“Face Everything And Rise” headlines keynote at Black Male Retention and Success Conference

More than 230 people from 18 universities and community organizations attended the HFC Black Male & QUEENS Focus Group (BMQFG)’s 4th annual Black Male Retention, Success, and Best Practices Conference on April 7, making it one of the most successful conferences to date, according to BMQFG coordinator and faculty advisor Dr. Kalvin DaRonne Harvell.

“The BMQFG is always working to provide more than feel-good moments at these conferences,” said Harvell. “We want people to come away with a critical, meaningful experience, and additional knowledge!”

This year’s keynote address was delivered by author and motivational speaker Adam Harris, who gave an inspiring speech. Harvell called him a trailblazer in the work of social equity and educational equity.

Harris is a servant leader whose ongoing mission is to encourage and inspire others. He does this by focusing on empowering and mentoring young people, serving in many roles, including coach, mentor, educator, conflict-resolution specialist, workshop facilitator, and counseling advisor. He has won several awards, including the prestigious Spirit of Detroit Award. His accomplishments have also brought him media attention, including MTV, FOX2 Detroit, and Local 4 News in Detroit.

At-Promise, not At-Risk

During his speech – which Harvell called engaging and inspirational – Harris talked about his background and reinforced the idea that it takes a village to raise a child, not just parents. That proved personally true for him when he lost his father at age 11.

“Everyone is in here today because of the village,” Harris addressed the audience. “If you don’t know who you are, someone will make the decision for you… If you don’t know who you are, you will struggle throughout your life.”

The lifelong Detroiter spoke about growing up being called an “at-risk” youth. He turned the tables on that term: replacing “at-risk” with “at-promise” because younger generations benefit from guidance, advice, motivation, and positive reinforcement instead of labels.

“If we say a student is at-risk, we’ve lost the war before we’ve even started the battle,” said Harris. “No one, in my eyes, is at-risk. Every single student I’ve worked with is at-promise.”

ProCess to ProGRess

Harris spoke candidly about his struggles with depression and how he once contemplated taking his own life. He spoke about how he “was not supposed to make it” because he scored an 18 on the ACT and his overall GPA in high school was just 2.7.

Yet Harris attended the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in African and African-American studies. He later earned his master’s degree in counseling from the University of Detroit Mercy.

“Everything in life is a process,” said Harris. “You must learn to trust the process in order to see the progress. When we got through these processes in life, it makes us who we are. Once we achieve progress, we achieve gratitude.”

Harris associated four Gs with progress:

• Gratitude
• Grace
• Graduation
• Greatness

“Growth and grace give us the ability to graduate life’s struggles. This allows us to look back because we trusted the process,” he said. “Our stumbling blocks should be turned into stepping stones. Our pain should be turned into gain. Our misery should be turned into ministry. What are you doing to change the world? More importantly, what are you doing to change yourself?”

F.E.A.R.: Face Everything And Rise

Harris acknowledged that fear is a roadblock in everyone’s journey. Everyone’s deepest fear is powerful beyond measure. He turned the word “fear” into two different acronyms.

“You can ‘Face Everything And Rise’ or you can ‘Forget Everything And Run.’ I choose to face everything and rise,” he said. “Your dreams are worth fighting for! Your community is worth fighting for! Your family is worth fighting for! Your degree is worth fighting for! My challenge is to you is this: Do not give up on your dreams!”

Reclaiming history

Afterward, Harvell presented Harris with two awards:

• The Sankofa Award
• The Ujima Award

“Brother Harris was presented with the Sankofa Award. Sankofa tells us to engage in critical dialogue with our Ancestors and relies on our culture to solve our problems and navigate society,” explained Harvell. “The idea is to reclaim history and apply it in meaningful ways to address the concerns of the day. He also won the Ujima Award, which means collective work and responsibility.”

He continued: “I have to receive special authorization to present these awards. My rank in the community is not high enough to present such important awards. Authorization can only be granted by the Elders. In the past, they have been available to present the awards. Our two presiding Elders are Dr. Henry J. Bowers, the former dean of what is now the HFC School of Liberal Arts, and Baba Calvin L. Harvell, my father.”

One Michigan Moment in T.I.M.E.

Harris has written three books. His latest book – One Michigan Moment in T.I.M.E. – chronicles his undergraduate journey at UM-Dearborn. During the conference, the BMQFG provided free copies of this book after the conference for 100 participants, and Harris was more than happy to sign them and engage readers in conversation.

“Brother Harris is the personification of Ujima,” said Harvell. “Brother Harris continues the work of our Ancestors as he skillfully connects philosophy with a practice that promotes intellectual excellence and community care. As the keynote speaker at the fourth annual Black Male Retention, Success, and Best Practices Conference, he gave us pieces of himself through a lens that drew from a body of academic literature that supports the necessity of critical dialogue with the self, intense academic research, and practical application for empowerment!”

Fantastic conference speakers

In addition to the keynote address, the conference was filled with thoughtful, engaging, interactive concurrent and plenary sessions. Here are some highlights:

Creating and Leveraging Your Personal Brand to Navigate Success
Brennan Says
Indiana Institute of Technology

Black Voices in Education at All Levels
Jeff Bean
Ferris State University

I Am #TeamYou!
Yolanda Brown-Spidell
Henry Ford College

Black Leaders Attaining Critical Knowledge in STEM
Chan Agwick, Darell Martin, Brennan Says, Jerry Walker
Indiana Institute of Technology

Pedagogy of Belonging and the Black Intellectual Legacy Model
Rashid Faisal, Xavier Honablue, M. Chiquita McKenzie
Davenport University

The Stepladder Toward Climbing within Your Purpose
Byron Brooks
Hood Black & Educated Consulting Group

It's Time to Take Charge: How to Be Your Own Health Advocate
Athena Chukwu

Special Session on Purpose
Theodore Ransaw
Michigan State University

HBCU Tour
Lincoln University

The conference also included 15 universities welcoming students and families to discover their educational offerings and pathways.

Look for our announcement of the Excellence of the Black Woman conference in late October or early November.

The 5th annual Black Male Retention, Success, and Best Practices Conference will be in April 2024.