. Our intention is to address how our similarities and differences connect us and create bridges, particularly as it pertains to gender, sexuality, patriarchy, anti-blackness, xenophobia, privilege, and power and reflect on our positionalities to better support our communities and unite against all forms of oppression.
- Environment: This sub-theme acknowledges the environmental challenges Black and Brown communities face such as pollution, food insecurity, and deteriorating infrastructure and looks to create discourse to promote healing and dismantle structural barriers that inhibit.
Schedule at a Glance
(all times appear in CST)
- Welcome: 10:00 am
- Keynote Address: 10:10 am
- Workshop Block #1: 11:00 am
- Break: 11:45 am
- Workshop Block #2: 12:10 pm
- Keynote Address: 1:00 pm
- Closing: 1:45 pm
2020 BLWS | Phenomenal Womxn
Black & Latina Womxn's Summit 2020
Phenomenal Womxn
BLWS is pleased to announce our 5th Annual Black and Latina Womxn Summit.
The purpose of BLWS is to provide an opportunity for Black and Latina Womxn to build coalitions as well as discuss issues of Womxnhood. The summit also provides a space to develop strategies to achieve academic success, professional, development and wellness. We are happy to welcome students, community members, staff, and faculty from various high schools and universities to participate in these critical discussions.
On Saturday, February 29th 2020 BLWS will host the event at the I-Hotel Confrence Center! Please register in advance and join us!
2020 BLMS | Unearthing the Root - Cultivating a New World
Black & Latino Men's Summit 2020
Cultivating New Worlds
- Date: February 22, 2020
- Time: 9:00 am-5:00 pm
- Location: I-Hotel and Conference Center, 1900 South First Street, Champaign
This year’s theme, Unearthing the Root - Cultivating a New World speaks to the intersectional identities that characterize the daily Black and Latino male experience & the purpose to build a decolonial consciousness as men of color to advocate for our home communities. Whereas mainstream media and recurring statistics paint a bleak outlook on the quality of life for black and brown men, we personally believe—in fact we know—we are grooming some of the brightest Black and Latino men at Illinois. Our students are committed to their personal growth . Their identities will not be deemed invisible.
For generations, we have been working with a plundered plot, but the moment for our communities to revitalize our soil and harvest the fruits of our labor, as a community, is ahead of us. For that reason, the theme for the 2020 Black and Latino Men's Summit (BLMS) is Unearthing the Root - Cultivating a New World. The theme speaks to the need for Black and Latino men to make visible the foundations of insidious institutions and histories that prevent us from growing and thriving; this is fertile ground that will allow our communities to learn together and educate one another. Cultivating a new world addresses the need for action, mutual aid, and work that makes use of the knowledge produced by our communities. Our mission is to be equipped with the tools to care for our communities in the present, bring to life the worlds we seek to live in and bring our imagination to action. Upon leaving the summit we hope that the seeds are planted and the necessary tools imparted to disseminate the fruits of our labor to all communities.
2019 BLWS | Decolonization: Our Rebirth.
Black & Latina Womxn Summit 2019
Decolonization: Our Rebirth.
- Date: Sunday, April 14, 2019
- Time: 9:30 am-4:30 pm
- Location: Student Dining and Residence Programs Building, 301 E. Gregory Dr., Champaign, IL 61820
The institutionalization of colonial practices has historically been forced into our existence as Womxn of Color in all parts of the world; including Africa, Latin America, and the U.S. This year’s theme will explore colonized ideologies that have been forcefully instilled in us and have oppressed us at the institutional, psychological, and emotional level.
In doing so, we will discuss ways to dismantle the structures that have marginalized and deemed us as subordinate by exploring ways to unlearn what we have been taught within ourselves and our daily lives. This theme will take an analytical approach to our cultures and socialized practices that have been historically ingrained in us through colonization. In doing so, we hope to reclaim our identities by acknowledging our past and taking control of our present for a greater future.
The purpose of the Summit is to provide an opportunity for Black and Latina Womxn in the campus community to build coalitions as well as discuss issues of womxnhood. The summit also provides a space to develop strategies to achieve academic success, professional, development, and wellness. Our goal is to provide an environment for undergraduates, graduates, and staff, to connect and develop a network. Furthermore, we aim to provide a safe space to have deep conversations as well as provide knowledge of the resources that campus provides.
2019 BLMS | Dismantling Barriers and Building Alliances Between Black & Latinx Men
Black & Latino Male Summit 2019
- Date: Saturday, April 20, 2019
- Time: 8:30 am-4:30 pm
- Location: I-Hotel and Conference Center, 1900 South First Street, Champaign
Join us at this year's 2019 Black and Latino Male Summit. The theme this year will be Dismantling Barriers and Building Alliances Between Black & Latinx Men!
This year's summit is concentrated on deconstructing the social barriers that hinder solidarity between Black and Latinx men, and how to implement stronger, more conscious levels of communication and relation in our communities. Our purpose is to have a conscious discussion on what is keeping us from working together as one, how can he break this cycle of division, and in what ways can we construct a better sense of unity.
