More than 200 young men of color are expected to attend the 2021 Black and Brown Male Summit on Saturday, Dec. 11 at Highline College in Des Moines.

Spaces will fill quickly for this annual event, which is held in-person this year for the first time since its 10th anniversary in 2019, according to a Highline College media release. Register for the free event online at bandbsummit.highline.edu/. Registration is required to attend.

The summit is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Building 8 (Highline Student Union) on the main campus, 2400 S. 24oth St.

With the theme “Recharge: dis(connect) to re(connect),” this year’s summit will primarily focus on providing a space for young men to talk with one another about issues that have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“So much is going on right now where our young people are consumed with being quarantined and not being able to connect with one another,” Black and Brown Male Summit founder Rashad Norris said. “This summit will allow them to reconnect and have a sense of camaraderie with each other.”

Norris mentioned many of the issues facing young men of color today have to do with politics, gender identity and racism –– all nationwide conversations that have been amplified through social media.

So it’s no surprise, in our ever-increasing virtual world, that the summit’s keynote speaker would have a strong social media presence. Dubbed Conscious Lee on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, professor and “online edutainer” George Lee already educates millions on racial identity, diversity, equity, inclusion and more.

Other summit presenters include Luis Ortega, Migetu (Michael) Tuncap, Joseph (Joey) Adams and Robert Britten with DJ Ismail Yusuf.

The daylong summit is for high school and college-aged students. All participants, including adult chaperones, must register to attend. While there will be a space for chaperones to gather during the event, there will be no adult programming this year. Breakfast, lunch and snacks will be provided between a series of workshops and group activities.

The goal of the summit is to empower and motivate our young Black and brown men to excel in academics and to accept nothing less than excellence from self.

With more than 70% students of color, Highline is the most diverse higher education institution in the state.