The Wei LAB held its ninth annual International Colloquium on Black Males in Education (ICBME), which took place virtually for the first time in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. ICBME 2020 was originally planned to be hosted in Rio de Janeiro, but adjusted due to the unforeseen global circumstances and was held virtually every Tuesday in October 2020. The theme of ICBME 2020 was “A Virtual Experience: When Racial Uprising and COVID-19 Collide.”
In a year in which racial uprising and COVID-19 have both disproportionately affected the Black community, a global convening is more important than ever. Despite the meetings of ICBME being virtual, its mission remained the same. It aims to provide a space for participants to discuss ideas and practices that serve to improve Black males’ educational outcomes and experiences.