2018 BLWS | Womxn of Fire: Embracing Our Flame
Black & Latina Womxn Summit 2018
Womxn of Fire: Embracing Our Flame
- Date: Sunday, April 8, 2018
- Time: 9:30 am-4:30 pm
- Location: I-Hotel and Conference Center, 1900 South First Street, Champaign
The purpose of the Summit is to provide an opportunity for Black and Latina Womxn in the campus community to build coalitions as well as discuss issues of womxnhood. The summit also provides a space to develop strategies to achieve academic success, professional, development, and wellness. Our goal is to provide an environment for undergraduates, graduates, and staff, to connect and develop a network. Furthermore, we aim to provide a safe space to have deep conversations as well as provide knowledge of the resources that campus provides.
Institutional and systemic practices have historically placed Black and Latina womxn in subordinate positions and have exploited our communities. But still in the face of adversity, we rise from the ashes in full flame. The purpose of this Summit is to learn to address and deconstruct the power structures and oppressive systems that have historically suppressed our communities and have conditioned us to view ourselves in a negative light, all while recognizing our role within pre-existing and emerging efforts that strive to do so. We seek to reclaim control of our narratives by empowering ourselves and projecting our voices on our own terms.
This year’s summit goals are to provide our communities with the tools to remove oppressive systems, address anti-blackness in our communities, and create a strong and sustainable foundation for liberation within our campus community and most importantly, beyond.
- Confront
Within this section, we will confront harmful expectations and assumptions of gender, sexuality, femininity, race, and other aspects of Black and Latina identities. To do so we must center perspectives and voices from our own communities that have historically been erased or silenced, tackling issues that transcend borders. The dominant narratives that exist are only incomplete stories that do not accurately represent the complex identities of Black and Latina womxn.
- Ex. A workshop on colorism in the U.S. and its impacts; workshop on intersectionality/exclusion of this word from the Women’s March (how gender roles/femininity restricts how we see each other and ourselves and this creates further in our communities), The exclusion of Afro-Latinx in both communities
- Ex. A workshop on the consistent violence against tran(s) womxn, and how cisgender women contribute to this oppression. (Transphobia is very present in the Black and Latinx communities)
- Deconstruct
In this section, we want to give Black and Latina womxn the knowledge, skills, and inspiration to continue the fight against intersecting systems of oppression. We believe an analysis of historical violence and trauma is necessary to understand our present day struggle. Our hope is to not only to draw inspiration from examples of resistance throughout past and present history, but to also help Black and Latina womxn develop skills to address pressing issues within our communities and transform into better activist and allies.
- Ex. Workshop on activism on college campuses and how we should not detach the surrounding community that are directly impacted by academic institutions, grassroots activism, our role in specific forms of activism (LGBTQ rights, environmental justice)
- Empower
Being a womxn of color navigating a society that places privilege and power in whiteness takes a heavy toll on our mental health and overall well-being. We believe that a crucial part of resisting is active self care and unapologetically expressing ourselves through creative outlets. Although healing from individual, collective, and historical trauma is an extensive journey, we hope to gain the skills necessary to build healthy relationships with ourselves, others, and our communities through which we can continue to grow and thrive.
- Ex. A workshop on meditation; workshop on understanding/addressing mental health in our communities, establishing healthy boundaries with yourself/with others
- Promote
In this section, we want to uplift and showcase artists of color to amplify their creativity, increase their visibility, motivate future creators, and demonstrate the power of art as the projection of struggle, resistance, liberation, and healing. In addition, we will offer this space to local activists who are advocating for their community through various methods.
- Ex. Workshop that mimics an art museum or showcase (we set up a room with artwork from local artists and booths with grassroot initiatives and let people walk around and look/observe/ask questions about it, etc.)
- Wild Card
This area will focus on any issues or topics that address the lives, struggles, and intersectional identities of Black and Latina womxn that may not necessarily fit into one of the categories mentioned above.
2018 BLMS | Decolonizing Our Minds, Body, and Culture
2017 BLWS | M.O.S.A.I.C. (Making Our Sisterhood an Indestructible Coalition)
Black & Latina Womxn Summit 2017
M.O.S.A.I.C. (Making Our Sisterhood an Indestructible Coalition)
- Date: Sunday, April 2, 2017
- Time: 9:30 am-4:30 pm
- Location: I-Hotel and Conference Center, 1900 South First Street, Champaign
The purpose of the Summit is to provide an opportunity for Black and Latina Womxn in the campus community to build coalitions as well as discuss issues of womxnhood. The summit also provides a space to develop strategies to achieve academic success, professional, development, and wellness. Our goal is to provide an environment for undergraduates, graduates, and staff, to connect and develop a network. Furthermore, we aim to provide a safe space to have deep conversations as well as provide knowledge of the resources that campus provides.
