Upcoming Symposium Re Black Males in May

The eighth annual Intergenerational Black Male Development (BMD) Symposium at Arcadia University will take place on Saturday, May 10, 2014

The symposium is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Arcadia's Glenside campus (450 S. Easton Road, Glenside).

Registration deadline is April 27. To register, visit

www.blackmaledevelopment.com. Cost is $30 for students and $50 for adults.

It will feature more than 50 workshops for students of all ages and adults, a session with former Cheltenham High School standout and NFL free agent Brandon Bing, and a tribute to E. Steven Collins, the late Philadelphia radio icon and civic leader who was a great supporter of the symposium and first moderator of its BarberShop Talk in 2012.

The 56 workshops for middle school, high school, and college students will include Social Determinants of Health Disparities for African American Males, Be the Father of Your Child's Dreams, and Raising Boys in a Toxic Society.

This year's BarberShop Talk will be broadcast live by WURD Radio and feature attorney Michael Coard; Bilal Qayyum, president of the Father's Day Rally Committee, a group that works to curb violence; Marcus Allen, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern Pennsylvania; and will be
moderated by David Miller of the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse, President Obama's project for fathers. The talk will be on the conference's theme, "Black Men Turn Up: Moving Dreams to Plans, Visions
to Reality, and Communities to Action."

Bing, formerly of the Denver Broncos, will lead football drills and a session, "Run with the Pros on Haber Green," that is aimed at students of all ages and adults.

A pre-symposium reception at the African American History Museum in Philadelphia is scheduled for Friday, May 2, to thank supporters and friends. The event, from 6 to 9 p.m.will feature performances by Sherry Wilson Butler, Philadelphia's "first lady of jazz," and other artists. Call the BMDS hotline for more information; tickets are $15. Proceeds support
scholarships for youth to attend the symposium on May 10.

For more information, contact the BMDS hotline at215-572-8510.