*In this photo:* DSU, Bank of America Building

Civil Rights, Economics Conference at DSU Oct. 28-29

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Delaware State University will be the site of a Civil Rights and Economic Empowerment Conference on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 28-29 in the Longwood Auditorium in the Bank of America Building on campus.

The two-day conference will conduct a variety of discussions featuring panelists from the arenas of civil rights, economic development business and academia. The conference is free and open to the public. All sessions will be held in the Longwood Auditorium

The conference will begin at 6 p.m. Friday with a screening of the documentary Black Wall Street, followed by a discussion led by Dr. Kami Fletcher, DSU assistant professor of history and political science.

The conference’s Saturday, Oct. 29 events will include:

8-8:30 a.m. – Continental breakfast and networking.
8:30 a.m. – Welcome statement, followed by the keynote speaker, Wayne R. Frazier, senior vice president of Mt. Washington Minority Contractor Association of Baltimore, Md.
9 a.m. – A presentation on “How to Create a Diversified Business Contact Portfolio” by Tanya Williamson, managing director, Vision Builders & Associates, LLC.
10:15 a.m. – Plenary Session on “Historical Perspective of the nexus between Civil Rights and Economic Empowerment,” featuring Ezrah Aharone and Leandra Casson Marshall, both DSU adjunct instructors.
10:45 a.m. – Breakout sessions on 1.) “Community and Economic Development – What is it?” 2.) Controlling our Black Dollars, and 3.) Contracting Opportunities with State and Federal Government Procurement Offices.
11:30 a.m. – Networking lunch.
12:30 p.m. – A session on “Delaware Politics, Policy Formulation Advocacy & Strategy” lead by Dr. Sam Hoff, professor of History and Political Science, and Courtney Billups, Baltimore City Minority and Women’s Business Opportunity Office.
1:30 p.m. – A business roundtable on “Wealth Creation” featuring Christopher Smith of Edward Jones Investments, and Anthony Floyd Jr., CEO of Floyd Corporation Security Solutions, LLC.

The conference is jointly sponsored by the DSU Center for Economic Development and International Trade, DSU Department of History, Political Science and Philosophy, and the Dover Community Action Forum.