2017 Black & Latina Womxn Summit Program (pdf)
2017 BLMS | Reviving Our Roots: The Cultivation of the Afro-Latino Diaspora
Black & Latino Male Summit 2017
“Reviving Our Roots: The Cultivation of the Afro-Latino Diaspora”
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Sponsored by the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center & La Casa Cultural Latina
The theme of the 2017 Black and Latino Male Summit (BLMS) is “Reviving Our Roots: The Cultivation of the Afro-Latino Diaspora.” This year’s summit strives to provide a forum for Black and Latino men to discuss the role of history in today’s Black and Latino male experience.Summit Details
- Date: Saturday, February 25, 2017
- Time: 9:00 am-4:00 pm
- Location: I-Hotel and Conference Center, 1900 S. 1st Street, Champaign, Illinois
2016 BLWS | Still We Rise
Black & Latina Womyn Summit 2016
Still We Rise
- Date: Sunday, April 24, 2016
- Time: 9:00 am-4:00 pm
- Location: Student Dining and Residential Programs
This year’s theme “Still We Rise”, speaks to the resilience black and brown womxn experience in order to fully embody their being. We are beautiful in every way and shape and the power of our voices, minds, and hearts is what makes this summit a space of freedom.
The purpose of the summit is to provide an opportunity for Black and Latina Womyn in the campus community to build coalitions as well as discuss topics of womynhood. The summit also provides a space to develop strategies to achieve academic success, professional, development, and wellness. Our goal is to provide an environment for undergraduates, graduates, faculty and staff staff, and community members to connect and develop a network. Furthermore, we aim to provide a space to have conversations of action and unity as expand the knowledge of these topics.
Call for Proposals
For the 2016 program, summit organizers encourage submissions of innovative, diverse, and challenging program proposals that address Black and Latina womyn in higher education. Proposals should align with the one or more of the following themes:
- Self-Identity: Our Many Shades
This section explores identities and their intersections within Black and Latina womyn communities. Submissions can include issues in regards to colorism and sexism within said communities, but may also explore queerness, gender, religion, ethnicity and any variety of Black and Latina womyn’s identities and experiences. Presenter should be able to help participants explore the diversity in their identities and aesthetics.
- Building Bridges [Over Borders]
This section explores the cultivation of comm(unity) amongst Black and Latina womyn, as well as how building of bridges matters in a global context. Submissions may include historical alliance between Black and Latina womyn, the overlap of Black and Latina womyn’s resistance and resilience, activism, shared experiences and global perspectives.
- Treat Yo’self
This section explores mental health and the importance of self-care for Black and Latina womyn. Submissions may include art expression, poetry, self-affirmations, other forms of self-love, the impacts of mental health, and other healing processes for Black and Latina womyn.
- Black & Brown (Miss)representation
This section explores the misrepresentations of Black and Latina womyn within various spaces and its influence on perception of womyn and self within society. Submissions may include topics on violence against womyn, sexual assault, body image, redefining beauty, eating disorders, leadership, womyn in the media, womyn in education, defining femininity, and intersectional feminism.
- Wild Card
This area will focus on any topics and issues of Black and Latina womyn that fall outside of the aforementioned categories.
2016 BLMS | Uniting for Change: Affirming Our Legacy to Influence Future Efforts
2015 BLWS | Phenomenal Womyn | Inagural Summit
1st Black & Latina Womyn Summit
Phenomenal Womyn
- Date: Sunday, April 26, 2015
- Time: 10:00 am-4:30 pm
- Location: Student Dining & Residential Programs Building
Keynote Speaker: Carol Ammons. 9 Workshops & Closing Performance. Free & open to the public. Lunch will be provided.
2015 BLMS | An Exploration of Identity
Black & Latino Male Summit 2015
An Exploration of Identity: Who Are You? Who Do They Think You Are?
- Date: Saturday, February 28, 2015
- Time: 9:00 am-5:00 pm
- Location: I-Hotel and Conference Center, 1900 S. First Street, Champaign, IL 61820
Free and open to the public.
The theme of the 2015 Black and Latino Male Summit (BLMS) is An Exploration of Identity: Who Are You? Who Do They Think You Are? This year’s summit strives to provide a forum for Black and Latino men to discuss issues of identity and to create strategies to explore, develop, and protect their identities. The summit aims to create an experience that sparks reflection and ignites action from its participants.
2014 BLMS | Out of Many, One
Black & Latino Summit 2014
- Date: Saturday, February 22, 2014
The 2014 Black and Latino Male Summit (BLMS) provides a forum for Black and Latino men to discuss issues on manhood and to develop strategies to achieve academic success, professional development, and wellness. Furthermore, the organizers and sponsors of this summit seek to promote camaraderie, coalition building, and community between Black and Latino men at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
2013 BLMS | Behind The Mask
Black + Latino Male Summit 2013
- Date: Saturday, February 23, 2013
- Time: 10:00 am-5:00 pm
- Location: David Kinley Hall
