Contact: Debra Dennis
214-378-1851; ddennis@dcccd.edu
For immediate release — April 12, 2018
(DALLAS) — Every student should have a voice and a vision. For minority male students, that opportunity may come only with a supportive community committed to academic success.
To help those students find their voices, the Dallas County Community College District is sponsoring its annual Male Initiative Summit at Mountain View College. The event will be held on Friday, April 20, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mountain View College is located at 4849 W. Illinois Ave. in Dallas.
The event is free and open to the public; registration is required. High school students from neighboring schools have been invited to participate in the summit. Lunch will be provided.
Register online for the Male Initiative Summit.
Courtney Brazile, an Eastfield College speech instructor and DCCCD’s coordinator for the Male Initiative program, said students who attend the summit will be matched with mentors and resources that will help them develop confidence as they pursue their education.
“We are working to better engage and retain our minority students,” said Brazile. “Engaging them in the classroom and in their academics is essential if they are going to complete college and graduate. We want students to use their voices to become agents of change in their communities.
“They may wonder whether the instructor understands them or their culture. This summit is a way to unite across our district to make sure we see higher numbers of minority men graduate. We want to do some things that work,” Brazile said.
Workshops presented during the summit will help build confidence and empower students as they review college resources that are available at each DCCCD college.
Michael W. Waters, a social commentator, activist and pastor at Joy Tabernacle African Methodist Episcopal Church in Dallas, will be the keynote speaker. Waters, who has appeared on numerous television shows, including MSNBC and CBS This Morning, is the author of “Freestyle: Reflections on Faith, Family, Justice and Pop Culture.”
DCCCD has partnered with Brother to Brother, which is part of a Student African American Brotherhood, or SAAB, a national organization that supports men of color as they pursue college degrees. SAAB’s founder, Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe, will be on hand to greet participants, Brazile said.
For more information, call Brazile at 972-860-7164 or send an email to CourtneyBrazile@dcccd.edu.
# # #