By Annalisa Purser, communications specialist, University Marketing & Communications

The University of Utah Black Faculty and Staff Association hosts its second State of Utah Black Affairs Summit Saturday, April 7, 2018, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., in the Spencer Fox Eccles Business Building, 1655 Campus Center Drive. The event is free and open to all who are interested in supporting African-Americans in Utah, but registration is required and closes April 5.

The event’s theme is “Presence, Power and Persistence” and will feature keynote speaker Emma Houston, director of Diversity and Inclusion for the Salt Lake County Mayor’s Office. Additionally, 12 breakout sessions, focusing on strategies for building black wealth, secondary and higher education, leadership in the black community, health and wellness and other topics, will occur throughout the day.

“This year’s theme grew out of current issues facing African-Americans nationally and locally,” said Teshia Griswold, chair of the 2018 summit who is also chair of the Black Faculty and Staff Association and a member of the campus’s Presidential Anti-Racism Task Force.

“Presence acknowledges our existence and that we have brought, and continue to bring, great things into the world,” Griswold said. “Power speaks to our efforts to uplift one another and of the support we receive from the community. It also addresses what African-Americans in this nation struggle to build: Political and economic wealth. Persistence simply recognizes our fight in this country and that we’re here to stay.”

The summit brings together the black community from across the state of Utah and serves as a platform for educating, networking, collaborating and sharing ideas. The summit began in 2017 as an effort by the Black Faculty and Staff Association at the U to become more active on campus and in the community. Its initial success in bringing together more than 130 people led to the group’s efforts to make it an annual event.

About the U’s Black Faculty and Staff Association:

The Black Faculty and Staff Association aims to bring together the African-American community both internally and externally and provides a forum for dialogue and subsequent action on issues and concerns that impact the U’s black faculty, staff and students.

2018 State of Utah Black Affairs Summit Sponsors:

David Eccles School of Business, J. Willard Marriot Library, Goldman Sachs, U College of Science, U College of Health, U College of Education, U College of Mines and Earth Sciences, U College of Architecture and Planning, U College of Fine Arts, U College of Nursing, University of Utah Health-Office of Health Equity and Inclusion and W.P Johnson Research Group.