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Event Series Event Series: Men of Color Symposium

Men of Color Symposium

February 5, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm EST

Join us for the 2nd Annual University of Kentucky Men of Color Symposium on Thursday, February 4th- Friday, February 5th, 2021.  The theme of the second conference is “Promoting community, courage, care, and connections”. The goal in establishing this theme is to promote unity among men of color and to offer sessions that will allow participants to engage in personal, career, and community development. In order to provide a safe opportunity for participation, the conference will be offered virtually with multiple sessions available.

Open to students and professionals across Kentucky and beyond, attendees will be exposed to renowned speakers, presented with insightfully themed sessions with applicable and practical information, and opportunities to discuss building support for men of color.

The Martin Luther King Center in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Diversity and the Office of Student and Academic Life has put together this two-day symposium filled with experts and presenters from all over the world.

Symposium Schedule Day 1

9:45 AM – Opening remarks

10:00 AM –  11:30 AM Morning session

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Keynote Address with Former Kentucky Representative Charles Booker

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM Afternoon session

Symposium Schedule Day 2

10:00 AM –  11:30 AM Morning session

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM  Keynote Address with Attorney Benjamin Crump

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM Afternoon session

Click Here to Register for the 2021 Symposium 

Information on Keynotes & Breakout Session Presenters 

 

Walter Malone is a current Staff Psychology Steps Fellow at the University of Kentucky Counseling Center, where he provides clients with various forms of psychological services, including individual and group therapy, as well as consultations and campus outreach. Walter is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Counseling Psychology program at Western Michigan University. Walter enjoys working with students and assisting them with navigating the various challenges they face throughout their college career.  His experiences of growing up in Detroit, Michigan, and his work with underrepresented and minoritized populations in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has allowed him the opportunity to witness the systematic and oppressive challenges that people face in their communities and beyond. Walter is humbled by these real and often neglected issues and has commented his life to challenging, developing, empowering, educating, and supporting those who are most vulnerable, through his work as a Black, male, mental health agent.

Walter has held many positions during his professional careers, such as Executive Manager at Target Corporation, and Program Coordinator, and Assistant Director, of the Trio Upward Bound Program at Western Michigan University, and Director of a program that served conditionally admitted students to help increase their probability of success at WMU. Additionally, Walter also served as Vice President of Research and Evaluation for the Future 4 Teens program, which strives to help youth and young adults with social, emotional, educational, or financial needs become successful by providing mental health and educational services.


Dr. Federico “Felito” Aldarondo is the associate director of the University of Kentucky (UK) Counseling Center, where he has worked for the past 17 years.  He is passionate about helping young people as they develop their identities, cope with transitions and life challenges, and develop their values, which often guide their career trajectory and success in life. His work entails clinical work/therapy, training, outreach/preventative programming, collaborations with other units, and university and division level committees that support and impact students.  During his time at UK, Dr. Aldarondo has been involved with numerous efforts around cultural issues and belonging, especially as they pertain to students of color and others who are marginalized and minoritized.

Dr. Aldarondo earned a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Indiana University in 1998 and an M.S. in clinical psychology from Mississippi State University in 1993.  Prior to working at UK, he served on the faculty at Purdue University and completed his pre-doctoral internship in the VA health system in Pittsburgh, PA.  He has also worked in a variety of other mental health and educational settings.  His clinical and professional interests include substance use disorder prevention and treatment, healthy lifestyle change, motivational interviewing, mindfulness, multicultural issues, interpersonal therapy, therapy supervision, and group work.


Dr. Roger Cleveland is a transformational leader and groundbreaking researcher in the fields of diversity, equity, multicultural education, and academic innovation. Cleveland has dedicated his life to empowering businesses, public institutions, and schools to embrace diversity and inclusion. His unique experience as a results-driven educator and revolutionary thought leader makes him a sought-after lecturer, teacher, and academic consultant.

Dr. Cleveland has spent more than 22 years in K-12, and higher education. Cleveland has published nearly two dozen equity, inclusion, and education-related peer-reviewed research articles.

Dr. Cleveland is the CEO and President of Millennium Learning Concepts Consulting Company, an agency that focuses on helping organizations meet their goals in the areas of cultural proficiency, instructional equity, implicit bias, closing achievement gaps, learning styles, transforming school culture, conducting culture audits, and school improvement planning.

The Middlesboro, Kentucky, native, resides in Lexington, Kentucky with his wife, Audra. He is the father of three amazing college students Maya, Taylor, and Dorian.


