Greetings:

On behalf of the Black Issues Conference Planning Committee, the University of
Tennessee Chapter of the NAACP, and the Office of Multicultural Student Life, we
would like to invite you to participate in the 9th Annual Black Issues Conference,
Stand Your Ground: The State of Black America Today. Since its inception in
2006, the Black Issues Conference has endeavored to assist in the educational
development of students through uniting the campus and community on issues
that affect the black community.  The conference is scheduled for Saturday,
February 7, 2014 in the Carolyn P. Brown Memorial University Center from 10:00
AM – 4:00 PM.

We are pleased to announce that Roland Martin will serve as the keynote
speaker for this year’s conference. Over the course of a journalistic career that
has seen him interview multiple U.S. presidents, top athletes, and entertainers
in Hollywood, Roland S. Martin is a journalist who has always maintained a clear
sense of his calling in this world. He is a two-time NAACP Image Award winner;
and has been named by Ebony Magazine on three occasions as one of the 150
Most Influential African Americans in the United States. Martin is the host and
managing editor of TV One’s News One Now, the first daily morning news
program in history to focus on news and analysis of politics, entertainment,
sports, and culture from an explicitly African American perspective.

We would like to extend an invitation to you as faculty, staff, student leaders,
and community members to share in this experience by presenting a 50 minute
presentation on a topic of your choice during our workshop sessions. Some
topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

Social Media
State of Black Men
Current Events
Myth, Gossip, and Lies Told About/Within the Black Community
Interpersonal Relationships within the Community
Hip Hop Culture
LGBTQIAA
Politics and Political Corruption
Mental Health
Education & the Black Community
Health & Spirituality in the Black Community
Today’s Hip Hop Culture
Violence in the Black Community

In organizing your workshop, we ask that you integrate elements of the
conference theme into your presentation.  Please use the following link to
electronically submit your proposal and an outline of your program to the 10th
Annual Black Issues Conference Planning Committee by no later than January
16, 2015: http://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/siteview.cgi/omsaconference.
The Black Issues Conference is free to all UT students, faculty, staff, and other
registered participants will pay a $5 fee. For more information and to register,
please visit http://multicultural.utk.edu/programs_bic.php.

Please pass this along to your students who you feel may be interested.

Thank you for your time and consideration. We hope that you will join us either
as a presenter or as a conference attendee.

Nequel Burwell
Hall Director, Volunteer Hall
University Housing, Division of Student Life
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
865-946-2566
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