This week Moreno Valley College, is putting an emphasis on empowering African American students and students of color with Black Student Success Week.
Black Student Success Week officially started on Monday, April 22 statewide and is scheduled to run until Friday, April 26 at MVC and other community college campuses in California.
According to Gertrude Lopez, MVC Counselor and Coordinator for the Umoja and A2MEND programs, “The goal is to empower African American students, students of color and all students at MVC.” Lopez and many others worked extensively to organize the various events taking place this week.
During the week different events will focus on educating, empowering and developing African American students within the school community. The events planned for the week include webinars, panels, mixers and games.
Everyday this week there will be two webinar series available to the public called “The Black Hour” and “The Student Hour.” The two webinars will highlight different success strategies aimed at supporting African American students attending community college.
Lopez praised the first installment of “The Black Hour,” which focused on the transfer process and experiences from a panel of Umoja alumni. “They spoke the unfiltered truth regarding transfer,” Lopez insisted. Lopez went on to share that the transfer process is not easy for minority students and students of color. That sentiment was echoed by the panel of Umoja alumni. The panelists spoke about the difficulties regarding their transfers ranging from financial issues to the discrimination they experienced due to their skin color.
The Black Hour will be available to stream daily at 1pm and can be attended in person by going to the Welcome Center Room 172 or by visiting blkstudentsuccess.com.
The Student Hour will require pre-registration at linktr.ee/blackstudentsuccessweek and will be offered Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm-7pm.
There are still plenty of events planned for the week such as the Say Hello…. Student Social mixer on Thursday April 26. This will provide students a place to network with other like minded individuals within the community and provides a safe space for the expression of ideas.
On Friday April 26 there will be Black Jeopardy at 1:15pm in the Welcome Center Room 172 and a special showing of Malcom X at Harkin Theaters in Moreno Valley at 5pm. Registration is required prior to attending the movie and will be available to the first 100 MVC students.
Overall this week offers an assortment of different opportunities to educate, engage and empower MVC’s community. Black Student Success Week will conclude on Friday April 26.
