BLS is an annual conference and summit that seeks to bring students from all intersections into shared space to learn and connect. 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 will join us in exploring the landscape of our communities and finding ways to make us stronger as a collective.
2023 Black & Latinx Summit
Liberation. Empowerment. Solidarity.
- Date: February 18-19, 2023
- Location: I-Hotel and Conference Center - 1900 S. First St., Champaign, IL 61820
- Hosted by: Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center and La Casa Cultural Latina
In addition to our theme, the summit is organized around the 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 that 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 dispossesion and systematic 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, communally and individually. Our intention is to address how our similarities and differences connect us and create bridges, paricularly 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.