HRC’s HBCU Director Leslie Hall recently reflected on the event in an interview for The Advocate.

“We’ve seen the Leadership Summit evolve over the last twenty years, but the one constant has been the dedicated students and their unified desire to push for change,” he said. “So many of our students come from places where they can’t be themselves…they really have never been in a space that supports and includes them.”

The event gathered 32 HBCU students and focused on cultivating their leadership skills while emphasizing the importance of inclusion and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community on campuses.

The summit featured storytelling of personal stories and highlighted elements of LGBTQ+ culture, such as ballroom dancing.

“For the last five years, we have included ballroom in our leadership summit,” Hall said. “This replicates their ability to work with diverse people they may not know.”

He told the news outlet that students returned to campus empowered to create change and a sense of identity.

“We are excited to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the HBCU Leadership Summit by welcoming this new cohort of HBCU students who are working diligently to create safe spaces for queer college students,” Hall had said in a press release ahead of the event. “We’ve seen the Leadership Summit evolve over the last twenty years, but the one constant has been the dedicated students and their unified desire to push for change. Engaging with such inspiring young people makes me proud to be an HBCU graduate and serves as a reminder to champion for the next generation of leaders.” 

The 20th anniversary of the Leadership Summit came weeks after HRC hosted HBCU Out Loud Day, which celebrated the Black queer community on college campuses as part of October’s LGBTQ+ History Month.