The University of New Mexico African American Student Services hosts American author, anti-racist activist, and historian Ibram Xolani Kendi at its upcoming conference for the Association for Black Culture Centers. Kendi was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2020.

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Brandi Stone, AASS director

The national conference, which runs Nov. 3-5, will convene Black student resource centers and Black cultural centers from across the country. Attendees will connect with innovative culture center professionals as they discuss center development, identity expression, academic strategies, and so much more, according to AASS director Brandi Stone. Other members on the host committee are AASS student success specialists J Gourdin, Dannelle Kirven, and Anu Somoye, graduate assistant Celine Ayala, and student success leader Kaelyn Moon.

For a complete conference agenda, see Association for Black Culture Centers conference schedule.  

Ibram X. Kendi
Ibram X. Kendi

"We are excited to share that this year's conference is the furthest West the conference has ever been held in its 33 years. Moreover, we will be welcoming over 30 institutions this week to our campus," said Stone, who currently serves as a national board member for ABCC. 

The Association for Black Culture Centers is committed to professional development, offering conference workshops and book recommendations to help attendees better understand history and culture. 

“We encourage our members and affiliates to build community among ethnic groups through culture centers at colleges and universities. Together, we can explore the historical and contemporary connections African-descended people have with Latinos, Asian-Americans, and Native Americans,” according to the conference program.

Kendi is making his mark on the world as the author of How to Be An Antiracist and Black Campus Movement: Black Students and the Racial Reconstitution of Higher Education 1965-1972. Kendi serves as a MacArthur Genius Fellow, Director of Boston University's Center for Antiracist Research, and professor of humanities. There will also be a dinner discussion with Kendi.

Other speakers include social historian and UNM graduate Rita Powdrell, director of the African American Museum and Cultural Centers of New Mexico; Anne Edwards and Sean Palmer, who will offer key insights for cultural affairs newcomers and mid-level professional; and Stephanie McIver, executive director of Student Health and Counseling at UNM and founder of the New Mexico Black Mental Health Coalition.