Approaching its ninth anniversary, the Georgia Tech Black Leadership Conference (BLC) is an annual event hosted by the African American Student Union (AASU) that promotes leadership and diversity in professional and community life. Since it began in 2004, the BLC has helped to host such prominent and prolific speakers, such as Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin, Dr. Maya Angelou, (then) Senator Barack Obama, and most recently, Dr. Cornel West.
The Black Leadership Conference (BLC) is an event which focuses on the professional and personal development of students. The idea for BLC was a result of the complaints and issues heard in meetings called the Black Think Tank, which took place in 2003. Participants had noticed what they believed to be a lack of campus involvement among African American students at Georgia Tech. They believed students could find the encouragement they needed if they could attend an event focused on celebrating the accomplishments of successful African Americans while teaching about the benefits of leadership. Thus, BLC was born.
Through participation in town hall forums, themed workshops and networking events, BLC student attendees are exposed to topics ranging from financial empowerment to the history of their African origins. Every day of the conference features one or more speakers, culminating with a keynote speaker on Sunday who is a notable Black leader and inspires conference attendees to take what they’ve learned back to their communities and put it into action!