Wednesday, December 18, 2002

By Billie Fleming, Center for Leadership Education and Service and

Jessica Jones, UNCW student chapter, NAACP

Wilmington, N.C. -- The 10th Annual Southeastern African-American

Student Leadership Conference (SEAASLC) will be held on the campus

where it was founded, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington,

Jan. 31- Feb. 2. This conference was established to develop and

strengthen the leadership abilities and skills of primarily

African-American students, though it is open to students of any

ethnicity, across the Southeastern United States. SEAASLC incorporates

history, morals and values, leadership skills, self-improvement

techniques, community involvement, and unity to inspire and motivate

African-American collegians and high school students to be more

productive leaders of today and tomorrow.

This year’s theme is LEGACY -- Leaders Empowering Generations Acting

on a Commitment to Yesterday, today and tomorrow. This theme is

supported by various activities that will occur during the three days of

the conference. Throughout those days there are many workshops,

social events, and speakers, as well as an interfaith worship service and

much more.

The 10th annual conference will feature two noted speakers; Willie E.

Gary and Ayinde Jean Baptiste who were selected to further the

conference goals of promoting leadership, self-awareness, and

addressing issues of concern with in the African-American and world

communities.

Willie E. Gary is now living the American dream, though

his beginnings were humble. He attended Shaw University

in Raleigh, N.C. Shortly after attending N.C. Central

University to study law, he opened the first black law firm

in Martin County, Fla. Today, Mr. Gary’s law practice is

extremely successful. He remembers his modest

beginnings through the generous work of The Gary

Foundation which helps support youth in many different communities.

Mr. Gary will be speaking to the conference attendees at 2:30 p.m.,

Saturday, Feb. 1 in Warwick Center Ballroom.

Ayinde Baptiste was catapulted in to the international

spotlight for his gripping address at the 1995 Million Man

March. Now at 18 years old, he is an authoritative voice

for black youth, discussing youth leadership,

entrepreneurship, and academic excellence. After

graduating from the Roycemore Prep School of Chicago,

Ill., he is now an undergraduate at Harvard University .

Ayinde has been featured on several televisions shows

and was inducted into The National Geographic World “Kid’s Hall of

Fame,” and was awarded the Youth Role Model Ambassador Award. Mr.

Baptiste will be speaking to the conference attendees at 10:30 a.m.,

Sunday, Feb. 2, in room Warwick Center Ballroom, in a “Call to Action”

speech.

SEAASLC is packed with both social and educational events and is

expected to draw 250-300 students from across the South. This year’s

10th annual conference will have numerous things to offer a variety of

people, including the first interfaith worship service set for 9 a.m.,

Sunday, Feb. 2, in the Warwick Center Ballroom. For further information

about the conference, please contact Billie Fleming, Jessica Jones, or

Shelly Hoover at (910) 962-3877.

A biography of Mr. Gary is available at

www.uncw.edu/news/headlines/2002/dec/gary_bio.html. We hope to

have photos of both keynote speakers available for download after the

new year from the UNCW News & Events site.





Media Downloads

Biography: Willie Gary

Photo: Willie Gary

Photo: Anyinde Baptiste



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