 

 

Christian Adair M.Ed. is the Founder and Director of Alpha League a mentoring and leadership development organization focused on underserved and marginalized males. He has over 25 years of experience as an educator and coach, serves on several non-profit boards, and is a Chapter President for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He currently leads FCPS Educating Boys of Color and Drop Out prevention initiatives which involves family and community engagement and culturally responsive teaching and learning.

 

 


 

 

Milton Noe Meza de los Santos is currently the Latino Outreach Coordinator at BCTC, where he aids in the effort to push the Latinx community towards higher education and reaching their goals. He is from Veracruz, Mexico, and a radio show host for Sobre la Meza. Milton is a man with a passion for the immigrant community. He graduated from BCTC in 2015 and is continuing his Bachelor’s in Psychology at EKU.His hobbies include soccer, rock climbing, and playing video games. He loves to eat different kinds of food, trying new things, and encouraging others to push their limits.

 

 


Antonio Garcia, Ph.D., MSW, is an Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work, and Faculty Associate of the Center on Trauma and Children in the College of Medicine. His research is guided by his experiences as a former Child Protective Services Worker and Supervisor in Washington State. Having broad interdisciplinary training in Psychology, Social Work, and Services Research, he is committed to using research evidence to effectively engage Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other People of Color (BILPOC) in culturally relevant, evidence-informed services and programs. In addition to examining their experiences of system involvement, he relies on the lived experiences of agency providers and leaders to inform the development of structural and systemic strategies that increase engagement in service provision to mitigate the effects of trauma exposures among BILPOC.

Going forward, he intends to examine if culturally tailored dissemination and implementation strategies achieve his long-term objective – mitigate racial inequities in service provision across child and family systems of care; and in turn, promote positive psychosocial outcomes for Black and Brown youth and families. Dr. Garcia capitalizes on his research and practice experience to educate the next generation of social workers dedicated to promoting child safety, permanency, and well-being.


 

Patrick Francis received two bachelor’s degrees in Policing & Law Enforcement from Sam Houston State University, and a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and Computer Science from DeVry University. He has had the honor and privilege to serve on the city, county, and state-level of law enforcement for over 12 years in the state of Texas.  Patrick is a former CEO of SQL Technical Solutions, and currently the Director of Operations for the Gentleman’s Haberdashery clothing conglomerate, where their motto is “Dress the way you want to be addressed.”  In the spirit of serving others in the community, Patrick founded  Diamond in the Rough Ministries nonprofit, which provides services to the homeless and individuals who suffer from mental illness. He serves on the board of directors for Productive Ventures Inc. a 501c3 organization that empowers youth, families, and lends support to educational institutions around the country. Most importantly, Patrick is a son, a father, a husband, an entrepreneur, and an advocate for change.

 

 


 

Ben Crump, J.D 

Mr. Crump has broken barriers in several legal organizations, serving as the first African-American President of the Federal Bar Association for the Northern District of Florida and the first African-American Chairman of the Florida State University College of Law Board of Directors. He is a member of the American Bar Association, American Association for Justice, The Florida Justice Association, and many other groups dedicated to the law and the pursuit of justice.

Mr. Crump is a frequent speaker and author, having been featured in documentaries like NPR’s “How Lawyer Got Nation Talking About Trayvon Martin,” and BET’s “I Am Trayvon Martin: A Family’s Fight for Justice.” Mr. Crump is also a frequent contributor to Time magazine, discussing many of the civil rights and criminal justice issues African-Americans face today. Mr. Crump will also appear on a television show called “Evidence of Innocence,” which will feature stories about individuals who were wrongfully imprisoned.

He’s received significant recognition for his service in pursuit of civil rights and justice for minorities, being included on prestigious lists like The National Trial Lawyers’ Top 100 Lawyers and Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 Most Influential African Americans. He has also received the National Urban League’s Whitney Young Award, AKA’s Eleanor Roosevelt Award, the NAA

 

CP Thurgood Marshall Award, and the SCLC’s Martin Luther King Servant Leader Award.


Charles Booker is a lifelong Kentuckian who was born and raised in the west end of Louisville.

For the last decade, Charles has been fighting for everyday Kentuckians, working at every level of government — local, state, and federal. In 2014, he was appointed as Director of Personnel and Administrative Services for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife under then-Governor Steve Beshear.

In 2018, Charles was elected to the Kentucky State House of Representatives, becoming the youngest black state legislator in 90 years. During his time in office, he has championed gun reform, voting rights, labor laws, and criminal justice, and passed bipartisan legislation to help Kentuckians get insulin in emergency situations. Charles is a proud member of the Kentucky Black Legislative Caucus.

 

Details

Date:
February 5, 2021
Time:
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
EST
Series:
Event Categories:
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