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Written by: Yale University

Date: 2007 - 2008

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Black Solidarity Conference 2007 - 2008

The Ballot or the Bullet: Revitalizing the Revolution - February 29 – March 2, 2008
It can easily be argued that voting is the cornerstone of our political process. Through voting, each American citizen over the age of eighteen is able to voice there opinions about current political and social issues of the time. However, several students vote haphazardly without a clear understanding of the issues that are currently paralyzing our political system. Our hope is to provide an in-depth understanding of “key issues” in the upcoming presidential election. We hope to not to only educate, but to engage black leaders into the political system.

The Black Solidarity Conference will be an exciting three days of speakers, rallies, and workshops that invites students from universities around the nation. We hope to spark dialogue and initiate change on our respective campuses.

On Friday, February 29, 2007 the students will begin to arrive on campus. We will show students around campus, match them up with their Yale undergraduate host, and they will have an opportunity to watch a play produced by the Heritage Theater Ensemble. That evening all conference participants will head to the Omni Hotel for a formal dinner. The first hour will provide time for students to network, followed by dinner. Following dinner we will have a speaker who will address the theme of our conference and prepare the conference participants for Saturday – the day that the majority of our activities take place.

On Saturday, March 1, 2007 is jammed full with various events. A very important component of our conference is educating the conference participants. This will be done through a workshop series. We will have two workshop blocks and two workshops will occur simultaneously during each block.

Participants will have to pick one workshop they are interested in for each block. The workshops will discuss important issues in the upcoming presidential election, and where each party/candidate stands on that particular issue. A packet of articles will be given to every participant explaining candidates and issues. The workshops are as follows:

Prescription for America: The State of Health Care: The preeminent issue in the upcoming election is undoubtedly health care. It is not simply a question of who receives health care but also a question of quality, disparities within the industry, and the rising costs. The health care industry, domestically and abroad, is increasingly faced with health care disparities linked to class and race. Lower socioeconomic families or families living in poverty consistently have a lower life expectancy and increased infant mortality rate. African Americans make up approximately 49% of new HIV/AIDS cases in the United States, 13.3% of all African Americans are suffering with diabetes and are 1.8 times more likely to have diabetes than white Americans. Blacks bear a disproportionate burden of disease and about 20% of African Americans are living without health insurance. Preventive care and access to care are seen as luxuries to the poor and impoverished. It is becoming increasingly evident that there are two health care systems – a fairly responsive system for the economically stable or well-off and another system for the disadvantaged, poor, and impoverished. African Americans represent a large proportion of the uninsured and often silently suffer. This workshop will explore the brief history of health car reform, and take an in-depth view of the proposed health care reform plans.

No Child Left Behind?: Around fifty percent of black students in America can expect to graduate from high school. Of those who continue on to college about 40% are expected to graduate. Because education is the gateway to success in so many aspects of American society, racial disparities in education quality and access to education are some of the biggest problems facing black communities today. Although Brown v. Board and other educational milestones have changed the face of public education, the disparities are distressingly stark and the residual inequalities from a legacy of segregated public education remain. African American students find themselves concentrated in educational systems that are less developed – lack of funding, qualified teachers, and basic resources that are so readily available to other children from more privileged backgrounds. This workshop will explore the ways that federal legislation and policies affect the American school system. It will look at ballot initiatives that focus on education and analyze different parties’ views and platforms on education. Because education is one core aspect of American society, problems abound.

Mission Accomplished?: The War in Iraq: The Iraq catastrophe not only illuminates the wide chasm between the will of the people and the rule of the powerful few but also highlights the troubling inequities within society. For many, the war in Iraq is reminiscent of the Vietnam War. There is growing mistrust of the government’s motives, and a lingering uneasiness about disproportionately high casualty and deployment rates among black soldiers. Furthermore, as a result of the government’s inability to serve its black community after Hurricane Katrina, many African Americans are no longer focused on the troubles abroad, instead focusing their attention to the noticeable disparities at home. The Iraq catastrophe not only illuminates the wide chasm between the will of the people and the rule of the powerful few but also highlights the troubling inequities within society. With African Americans constituting a large percentage of deployed soldiers, their plight extends to the home front of many black families. Black soldiers on active duty make up somewhere around 18 percent of the military; but, they only constitute 12.8 of the general US population. The situation in Iraq touches thousands of black lives, and proper dialog must be engaged. The workshop will explore the social and political environment in which the War was begun and analysis the various plans to remove the troops.

Politics, Press, and Propaganda: The media plays an interesting and powerful role in US Politics. Media in all its forms is the conduit through which information is tempered, exacerbated, processed, and consolidated before reaching the eyes and ears of the general public. Print and broadcast journalism, as well as the performing and visual arts are substantive filters through which we perceive our not so immediate reality; they are how we become privy to the private and exposed to knowledge beyond our scope. In an age where information knows no bounds and in a nation where the media landscape has become veritable playground of corporate monoliths, taking anything at face value runs the risk of becoming a benign drone. As a serially disenfranchised minority, it is imperative that black Americans become proactive and discerning consumes and conveyors of political news and debate. Too often have black Americans been told what to think and what to act upon by both the power within and without and it time to reclaim personal searches for truth and question. Through a moderation panel of journalist, artists, and social commentators, State of the Union: Politics, Press, and Propaganda seeks to question the legitimacy of both mainstream and marginal media sources and expound upon the multitudes of resources available to investigate the socio-political issues at hand in the approaching political campaigns.

On Saturday afternoon, we will also host a rally to be held in the Commons Dinning Hall. This rally consists of inviting all political and social organizations on campus to set up a booth and provide information about their organization and there social or political issue of focus. This will not only allow organizations to advertise, it will also give conference participants a deeper understanding of social and political issues, presidential candidates, and political parties as a whole. Also, we will invite a keynote speaker to speak at this event and discuss the role of politics in the black community.

On Saturday evening we will host two more events – a political debate with presidential hopefuls who did not receive the nomination and a concert with a politically conscious rap artist. We believe the debate will allow for conference participants to have better understanding for what issues are important in the upcoming elections. Understanding the way that candidates present themselves and their side on the issues will allow the conference participants to have a deeper knowledge of the political issues we discuss in the workshops. We believe that the concert will help link our message to a media form that is popular among college students. Rap and hip-hop are often portrayed negatively, but we believe that bringing in a socially conscious artist will help to present a positive image of hip-hop and strengthen the message of the conference.

      BLACK SOLIDARITY CONFERENCE 2007
      P.O Box 206201
      New Haven, CT 06520

Black Solidarity Conference Sponsor’s Agreement

I__________________________________, on behalf of________________________________ commit to be a sponsor to support the Black Student Alliance at Yale’s Black Solidarity Conference 2007 and provide _________________________ dollars. I agree to give this amount or item to the Black Student Alliance at Yale by December 1, 2008.

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Please fax this form back to 203-432-0732 or mail it to P.O. Box 206201, New Haven, CT 06520.