The Black Educational Achievement Movement is a collective of Black educational service providers and Black professionals in both the public and private sectors who are committed to to promoting Black academic excellence and providing a counterpoint to the experiences of Black students in public and private classrooms.
At BEAM events and programs, students connect with peers, adults, and other members of their community to strengthen cultural ties, and to discover hopes, dreams, and aspirations through networks of professionals and educators with shared experience.
BEAM Events
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Black Student Success Summit
The Black Student Success Summit (BSSS) is an annual one-day event held in the spring where Black youth learn how to navigate the education-to-career pathways for various industries, through interactive workshops, affinity group caucuses, motivational speeches, and structured networking activities.
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Black Baccalaureate
The Black Baccalaureate welcomes graduating Black students from post-secondary institutions, high schools, and alternative schools in the Portland Metro area. We also recognize students who earned their GED. The Black Baccalaureate Ceremony is a space to honor our youth and instill a sense of cultural pride in those who have fulfilled this pivotal stage in their development.
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Unity in the Community Block Party
Each summer BEAM invites our neighborhood to come together to celebrate the achievements of Black students, support young Black entrepreneurs, engage in conversations, and build community through activities like street painting.
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Black Student Union Alliance Conference
Join us for the first regional conference of the Black Student Union Alliance!
BEAM Programs
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BSTRONG Summer Program
BSTRONG is an extracurricular, culturally-infused summer program that exposes students to a variety of experiences and activities that increases the self-efficacy they need on their educational pathway via interactive workshops, research projects, volunteer, and civic engagement opportunities. Students gain historical knowledge, cultural values, and community healing artistry that translate to academic excellence and a yearning for lifelong learning.
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Tobacco Unfiltered
Tobacco Talk: Unfiltered is a year-long program for Black identified youth in the Portland Metro region to learn about the the policy and history of tobacco commercialization targeted specifically to Black communities, its relationship to slave labor and agricultural production, and how we archive its history for our self-reclamation.
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North to the Numbers
North to the Numbers is a collaborative effort of several organizations who are committed to improving resilience and long-term outcomes for Black youth, creating a seamless support network from one organization to the next that spans the Black Portland diaspora, from North Portland to East County (The numbers) and beyond.
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Conversations From the Heart Porch
The “Conversations from the Heart” porch is an interactive outdoor art exhibit and public forum on the most public-facing edge of the BEAM Learning Hub property.
Designed collaboratively by students from the BSTRONG Summer Program, the University of Oregon, and Rebuilding Cornerstones, this space seeks to foster conversations around Black history in Portland, current systemic issues, and how as a community we can be a part of creating a better future for ourselves and our community.