Annual conference to look at Civil Rights Movement

quot;>Ryan Mack will talk about financial independence Friday night.

“Continuing the Pursuit of the Civil Rights Movement” is the theme of SUNY Fredonia’s People of Color Concerns Conference to be held Friday and Saturday, April 18 and 19, at the Williams Center.

A weekend highlight is the annual Black Student Union Fashion Show, to be held Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room.  The fashion show is entitled, "Fashionology: Not only an Art…It’s a Science.”

The focus of this year’s conference, sponsored by the Black Student Union, is on key issues of economic opportunity and derogatory media images of African Americans, particularly women. According to Publicity Chairperson Gbenga Obafemi, topics of discussion for the theme include: Increasing minority presence in the labor force, striving for economic equality, and the NAACP’s fight against profanity and derogatory terms used in the black community, especially against women.

The People of Color Concerns Conference opens Friday with a reception at 5:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room, followed by dinner at 5:45 p.m.

Tickets, which grant admittance to lectures and meals on both days and the fashion show, are $7 for students, $10 for faculty and $12 for the general public.

On Friday evening, Ryan Mack, an investment advisor with the Sphinx Management Group and founder of Optimum Capital Management, will address the need to increase the minority presence in the labor force and to strive for financial independence. A brief question-and-answer session follows his talk, which starts at 6:30 p.m.

Demetrius Walker, chief marketing officer of dN Group LLC, the parent company of dangerous NEGRO, will explore the importance of economic equality at 7:20 p.m. Through Dangerous NEGRO, he advocates Black economic growth through apparel design, writing and lecturing. His remarks will be followed by a brief question-and-answer session.

On Saturday, Frank Messiah, president of the Buffalo branch of the NAACP, will discuss the NAACP’s STOP Campaign, which is intended to counter derogatory images of African Americans -- notably those of women -- that appear in the media. His talk in Café G begins at 12:20 p.m., and is preceded by a welcome at 11:30 a.m. and brunch served from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Open discussion will be held from 12:50 to 1:50 p.m.