Community Project Unites African American Leaders : Conference: About 60 participants gathered to outline ideas for increasing the number of black students in college and improving the self-esteem and cultural identity of black youngsters.

African American leaders from across Orange County forged new partnerships Saturday as part of an unprecedented conference aimed primarily at increasing academic and work opportunities for black students and young adults.

Talk turned to action as leaders outlined new ideas and ways to expand existing programs to increase the number of African American students in college, and improve the self-esteem and cultural identity of African American youngsters. Participants talked about setting up college scholarships and resource directories, and undertaking a comprehensive study on the state of blacks in Orange County.

But perhaps most notable, the conference marked the first time in anyone’s memory that such a broad coalition of leaders from Orange County’s small African American population met to combine resources.

“Essentially, the African American community in Orange County is very dispersed,” said Horace Mitchell, a conference organizer and vice chancellor of student affairs and campus life at UCI. “There’s no black community that’s in a single geographical location. You need some deliberate strategies to pull people together.”

About 60 people, including educators and students and business and community leaders, met at the UCI Faculty Club under the auspices of the African-American Community Strategic Planning Project.

The community service project is the first organized by the Orange County chapter of 100 Black Men, which received its charter in July. The conference was co-sponsored by the UCI Urban Community-School Collaborative, a partnership designed to increase the number of black students in higher education.

UCI Chancellor Laurel Wilkening welcomed the group effort to get more people involved in helping African American youth and increase their numbers in college.

“The students represent a future for all of us,” she said. “We are all very much committed to increasing the diversity of our campus.”

Conference participants hailed the event as an invaluable opportunity to learn more about the goals and activities of more than 25 African American groups in the county. Increasing communication within Orange County’s small and dispersed African American community has long been a challenge.

Census figures from 1990 show that the county’s African American population has grown nearly 69% in the last decade, from about 25,000 residents to about 42,000. But blacks still make up only about 2% of the population. And no city in the county has a higher African American population than 5.4%.

Simply identifying countywide interests and needs within the community was the first step of the 100 Black Men chapter in organizing the service project.

In coming months, the chapter plans to work with more than 25 other African American groups in the county to initiate the strategies, programs and activities outlined at the conference. The chapter will sponsor another conference in October to follow up.

“The network has to be created,” said Ernest Bridges, a member of 100 Black Men and a professor at Fullerton College. “This effort today is not even the tip of the iceberg. The effort needs to continue. We must not allow ourselves to become complacent.”