Yusef Salaam to deliver keynote for Sankofa Conference
Yusef Salaam, one of the exonerated Central Park Five, will be the keynote speaker for the annual Sankofa Conference on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 11 a.m., in Carver Hall's Gross Auditorium.
Salaam, falsely accused when he was just 15 years old, was convicted of assault and rape of jogger Trisha Meili. Salaam was one of five boys charged, who collectively became known as the “Central Park Five."
In 2002, after the Central Park Five spent between seven and 13 years of their lives behind bars, the sentences of the boys — now men — were overturned. A convicted murderer and rapist serving a life sentence confessed, and the "Central Park Five" were fully exonerated. Now, nearly 20 years later, Salaam has become a family man, poet, activist, and inspirational speaker.
Sankofa, sponsored and coordinated by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, grew out of the need for students to learn, understand, and appreciate the rich cultural heritage of people of African descent.
It has developed as a way to promote unity and understanding among students, providing a forum for discussion and learning. Sankofa is an African word from the Akan tribe in Ghana, translated to “it is not taboo to fetch what is a risk of being left behind.”
I Just Took A DNA Test, turns out I’m 100% Toxic?!; Presenter: Bryan Pointer and Ashley Lyles; Room: Multipurpose Room A 345
Leading the Movement: College Students and the Struggle for Racial Progress; Presenter: Dametraus L. Jaggers; Room: Ballroom 1 Room 408
I’m not a fraud? Am I?; Presenter: Shannon Musgrove; Room: Multipurpose Room B 345
Put Some Respeck on My Name: The Daily Struggle of Being a Millennial Leader in Today’s Society; Presenter: Marquise Isaac-Rivers; Room: Multicultural Center Room 230
Launch Point: Career Development, The Things They Won’t Say; Presenter: Marvin Carter; Room: Multipurpose Room A 345
Know How Money Works: The foundation to Financial Success; Presenter: Carolyn Reid-Brown and Cardail Batiste; Room: Multipurpose Room B 345
How Can I Help? Mentorship: Guidance That Can Lead to Personal Growth, Professional Success, and Partnership; Presenter: Diamante Logan and Melissa Cheese; Room Multicultural Center Room 230
Oodles of Noodles Babies: Exploring the Impact of Trauma on College Students from Urban Communities; Presenter: Ralph E. Godbolt; Room: Ballroom 1 Room 408
Guiding Your Greatness: Examining Different Paths to Success; Presenter: Tevonne Hemmans; Room: Multicultural Center Room 230
Help! I Can’t Stop Replaying That Scene; Presenter: Carmella Carter;
Room: Multipurpose Room A 345
Get Curious, Not Furious: Make A Connection With Others’ True Colors; Presenter: Marion C. McKinney and Marcus T. Harrison; Room: Multipurpose Room B 345
Good Hair: What Does it Really Mean?; Presenter: Allena McCloud; Room: 343
Black History Month Events
Wednesday, Feb. 5 — Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Celebration with Bakari Sellers, Carver Hall's Gross Auditorium, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 6 — Campus Movie: Harriet in the KUB Multicultural Center, 7 p.m. Discussion to follow.
Monday, Feb. 10 — Movie Screening: When They See Us in the KUB Ballroom, 6 to 9 p.m. Discussion to follow.
Tuesday, Feb. 11 — Mental Health in the Black Community with Stacey Pearson-Wharton, KUB Multicultural Center, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 12 — The You Effect: Think Your Way into Academic Success in the KUB Multicultural Center, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 13 — Frederick Douglass Symposium in the KUB Multicultural Center, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 15 — Sankofa Conference in the KUB, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.