In 2006, Carley created the Black, Brown & College Bound (BBCB) summit, a program designed to address the ongoing challenges facing African-American and Latino male students.
Nine months after the longtime Hillsborough Community College administrator passed away at the age of 72, Carley was honored and remembered this weekend as the chief architect of one of the nation’s largest summits committed to exploring issues that impact young men of color.
Dr. Sylvia Marion Carley
“From our humble beginnings with just over 200 conference attendees, BBCB stands as a testament to the importance of this issue and is recognized as the preeminent forum to address the barriers facing minority males,” said Dr. Ken Atwater, president of Hillsborough Community College (HCC), which convenes the annual gathering. “From the teaching and learning that takes place every day across all of our colleges, to the work that has been done at this important conference, we are all ensuring no student’s dream of a college education is left unrealized.”
The event — which now attracts close to a 1,000 participants from across the nation — provides scholarships to students and routinely draws prominent speakers such as former Secretary of State General Colin Powell, musician John Legend and former football player and television host Michael Strahan.
This year’s speakers included Drs. Mark Anthony Neal, chair and professor of African & African-American Studies at Duke University, Michael Eric Dyson, a sociology professor at Georgetown University and James Brown, the three-time Emmy Award winner and host of the NFL Today Show on CBS.
