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Contact: Estella Zavala or Susan Cergol, 225-6437
Posted on: January 17, 2002

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and in anticipation of Black History Month, TUSD’s African American Studies Department, in partnership with Pima Community College and the University of Arizona Africana Studies, will present an African American Student Empowerment Conference from 8-11:45 a.m. tomorrow, Jan. 18, in the vocational building at Tucson High Magnet School, 400 N. Second Ave.

LaTanya Sheffield, 1988 Olympian and 15-year veteran of elite track and field competition, will offer the keynote address on the conference theme, "The Tree Usually Falls in the Direction it Leans." With the conviction that "You don’t have to be asleep to have a dream!" Sheffield has delivered motivational presentations to young people for more than a decade.

The conference offers young African American men and women a model of success from a cultural and historical perspective. It is designed to help students realize their own potential by recognizing the greatness of African American leaders and everyday heroes and by using historical benchmarks to help set a new course for the future.

"Young people need to have a vision for where they want to go in their lives," explains Kelly Langford, Director of TUSD’s African American Studies Department.

Friday’s session is the second in a two-part conference geared specifically for female African American students at Tucson High; the first part, held Jan. 16, addressed male students.

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