A student initiative with a national reach
The first conference took place in 2006. Chris co-organized the second edition on March 3, 2007, under the theme Six Faces of Being a Black Man. Princeton's contemporary coverage described his aim of bringing together people from different ideological and economic backgrounds.
The organizers' account of the 2007 event recorded 400 attendees from 36 colleges and 42 speakers spanning scholarship, civic life, community activism and religion. The program created several settings for exchange, from panel discussions and networking to a closing town hall.
An interdisciplinary conversation
The conference examined professional identity, mental and sexual health, religion, education and family life. Its scope placed academic research in conversation with the experiences of educators, business leaders and community organizations.
Chris opened the 2007 welcome ceremony, followed by a keynote from author and activist Herb Boyd. The published program included K. Anthony Appiah, Melissa Harris-Lacewell, Tricia Rose, Steven Pinker and Howard White. Shaun R. Harper participated in the education discussion; his later national report on Black male student success profiled Chris's own path from campus leadership into sports business.
Carrying the conversation forward
Princeton Alumni Weekly's account of the conference emphasized its open discussion and calls for participants to act in their own communities. Chris described empowerment as a central theme. The event brought an educational purpose and a practical civic ambition together: understand the issues, share perspectives and carry those conversations into work beyond the conference.
Selected references