Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a Black Male summit via invitation of Head Success Coach Eric Blacknall.

Other than myself, 11 of my fellow students, all black males, attended with me. It was an eight hour bus ride, 16 altogether, but it was worth it. The experience was one I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

It started on the bus with Blacknall speaking to us on a level that most students around Lakeland crave. It was personal, relatable and honest. We spoke on the minds of college students and the generational gaps that are crucial to understanding the next age groups as well as teaching them. We spoke on the graduation percentages of black men and then in Wisconsin in general.

The summit provided me with an image of my people that is rarely seen in the media. Everyone was dressed to the best of their abilities and looked sharp. The atmosphere screamed respect, as if to enter with anything else would be the most horrendous of crimes. It felt like we were in church with our families. You didn’t know everybody, but it still felt safe.

Our first speaker was Jalen Rose. Rose is known for playing on the Indiana Pacers. His career expanded from 1994-2007. It wasn’t my first time being in the presence of a former NBA player, but hearing Rose speak gave me chills.

I was happy that the questions didn’t revolve around his NBA days, which I honestly expected them to be. I was glad to be proven wrong. The questions revolved around how to improve ourselves as students, scholars and human beings in general. Rose mentioned that you should always put your best foot forward, even going as far as to call out a young man whose shirt was untucked from his pants.

After Rose, our next speaker was the great Michael Eric Dyson. Dyson is an American academic, author of multiple books and a radio host. He is also a professor at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. His speech had a lot of energy, as he implemented hip hop verses from legends such as Nas, Biggie, Jay Z and Ice Cube. It was hard not to listen to him as he spoke on matters that black kids around the country experience daily, which include dealing with police brutality as well as teachers who don’t give us as many chances as our white counterparts. His poetic speech pattern exposed you to the truth of the world that left you feeling as if you were hit with a dull blade. It wouldn’t kill you, but you were aware it was there.

The bulk of the trip revolved around speaking to each other on matters that included us; how we felt about our culture and even connecting some of it to Lakeland.

Some of us felt that we weren’t as close to other African Americans on campus as we should be. Some of us felt that we needed to challenge ourselves, and in doing that, challenge others and help set the bar to new heights.

Everyone on the trip agreed that this experience was a life changer, but it is an experience that needs to be expanded among others on campus. More students should want to go to events like these. Trips like this one give you a sense of entitlement to greatness, as well as a confidence boost to do better and to become like the great people who came to speak to us. I hope that is a change we can make a reality.