Black Men in Education Convening Returns to Philadelphia

Yaniece Spencer
November 20, 20243 min read

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Dominque Howse, Center for Black Educator Development, cbed@fenton.com

The seventh annual Black Men in Education Convening (#BMEC2024), the largest Black male educator convening in the country, returns to Philadelphia from November 21–23, 2024. The event will feature live sessions with experienced educators such as Joyce Abbott, award-winning educator and veteran teacher; Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, American pedagogical theorist; Dr. Angela Davis, educator and member of the Black Panther Party; Dr. Chris Emdin, Maxine Greene professor of Science Education at Columbia University’s Teachers College; Michael Harriott, columnist at TheGrio; James H. Shelton III, former United States Deputy Secretary of Education; and many more! Participants will engage in a unique, communal and empathetic space to discuss classroom pedagogy best practices and empower male educators.

Hosted by The Center for Black Educator Development, #BMEC2024 will continue the tradition of professional development, mentorship and organizing by convening Black men in education and those who support them to build a community that remains committed to the success of students and the school communities they serve.

Research conducted by John Hopkins shows that Black male educators are vital to student success as Black boys who have at least one Black teacher are up to 39% less likely to drop out of school and 18% less likely to be identified as needing special education services – especially in under-resourced communities.

BMEC2024 will be a live event aiming to enhance the learning experience and student outcomes by recruiting, retaining, supporting, and activating more Black men in education who are essential to student success, both in and beyond the classroom.

EVENT:

2024 Black Men in Education Convening

WHERE:

Loews Philadelphia Hotel, 1200 Market St, Philadelphia, PA

WHEN:

November 21– 23, 2024, at 10:30 am EST

CONFERENCE SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

  • Joyce Abbott, Award-Winning Educator and Veteran
  • Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, American Pedagogical Theorist and Educator
  • Dr. Greg Carr, Professor of Africana Studies, Howard University
  • Dr. Angela Davis, Pedagogical Theorist and Educator, Black Panther Party
  • Dr. Chris Emdin, Maxine Greene Chair for Distinguished Contributions to Education & Professor of Science Education, Columbia University’s Teachers College
  • Michael Harriott, Journalist, TheGrio
  • Dr. William Hayes, Chief Executive Officer, Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia
  • Dr. Ericka Huggins, Educator, Black Panther Party
  • Cherelle L. Parker, City of Philadelphia Mayor
  • Dr. Vanessa Dodo Seriki, Associate Dean, Recruitment and Student Success, School of Education & Urban Studies, Morgan State University
  • James H. Shelton III, Former United States Deputy Secretary of Education
  • Dr. Tony Watlington, School District of Philadelphia Superintendent

About The Center for Black Educator Development:

The Center for Black Educator Development was founded in 2019 to address and accelerate change in the educational ecosystem. Its mission to rebuild the Black Teacher Pipeline to achieve educational equity and racial justice is achieved through the alignment of pathways into the profession, professional learning and public policies to ensure greater educator diversity, cultural responsiveness, and improved student outcomes for Black children.

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Yaniece Spencer
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We are deeply saddened and disturbed by the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis. George’s story is the story of too many Black Americans – Ahmaud Arbery, Breona Taylor, Trayvon Martin, and so many more, named and unnamed by the media— brutally and senselessly killed.

This loss of Black life and our persistent failure to bring those responsible to account expose the most grotesque, painful truth about our nation: the enduring legacy of white supremacy.

We will not heal until things change.

Camden Education Fund stands in solidarity with the Black community.

We remain deeply committed to bringing resources to support our public schools and the extraordinary youth-serving organizations in Camden, as we believe these are the institutions with the greatest potential to show our children, daily, that their lives and dreams matter.

The reality is that all organizations – ours included – have so much more work to do. We will hold ourselves accountable to building an organization that advances equity, promotes understanding, and dismantles racist structures.