Black Student Success Week (Webinar Series)

The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Offices will once again be hosting Black Student Success Week this year from April 21 through April 25, 2025.

This year's theme is Lift Up, Level Up: The Rise of Black Serving Institutions. The 2025 Black Student Success Week will emphasize how we are serving Black and African American students to support and ensure their success in community colleges and beyond. 

Schedule Overview

Monday to Friday, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
#TheBlackHour

Throughout the week, #TheBlackHour webinars will share insights and approaches for improving student success among Black and African American students in community colleges. These daily webinars are open to community college administrators, staff, faculty, practitioners, and students.

Monday to Friday, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
#TheAfterParty

Join us for daily small group discussion forums immediately following #TheBlackHour webinars. These facilitated discussion forums will provide an opportunity for participants to debrief and reflect on topics and themes highlighted during #TheBlackHour.

Monday to Friday, 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
#TheStudentHour

This student-centered series focuses on the needs and resources available to help current and prospective college students succeed. Working with the California Community College Chancellor’s Office “I Can Go To College” campaign, #TheStudentHour webinars occur Monday through Friday from 6:00 to 7:00 pm.

Thursday, April 24
#TheBlackout Advocacy Day

Join us for Advocacy Day, an opportunity for stakeholders and interested parties to (virtually) engage with local elected officials and key higher education policymakers to discuss priorities for ensuring Black student success. No prior legislative advocacy experience is needed. We will provide you with all resources, training, and supported needed to successfully participate.

Daily Schedule

Monday, April 21

Register for Monday

• 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm #TheBlackHour webinar
  The Rise of Black-Serving Institutions
  The webinar explores the growing need for a formal Black Serving Institution (BSI) designation, focusing on California community colleges. The session emphasizes how a BSI designation addresses systemic inequities, enhances resources, and improves educational outcomes, ensuring these colleges better serve their communities.
• 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm #TheAfterParty
• 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm #TheStudentHour

Tuesday, April 22

Register for Tuesday

• 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm #TheBlackHour webinar
  Black Servingness: Maintaining Our Voice and Action
  This session will explore the importance of "Black Servingness" nationally and in the state of California. Servingness involves surrounding students, faculty, staff with the cultural ambiance that allows and prioritizes their cultural heritage in ways that profoundly support and affirm their dignity and sense of belonging. As we navigate these unprecedented times in higher education, this session will focus on what actions can be taken now to shape "Black Servingness" at institutions of higher education.
• 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm #TheAfterParty
• 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm #TheStudentHour

Wednesday, April 23

Register for Wednesday

• 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm #TheBlackHour webinar
  Power Moves: Equipping Black Talent for Tomorrow's Workforce
  This session is a dynamic workshop designed to empower Black students with the tools, insights, and inspiration needed to thrive in high-growth industries. The session offers participants a rare opportunity to engage with top Black CEOs who have excelled in fields driving the future of work: cybersecurity, healthcare, and skilled trades.
• 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm #TheAfterParty
• 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm #TheStudentHour

Thursday, April 24

Register for Thursday

• 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm #TheBlackHour webinar
  Putting the AFRICAN in African American Student Success
  In Fall 2024, 375 educators and leaders from across the state attended the second All African Diaspora Education Summit (ADES) in Ghana, Africa, to learn about African-centered ways of being, thinking, teaching, and learning. Learn more about the Summit, African-centered education, and how faculty are activating what they learned to create Black-serving classrooms and institutions.
• 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm #TheAfterParty
• 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm #TheStudentHour

Friday, April 25 

Register for Friday

• 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm #TheBlackHour webinar
  Live from the Frontlines of Black Student Success: Accounts from Practitioners and Executive Leadership
  Join us for a session highlighting real-time reflections from esteemed Black Student Success Practitioners and Executive Leadership working tirelessly to lift up and level up the movement.
• 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm #TheAfterParty
  
• 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm #TheStudentHour