Celebrating the Light in Community
Cultivating Joy - Celebrating the Light in Community
Annual Black & Latinx Summit 2026
Written by: Duchara Moody, CITL Intern
CITL Fellow: Shawn Hampton (Associate Director at the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center)
Students from across the state of Illinois, and beyond had the opportunity to attend the Annual Black & Latinx 2026 Summit at the I-Hotel and Conference Center. The Summit brought students, community, and staff from all intersections into a shared space to learn outside the classroom and connect, through an intentional understanding of the traumas that communities of color in the United States have faced, historically and contemporarily, while taking cognizant strides to heal our collective wounds. The theme for this year's Black & Latinx Summit was "Cultivating Joy - Celebrating the Light in Community". To start off this amazing event, we began in community over breakfast with a welcome from the Black and Latinx Planning Committee from the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center and La Casa Cultural Latina and a dynamic musical performance from Mariachi Alma de la Universidad de Illinois.
Shortly after participants rolled into their first workshop session of the day!
List of workshops in Session 1:
1. Embodied Liberation: Yoga, Stillness and Revolutionary Care, Presented by Mandissa Arlain, Mary Frances Phillips and Shaniya Brown
2. Joy, Belonging and Solidarity Among Black and Latine Immigrant Students, presented by Danny Melendez, Paulina Reynoso Ixcoy, Emilia Mancero, Valeria Garcia, Ross Wantland
3. First Gen & Proud: Celebrating Trailblazers and Building Community, Presented by Roxxane Patino and Jordan Alcantar
4. Beyondally: How To Be An Unapologetic Advocate to LGBTQ + Individuals, Presented by Dr. Yolanda Williams- Holiday
5. Polaroid Poetics: Archiving Joy As Cultural and Political Practice Presented by Yoleidy Rosario.
BNAACC staff stand with "The New Maroons" by artist Michael Somerville at the Annual Black & Latinx Summit 2026
After the first workshop session, everyone gathered for the Keynote Speaker: Jamila Woods; a poet, songwriter, and performing artist from the South Side of Chicago who shared her own experience and strong connection with music. Jamila's words connect to the theme Cultivating Joy and Celebrating the Light in Your Community — bringing comfort and familiarity which soothes your soul and makes you feel whole in rough situations. Currently, with much chaos going on in the world, it is needed to find those little things that bring you sanity. When she describes songs as a comforting space and the chance to represent yourself, it means a space where you feel safe or welcomed in being your authentic self. Thanks to Jamila, we were able to learn how to find joy in the storm.
"I think of songs as physical spaces. Writing a song is like decorating your apartment with things that comfort you and represent who you are."
List of workshops in session 2:
1. Where Black Music Lives… Then & Now! The Real Deal 4 Real, Presented by Alicia Gilmore
2. Rhoyal Lineages: Cultivating Generalational Joy Through Community Rituals, Presented by Kiley Neals, Laila Calhoun and Makalia Ashley
3. Sana Sana, Con Ganas: Zines & The Spirited Resilience Of Latinx Voices, Presented by Maria Emerson and Celenia Graves
4. A Light In The Dark: A Life Story of Leadership, Identity and Adversity, Presented by Dr. DT Shackleford
5. Never Skip a Hopecore Moment: Building Joy Starting at the Foundation, Presented by JayLhien Colbert.
Attendees pose for a group photo at the Annual Black & Latinx Summit 2026
The workshop I attended was JayLhien Colbert's workshop, Never Skip a Hopecore Moment: Building Joy Starting at the Foundation dedicated to community advocacy, civic engagement and student empowerment. JayLhein split participants into groups of three to showcase the goal of collaboration and building foundations. Each group was provided with different materials that included items such as marshmallows, noodles, measuring stick, or tape. JayLhein provided instructions to build a tower with a specific height requirement. Throughout the building process she shared, "Remember it's okay to ask your neighbors for help", and each attendee understood the goal of collaboration. She wanted to teach participants to lean on each other and ask for help as well as showcase the power of community even during hard times, the importance of cultivating joy, and starting at the foundation.
Overall, the 2026 Black & Latinx Summit was a powerful and uplifting experience. Through workshops, performances, and meaningful conversations, it created a space where joy was intentionally cultivated and celebrated. Even in difficult times, the summit reminded us that there is light within our communities and that light grows brighter when we build together.
View the entire Keynote Speaker session here
"The New Maroons" painted by Michael Somerville, depicts a blend of African and Latiné cultures across time periods. "[The artwork] celebrates the vibrance and exchange of the cultures through a moonlit scene of nightlife in the West side of Chicago," writes artist Michael Somerville.