ATLANTA
Ed Ollie was preparing for law school in 1992 when he attended a faith-based conference for Black college students that changed his life with a compelling message: Go out and be a role model and leader in the community.
That first National Black Collegiate Conference led Ollie to become a chaplain and motivational speaker.
“It wasn’t an issue of me going to law school, but it was a time to tangibly think about my faith as a vehicle for change in the community,” Ollie said.
Now it’s Ollie’s turn to pass on that message. He spoke this weekend to about 700 students at the closing session of this year’s five-day conference.
Hundreds of Black students from across the nation flock to the convention in Atlanta, which is held every two to three years and organized by Black Campus Ministries, a network of Black Christian clubs on college campuses in 24 states.
This year’s workshops and seminars focused on various topics that affect Black culture, from the hip-hop music genre, to God in politics to improving the image of Blacks.
