A²MEND’s student charter at Solano Community College is establishing a growing presence on campus these days. The student charter has hosted a series of events and workshops for the college’s students and faculty over the past year. The activities have sparked dialogue about the systemic challenges Black males endure in higher education.
A²MEND’s student charter has been championed by Shanan Danley, an outreach and retention specialist for Solano Community College. To help expand the student charter’s reach at the college, last year Danley used his outreach skills to source new leadership for the organization. “I’ve always been able to connect people with the right people,” said Danley. “I believe in networking.”
Danley enlisted the leadership of Edward Russell Jr., a seasoned student engagement specialist for the Vacaville Unified School District. Russell originally attended Solano Community College during the ‘90s, but he recently returned as a student to complete his college credits to earn an associate’s degree. Realizing he could use his student engagement expertise to help guide A²MEND mentees, Russell accepted the new role of leading the student charter.
Both Russell and Danley assisted the student mentees with organizing regular events, like thought-provoking workshops and Black film screenings, that encouraged dialogue about the Black male experience. While the campus events have been impactful, Russell credits A²MEND’s annual conference for having the biggest effect on the student mentees. “The greatest thing that we were a part of was the A²MEND conference held earlier this year,” said Russell. “That was the first time we were around other Black men who were in position of power in education.”
Russell’s own history as a child attending public schools where he never had a Black teacher armed him with a level of sensitivity about the plight of young African American male students. He believes that the lack of Black staff representation in the K-12 public school system affects African American young men in such a detrimental way that discourages them from pursuing traditional pathways of success, like higher education. “The student population at Solano Community College is roughly 10,000. But the African American male population here is less than 500, which is a huge concern,” he said. “Juxtapose that with the Solano County Juvenile Justice Probation Department. Ninety-five percent of the juveniles are Black. We need to change these numbers and present it to those in positions who create policy change to take notice that we have a problem.”
Both Russell and Danley hope that A²MEND will remain a steady force at Solano Community College by continuing their student engagement efforts. “Our plans are to build something that’s sustainable for the next group of Black men on campus,” said Russell. “They’ll be able to make the next generation of students enact change that we haven’t seen before.”
