To liberate all Afrikan people through organizing intellectual & economic resources to transform the quality of Afrikan/Black lives.
The Afrikan Black Coalition Conference is an annual conference hosted at one of our partner schools during MLK Day Weekend. The ABC Conference now serves over 800 Afrikan/Black students across the State of California. Since its inaugural year in 2003, the forum has continued to be used to address social and political issues facing the community through peer and professional workshops, keynote speakers, and social activities. After being held at every UC campus and following the induction of CSU partners, California State University, Long Beach was the first CSU campus to host the conference, which was held in January 2017 during Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.
This conference seeks to unify Afrikan/Black students across the state in order to discuss and resolve issues concerning academic policy, campus climate, matriculation from the University, and political education. By bringing together Black Student Unions and Afrikan Student Unions statewide, ABC presents the opportunity for unity in spite of geographical boundaries. Additionally, each conference incorporates a focus on collective imagining for the organization, building student organizational skills, developing pathways for life after college, and connecting students to the larger Afrikan/Black struggle.
As one of the only statewide conferences for Afrikan/Black students, the Afrikan Black Coalition Conference is a vital tool in promoting networking amongst peers, owning our narrative of positivity and resilience, inspiring innovation in a system that honors hard facts and calculation, and providing an environment where the Afrikan/Black cultural experience is valued. Without doubt, the ABC Conference is one of the most rewarding experiences Afrikan/Black students have during their collegiate years.
Contact
External Website
Afrikan Black CoalitionABC'S 20th Anniversary Special Presentation
History
In 2003, founding members of the Afrikan Black Coalition (ABC) brought together student leaders from the Afrikan/Black student organizations in the UC system. Many felt that the derogatory relationship between the University and their Afrikan/Black student population was linked to historical oppression Afrikan/Black people have faced throughout the advancement of western civilization. The UC-ABC was founded to preserve the cultural traditions and political fervor of Diaspora Afrikans, within the student population of the UC System. Afrikan/Black students at each UC campus faced racial discrimination in the form of threats, offensive comments and actions taken by many non-Afrikan/Black students and in return coupled with the declining numbers of Afrikan/Black students at the UC system (as a result of Proposition 209). Due to many incidents, the various Chairs, Presidents and External Representatives formed the University of California African Black Coalition.
The first meeting was in the Fall of 2003 held at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Afrikan Black Coalition Conference 2K24
UCSB: Blueprint for Black Power
January 12–15, 2024 | MLK Jr. Weekend
The Afrikan Black Coalition Conference is an annual conference hosted at one of our partner schools during MLK Day Weekend. The ABC Conference now serves over 800 Afrikan/Black students across the State of California.
