This year’s 17th annual national Black, Brown and College Bound summit was held at the Tampa convention center located on 141 E. Brorein St, Tampa, FL 33602. The event took
place from March 6-9, lasting four days with guest speakers Common, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Luiz Guzman.
The BBCB summit happens every year in Tampa on behalf of Hillsborough Community College for students of color all over the nation. The summit is used to inspire, motivate, educate, and empower students through an array of speakers of black and brown ethnic backgrounds. The first day of the summit is usually just to get people from out of state registered and acclimated to the conference, then the next three days consist of the main events which include listening to various guest speakers, going into breakout sessions, and getting to know people around you.
This year’s opening guest speaker for the event was American rapper and actor Common. The rapper spoke about his start in his career, how he found his passion for rapping and the struggles he faced. He gave a motivating speech about what kind of values a person needs to be successful. Part of his message to the crowd of mostly young black and brown students was to embrace their skin color and use it to empower themselves and find confidence in who they are. He of course threw in a verse from one of his raps, giving the crowd a mini performance that ended in a round of applause.
Afterwards he held a short Q&A with the crowd.
Following the speech, students went down to the first floor of the convention center to at-tend a breakout session. There were several motivational speeches to attend with different speakers. The speech topics ranged from talking about how to manage your time to discussing nurturing mental wellness in Black and Latino men pursuing careers in medicine.
The speeches open a space for talking about struggles that many people face, especially for people of color. One attendee stated, “I believe the summit assists young students of color in knowing that we are never alone. There are always more like us, and we can all connect with one another,” said Malachi Blair, a representative of the Presidential Scholars Program. The scholar flew from Maryland to attend the event for his second time. He said, “Having the opportunity to attend the event is always a blessing. It means that you mean a lot to those who invited
you, it’s truly an experience to relish.” For most this event is an honor to attend.
The second day of the summit consisted of a morning plenary with the president’s panel, then a luncheon with retired boxing champion Sugar Ray Leonard. Students were served rosemary roasted chicken with carrots, potatoes, rolls, and chocolate or red velvet cake for dessert while they watched an interview and conversation with Sugar Ray Leonard.
The retired boxer proved he still had it in him, displaying his skills by sending a punch into the interviewer’s abdomen. It was nothing lethal, though it was still impressive to the crowd who cheered him on. One attendee named David Solanke stated that one of his favorite parts of the summit was seeing Sugar Ray. “Personally, I was very happy that my brother Emmanuel Camacho was with me…” the student at Pasco Hernando State College explained it was more personal for him because his friend Emmanuel’s cousin was former boxer Macho Camacho who boxed Sugar Ray. He said, “So seeing Emmanuel be able to joke with him … and talk to the “Great Sugar Ray Leonard” personally about such a niche event was crazy.” He ended things by stating, “small world.”
The BBCB summit for years has strived to equip students of color who attend with the knowledge and confidence needed to prepare for college. Students are given the opportunity every year to meet motivational speakers, connect and network with those around them, learn about how to prepare for their future and how to face challenges.
Most of all it has given students of color a place to feel like they belong and realize that they are never alone and will always have their community to lean on.