Livingstone College president panelist at State of Black N.C. Conference
Board of Trustee member among ’50 most influential’ in Piedmont Triad
SALISBURY – Livingstone College President Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr. will serve as a panelist at the 2018 State of Black North Carolina Conference during a session on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
The panel discussion, “HBCUs: Their Mission, Their Value, Their Future,” will be held Thursday, May 10, from 8:30-10:15 a.m. at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem.
HBCUs are under attack from many corners, organizers said. Their value is being probed and the question that used to be whispered is now being shouted: “Do we still need black colleges?”
“This panel of HBCU leaders will discuss the vital roles HBCUs play in the community and the indisputable roles their graduates play in larger society,” said Richard Williams, president and chief executive officer of Black Business Media LLC, the founder and convener of the State of Black North Carolina Conference.
Jenkins will join Dr. Elwood Robinson, chancellor of Winston-Salem State University; Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, president of Bennett College; and Dr. Karrie G. Dixon, interim chancellor of Elizabeth City State University.
“HBCUs are just as relevant today as they were when first established,” Jenkins said. “In addition to producing skilled, educated leaders, HBCUs have and continue to shape the economic and social landscape of North Carolina and the nation. I’m looking forward to discussing the narrative of Livingstone College.”
The State of Black North Carolina Conference is presented by Black Business Ink Magazine and BBM Strategic Marketing Services. The event also marks the 15th anniversary of Black Business Ink.
The conference kicks off May 9 with Black Business Ink’s “50 Most Influential African Americans in the Piedmont Triad” Awards Ceremony. The event begins at 7 p.m. at The Stevens Center in Winston-Salem.
Among the honorees is Nigel D. Alston, executive director of the N.C. Black Repertory Company and a member of the Livingstone College Board of Trustees.
Entertainment includes national comedian The Real Michael Colyar; Grammy nominee Anthony Hamilton’s The Hamiltones; and NBC’s The Voice Vanessa Ferguson.
The conference runs May 10-11 with the opening session on HBCUs. Other topics throughout the two-day event include educating our youth; maximizing the black vote (on both sides of the aisle); gerrymandering and other social issues; Alzheimer’s, obesity and opioids; winning at nonprofit fundraising; challenges of women breaking the glass ceiling; and women’s economic empowerment.
A Trailblazers Awards Luncheon will be held on May 10 from noon to 1:30 p.m. with N.C. Senator Milton F. “Toby” Fitch Jr. as the keynote speaker. Award recipients are Bishop Shelton McCarter, N.C. Rep. Henry “Mickey” Michaux, Dr. Dwight Mullen and Elaine Riddick.
On May 11 at noon, a Women’s Empowerment Awards Luncheon will feature Venessa Harrison, president of AT&T North Carolina as keynote speaker. Award recipients are former N.C. Rep. Angela Bryan, Eunice Dudley, Andrea Harris and Virginia Newell.
All events are held at the Benton Convention Center, 301 W. Fifth St., Winston-Salem, except for the awards ceremony May 9.
To register or for more information, visit www.stateofblacknc.com; email info@stateofblacknc.com; or call (888) 635-6020.