Youth-Led Black Student Leadership Conference Announced For SMC College

REDWOOD CITY, CA — A new, youth-led Black Student Leadership Conference is scheduled for March 7 at Cañada College in Redwood City, following a City Council proclamation establishing Black History Month as an annual observance.

Mayor Elmer Martínez Saballos read a proclamation noting that African Americans have helped develop the nation “in countless ways, those recognized, unrecognized and unrecorded,” and stating that the city “remains committed to taking tangible steps to normalize, organize and operationalize equity principles and tools” in local governance.

Representatives from the Bay Area Community Health Advisory Council and members of the Black Youth Advisory Board described how youth feedback led to the conference.

“As part of our work with behavioral health with San Mateo County, we did an assessment, and out of that assessment came that our young people needed to feel more connected, wanted to celebrate their culture, and they wanted to be linked to opportunities and resources that will help them be successful,” said Shawneece Stevenson, co‑manager of BACHAC’s Resilience and Mental Health Initiative.

She said those findings drove the creation of the Black Youth Advisory Board, now entering its third cohort.

Students at Eastside College Prep told the council that Black history is important because it’s about recognizing African American contributions to American history and a time for us to come together for community and celebrate culture.

The free conference will be held at Cañada College in Redwood City and is intended for Black middle and high school students, parents and families from across San Mateo County.