Black Student Success Week
April 20 – April 24, 2026
Black Student Success Week is a statewide initiative celebrating and advocating for Black student success in California’s Community Colleges. The theme for 2026 is "Revolution: (Re)Defining Black Student Success." The 2026 Black Student Success Week will emphasize how we are serving underserved students, including but not limited to Black and African American students, to support and ensure their success in community colleges and beyond.
Black Student Success Week was initally organized in 2020 and supported in partnership with the following organizations: California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, Foundation for California Community Colleges, American Association of Community Colleges, Association of California Community Colleges Trustees, National Council on Black America Affairs, A2MEND, Umoja Community, The Campaign for College Opportunity, The Education Trust-West, Equity Avengers, The RP Group, Secrets of the Queendom, Nandi, The Village Demands, Pipeline Possibilities, California Competes, Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, Student Senate for California Community Colleges, and the Community College League of California.
Las Positas College BSSW Events 2026 - Revolution: (Re)Defining Black Student Success
Join us daily in the BCRC from 12pm to1pm, for #TheBlackHour, a webinar series hosted by BSSW statewide. Register or join us in the BCRC for the livestream. (flyer)
Registration: https://blkstudentsuccess.com/
Monday, April 20
From Designation to Declaration: BSIs Lean in California
This session examines the rise of Black Serving Institutions (BSIs) in California, tracing the historical context and policy evolution through Senate Bill 1348, followed by the rapid growth of BSI-designated institutions across the state. Participants will hear directly from leaders at BSI colleges about how they are operationalizing Black Servingness. This conversation will explore how California institutions are adapting policy to drive campus-level transformation and redefine what it means to lead with intentionality in service of Black student success.
Tuesday, April 21
ROI as Economic Liberation: Higher Education’s Moral Obligation
This session asserts return on investment (ROI) and economic mobility as critical measures of Black student success. Speakers will examine how institutions must shift their framing away from access-focused metrics toward outcomes that produce true economic mobility. Through a discussion of completion, workforce alignment, wages, and long-term mobility, this conversation challenges higher education to redefine ROI as a structural commitment that ensures Black students experience tangible economic returns upon completion.
Wednesday, April 22
No More Gatekeeping: Redesigning Math Pathways for Servingness
Transfer-level math remains one of the most significant academic barriers to completion for many students. This session focuses on teaching and learning strategies that support Black students’ success in these courses. Participants will learn how math pathways can be intentionally structured to accelerate progress, close completion gaps, and align instructional practice with Black Servingness. Panelists will discuss policy, pedagogy, and institutional redesign efforts that remove structural barriers while maintaining rigor.
Thursday, April 23
Basic Needs Support is Institutional Infrastructure, Not Intervention
In this session, we will present findings from the 2025 Real College Basic Needs Survey, using disaggregated data to illustrate the most significant barriers faced by postsecondary students, including Black and African American students. This session will explore how institutions must operationalize support for food, housing, mental health, and financial stability needs, and develop these resources as part of institutional infrastructure rather than peripheral services. This discussion reframes student support as an institutional responsibility central to Black Servingness.
Friday, April 24
Black Data is Black Power: Reclaiming the Story of Black Student Success
The closing session will focus on statewide student success outcomes for Black students. Participants will engage with current data on access, completion, transfer, and outcomes to assess both progress and the gaps that persist. The conversation will explore how institutions can use transparent, disaggregated data to drive improvement, inform policy, and advocate for sustained investment to continue driving outcomes for students and graduates. Finally, the session will advocate for documenting Black student success to ensure its continued growth and visibility, thereby rewriting and reclaiming the narrative.
Las Positas College BSSW Events 2025 - Lift Up. Level Up.
* Join us daily in the BCRC from 12pm to1pm, for #TheBlackHour, a webinar series hosted by BSSW statewide. Register or join us in the BCRC for the livestream. Registration: https://blkstudentsuccess.com/
Monday, April 21
* BSSW Webinar: The Rise of Black-Serving Institutions
The webinar explores the growing need for a formal Black Serving Institution (BSI) designation, focusing on California community colleges. The session emphasizes how a BSI designation addresses systemic inequities, enhances resources, and improves educational outcomes, ensuring these colleges better serve their communities.
Tuesday, April 22
* BSSW Webinar: Black Servingness: Maintaining Our Voice and Action
This session will explore the importance of "Black Servingness" nationally and in the state of California. Servingness involves surrounding students, faculty, staff with the cultural ambiance that allows and prioritizes their cultural heritage in ways that profoundly support and affirm their dignity and sense of belonging. As we navigate these unprecedented times in higher education, this session will focus on what actions can be taken now to shape "Black Servingness" at institutions of higher education.
Wednesday, April 23
*BSSW Webinar: Power Moves: Equipping Black Talent for Tomorrow's Workforce
This session is a dynamic workshop designed to empower Black students with the tools, insights, and inspiration needed to thrive in high-growth industries. The session offers participants a rare opportunity to engage with top Black CEOs who have excelled in fields driving the future of work: cybersecurity, healthcare, and skilled trades.
Thursday, April 24
*BSSW Webinar: Putting the AFRICAN in African America Student Success
In Fall 2024, 375 educators and leaders from across the state attended the second All African Diaspora Education Summit (ADES) in Ghana, Africa, to learn about African-centered ways of being, thinking, teaching, and learning. Learn more about the Summit, African-centered education, and how faculty are activating what they learned to create Black-serving classrooms and institutions.
*BSSW Webinar: Live from the Frontlines of Black Student Success: Accounts from Practitioners and Executive Leadership
Join us for a session highlighting real-time reflections from esteemed Black Student Success Practitioners and Executive Leadership working tirelessly to lift up and level up the movement.
Las Positas College BSSW Events 2024
* Join us daily in the BCRC from 12pm to1pm, for #TheBlackHour, a webinar series hosted by BSSW statewide. Register or join us in the BCRC for the livestream.
Monday, April 22
* BSSW Webinar: CCC Bachelor’s Degree Programs – Are They Delivering on the Dream
for Black
Students?
Soul Cream Social, 1:00-2:00pm, BCRC
Tuesday, April 23
* BSSW Webinar: Combatting the Affirmative Action Ban: Levers for Increasing Black
Student
Success at the State and Federal Level
A2MEND Open House, 12:00-2:00pm, BCRC
Wednesday, April 24
*BSSW Webinar: Empower Black Excellence: Policies, Workforce Development, and
Apprenticeships for College-to-Career Success
BEA Meet ’n Greet, 2pm-4pm, BCRC
Thursday, April 25
*BSSW Webinar: Just Because We Make It Look Easy, Doesn’t Mean It Is
*BSSW Webinar: AI and Racial Equity
Las Positas College BSSW Events 2023
Join us daily from 12pm to1pm, for #TheBlackHour, a webinar series hosted by BSSW statewide. Register or join us in the BCRC for the livestream.
Monday, April 24
Black Student Leadership Summit, 9am-12pm, BCRC (must RSVP)
Tuesday, April 25
Soul Cream Social, 1pm-2:30pm, BCRC
Wednesday, April 26
Past Events (click on each to enlarge)
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