Black Educational Achievement Movement
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On Saturday, April 14th, 2018, the Black Educational Achievement Movement (B.E.A.M.) Empowering Black Youth will host it’s 5th annual Black Student Success Summit (BSSS) at PSU in Portland, Oregon. The BSSS Success Summit is a full day of workshops focused on academic success, college preparation, career exploration and general life skills designed for Black and Multiracial high school and college students. All workshops are led by local Black professionals who’ve agreed to share their lived experiences with student participants and lead discussions on topics that include financial planning, job interview preparation, greater expectations in our classrooms and exploring stereotypes within the media.
Founder and Executive Director, Noni Causey @NoniCausey, is an inimitable and enigmatic Educator who is no stranger to the trials and travails inherent in being born Black in the “Whitest City in America”, Portland, Oregon. Intimately familiar with the challenges that face an under-educated mother trying to make a living in N. Portland, Causey experienced a myriad of life challenges before returning to school at the age of 40, eventually going on to earn her Bachelor’s and eventually Master’s degrees in Education.
“The Graduation rate @oregonlive of Black students in the state of Oregon is dismal,” Causey said sadly. “We should be ashamed of ourselves for failing these students. However, instead of perpetuating the narrative about the “hopelessness” of the situation facing these students, I asked my co-workers to consider that, rather than talking ABOUT the problems faced by black students, why don't we talk to the students themselves?”
B.E.A.M. Village began as a pilot program at Portland Community College - Cascade Campus called The Passage to Higher Education (2012-14)."The Passage a brighter future" was a network of Black academic advisers, educators and students committed to using an informal mentoring and supplemental learning program to increase the retention and graduation rate for African-American students at local colleges and universities. Feeling that providing co-curricular services to students would be insufficient without significant change in classroom practices and system-wide policies related to school-community relations, this new collective then planned and held the first Black Student Success Summit (BSSS) in 2014.
Working to ensure that Black students have access to high quality, culturally-specific educational experiences that prepare them to compete in a global workforce for careers with family-sustaining wages and advancement possibilities, B.E.A.M. Village and BSSS @BlackStudentSuccessSummitPortland are, hands down, one of the most successful programs for engaging Black students left behind by other conventional programs with similar goals. Sponsored by more than 30 organizations and educational institutions including PSU, PCC, Chemeketa Community College and OSU, the BSSS promises to be bigger and more inclusive than ever this year with a roster of luminary presenters including Keynote Speaker, Hayley Marie Norman @xoHayleyMarie, an African-American film and television actress known for known for her numerous, big-screen movie roles, including Top Five, Fired Up, Hancock, and Norbit. Norman was chosen to be one of the few and highly distinguished California Arts Scholars @California Art, in which she was awarded a Governor's medallion, the highest distinction in California for artistically talented students. She is an avid animal rights and vegan activist.
“When looking for new presenters, I always tell them, "If they can't see you, then they can't be you,” Causey concluded emphatically. “Please show up and share the secrets of your success with these students.”
The 5th Annual BSSS will take place on the PSU campus located at 1825 SW Broadway St. Portland, Oregon. For tickets and more information, please contact Noni Causey at (971) 303-8421 or visit www.beamvillage.org
