The Black Student Summit at Evanston Township High School

The Black Student Summit at Evanston Township High School was two days of culture, identity, and pride. The school's staff and students organized it under the banner of Excellence Event Management, and it stayed with everyone who attended.

There were pep rallies. There were workshops on Blackness across the African diaspora. There were native food options and healing justice tools — a program planned so students could feed body and mind in the same place, and feel they belonged there.

The students ran much of it themselves, from organizing workshops to DJing the closing dance party. Their energy set the tone for the whole event, and it pulled everyone in.

Black Alphabet presented on authentic representation in the media. The workshop turnout was our highlight: Black and Latinx students talking openly about their intersectional queer identities. That openness says something about how far awareness and acceptance have come in this generation.

The students knew their stuff. They rattled off LGBTQ+ references, pushed the discussion further, and taught us a thing or two about what authentic representation means. Adult staff members joined in too, sharing their own LGBTQ+ experiences with pride. That kind of intergenerational exchange is where the real work happens.

Students also built campaign designs of their own. Monologues, dance routines — each one a different angle on Black Queerness, each one pushing back on a stereotype. We've shared a few of them on our social media.

Young people don't need permission to lead. They need room, and this summit gave them room. Equity and inclusion are long work, but two days like these move it forward — and they remind us why we keep at it.

Excellence Event Management:

• Evanston Township High School staff and students organized a two-day cultural empowerment event.

• Pep rallies, workshops on Blackness across the African diaspora, native food options, and healing justice tools — all of it well run.

• Students DJed the closing dance party themselves — a detail worth copying.

Attendance Increase:

• Workshop attendance grew from 5 participants on Day 1 to 20 on Day 2 — a 400% jump.

• A strong turnout of Black and Latinx students engaged in conversations about their authentic intersectional queer identities.

LGBTQ+/SGL Representation:

• Students listed over 75 references to LGBTQ+/SGL representation in the media and entertainment industry.

• Adult staff joined in, sharing their LGBTQ+ history knowledge with joy and pride.

Creative Campaigns:

• Student campaign designs showed real range and invention.

• Monologues, poems, organized dance routines, and visual art — each a different take on Black Queerness.

Multi-generational buy-in!

• What opportunities are we presenting to younger generations to empower them to take up the mantle for themselves?

• Through the exercises, we got to look into the participants' minds and learn what was important to them.

• Companies take accountability for the communities they are representing.

Last week, Black Alphabet had the opportunity to present at the 2024 Black Summit at Evanston Township High School. The well-planned summit introduced students to new ideas and cultures from across the Black diaspora.

Our session focused on the representation of Black LGBTQ+ people in the media. That opened up hard conversations about what companies owe the communities they represent, and the follow-through real representation requires. As a nonprofit working to activate community, we came away with some clear lessons about how to do that better.

This presentation taught me that we are always learning and that sometimes, the most important lessons can come from unexpected places. While we might have been there to enlighten and educate, I found myself being educated on new forms of media to watch and ways to be more authentic in our interactions with the community.

Intention is the key to being clear on how we want to show up for the community and how the community can show up for us.

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