This Saturday, April 19th, 2025, I had the opportunity to attend the Black Buffalo Speaks conference, directed by the Africana Studies Department and specifically the Blacks in Buffalo course. The students and each team deserve a shoutout for making the event possible, using their class time and skills to create something meaningful, with the guidance of Dr. Watson and co-instructor Brother Shango Ayo.

“The conference is an apology from Africana Studies, which, by its history and nature, should have been more engaged and aligned with the city, particularly the Eastside” Dr Watson says, setting the tone for a day rooted in healing and action. This wasn’t just an event, it was a space to reflect, challenge and come together as a community to ask the hard questions on what is next for real change.

Throughout the day attendees had the pleasure of hearing from community leaders of Buffalo making change here. The lineup of speakers included keynote speaker Garnell Whitfield, Cariol Horne, Terry Alfred, Leighton Jones, Karima Amin, and Lion Blyden, each sharing their truth and lived experiences for hopes of a better Buffalo. From stories of loss and injustice to messages of community and resilience every speaker brought something necessary for change.

On a personal note, the two voices that stuck out to me the most were Leighton Jones and Lion Bylden. Leighton Jones, communications coordinator for Our City Action Buffalo emphasized the importance of community organizing and how we should be doing things as a community for better results: “taking up space boldly. It’s not just the organizing, it’s the organizing together that matters.” His words are a reminder of how our strength lies in unity and that the process in which we do things matters as much as the outcome.

Lion Blyden, representing the Univerisal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA/ACL), focuses on the legacy and generational impact. His message was directed to the generations to come and the people creating the future. He says, “Nothing in life is worth anything if you don’t do something for the future. It’s not about you.” He urges us to protect what we’re already building and to guide the younger generation, ensuring that our work doesn’t end with us.

Conferences like Black Buffalo Speaks are more than just campus events, they’re vital in giving us room to heal and connect while also learning from each other’s experiences. We often look over these conversations and continue on without ever addressing the reality of the situation, so its important we continue to create and support spaces that bring us together; Because real change doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in rooms just like this.