TLU’s Black Student Union to host free event

(Seguin) – The Seguin community, especially area youth are invited to the TLU campus this weekend to help wrap up its celebration of Black History Month.

TLU’s Black Student Union (BSU) will be hosting its annual Black Leadership Conference on Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m. in the university’s Tschoepe Hall.

Among the community leaders lending a hand is Pastor Lee Martin. Martin, who started working with the BSU as part of his church duties, says he is pleased that a new partnership has evolved through the planning of the conference – a conference that he says helps to better showcase the students’ efforts.

“In talking with the BSU, this is how we kind of got our foot in the door, but they were do their planning for a Black History Month program that they do each year there at the college and we just brainstormed ideas and thought of doing a leadership conference so this will be our third annual leadership conference there,” said Martin.

This year’s leadership conference features an all-female panel. Martin says this decision was based on the BSU’s efforts all month long to feature those females who played major roles in the civil rights movement.

Each of the panelists, however, has a story to share about their journeys to success. Martin says he encourages not only college students but also middle and high schoolers to come out for the night of engagement and empowerment.

“There is a different theme each year. The theme this year is ‘Rooted in Resilience’ and the thought behind it was to have speakers – to engage and empower the youth there at TLU and specifically the black youth because it is such a small percentage of African American students there. We just wanted to have speakers that were closer to their age, not every speaker but the majority — that have already achieved some success and for them to come and basically tell their story,” said Martin.

This year’s panel consists of Dr. Kaylan Thompson; Samayia Sneed; Alicia Jones; Rheisha Shol; Nikki Elaine Bittings and Ashley Harris.

The event is free. TLU’s Tschoepe Hall is located at 1000 West Court St.