Four years ago, Head of Upper School Justin Brandon and Middle and Upper School Director of Studies Sven Carlsson boarded an airplane and traveled to New York City to attend the Young Men of Color Symposium led and created by Dwight Vidale. On Saturday, May 1 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Parker hosted their third Cullen J. Davis Young Men of Color Symposium.

When Brandon and Carlsson went to the conference, they believed it to be a great opportunity for the young men of color at Parker. “With the leadership of [Ruth] Jurgensen who really made all of this happen,” Brandon said, “we were able to work with Mr. Vidale, and have him bring the young men of color symposium to Chicago.”

Vidale first had the idea for the young men of color symposium when he was working at the Riverdale Country School in Bronx, N.Y.. What started as a peer-mentoring program at Riverdale Country School, expanded to a Symposium for schools in the one mile radius, and then expanded to the state of New York with close to 300 students participating, when in-person. The conference has now made its way to Parker and many other schools. 

The conference is open to students from sixth grade to twelfth grade. “It is a leadership conference for students to explore masculinity, racial identity, and other different identifiers that we have in a safe space where we can think about that together in an affinity space,” Vidale said. “We bring together people from all different schools which adds to the heft of the conversation and makes it that much more real and vibrant.” 

Most of the students who attend the young men of color symposiums are students at predominantly white independent schools all over the country. “When they come into this space and they all identify as young men of color, it creates this opportunity for them to see themselves reflected in other students,” Vidale said, “They often make awesome connections with peers from the same school that may be in different grades, but usually with people from different school environments and institutions.” Vidale believes that although they come from different schools, many of the conflicts they are encountering are similar. 

In past years, the Symposium was a day long event, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a slightly abbreviated program done over Zoom. In years past, there have been 100 young adults in attendance, but this year there were only 35 students who attended from around the Chicagoland area. Brandon is hopeful that next year will be back in person. 

Parker’s young men of color symposium began with the keynote speaker, Phuc Tran, who is a writer, teacher, activist, and tattoo artist. “I learned from Phuc Tran to keep going even when the odds are stacked against you,” junior Othel Owens who attended the event said. “It is easy to get distracted and to let other’s negativity bring you down, but you have to continue to stay motivated and do you.”

After the opening ceremony, students went into different discussion break-out rooms which Owens’ saidwas his favorite part of the event. “It was a great way to hear and connect to one another,” Owens said. 

Each breakout room is facilitated by a man of color. “They [the students]  get a chance to see their future selves in positions of leadership as well,” Vidale said. “It is intentionally curated in that way so they feel seen, heard, valued and provide them the opportunity to know that they are not alone in the feelings that they have.”

Brandon believes that the conference has always been meaningful but may be more meaningful now due to recent events. “The last calendar year has been pretty intense in terms of race relations. amongst other things, and to think that we are going to have this conference during a pandemic when we just had this verdict regarding Derek Chauvin’s trial,” Brandon said. “Also, other protests and other social injustices happening and anti-Asian hate. So much is going on that this is a heavier time, which is the reason we need to continue to do this conference and offer this space for our young men of color.”

Vidale agrees with Brandon. “At one point we thought about cancelling it, but this year, possibly more than any other year, the young men of color needed a community, and needed to be with each other,” Vidale said. “ If our goal and intention is to be present, we have to name some of that, and if we can name some of that, and give people the brave spaces needed to discuss it, that is really where the opportunity for learning and growth will be present.”

Owens believed the virtual event was successful. “It was still able to provide the sense of community that makes the symposium so special,” Owen said, “The format was the same as previous years and it was a great way to connect to other men of color.”

One way that Vidale stated that he wanted to bridge the virtual gap was by showing love and being present. “I want people to know that I am here for them, we’re here for them, and that there are a lot of people who are here to support them, and make sure they feel that sense of belonging,” Vidale said, “Showing up can go a long way.”

Brandon attributes a lot of the event’s success to the Parker community. “In order for this conference to happen, we have to have adult mentors to facilitate the conversations and create the spaces,” Brandon said. “We are really lucky to have a great group of men of color to be a part of this group and make this effort.” 

Vidale believes that he is doing his small part in helping to advocate for the young men of color, but that this is a community effort. “Sometimes in some spaces, most people tend to take that sense of belonging for granted, and not everyone feels that sense of belonging,” Vidale said. “This is a callout to the entire Parker community and even the entire Chicagoland area to create school communities that allow all of our students, adult members, and families to feel like they belong and that they are not a guest. It is very different when you are a visitor. I would invite all of us to think about how we can create that space to make sure people feel that way.”