For the third time, Cal State San Bernardino welcomed back nearly 300 male African-American and Latino 10th graders for the annual Black and Brown Conference in early May.  The conference began when these young men — who come from five Inland Empire school districts in Colton, Fontana, Rialto, San Bernardino and Victorville — were in eighth grade. The program was implemented to provide the students with early college awareness, preparedness and information to increase the number of African-American and Latino males who enroll and graduate from college. “There are few efforts to focus on these young men from our community,” said Felix Zuniga, a conference organizer and director of project management and assessment for the ITS department. “Likewise, it is one of the few projects where both black faculty and staff and Latina/o faculty and staff collaborate on a common goal of helping these young men in our community.” The conference featured keynote speakers, breakout workshops and tours of the campus. They focused on various topics, including admissions, cultural capital, self-actualization, financial management, health and wellness, sense of belonging, and social justice. The day also included a conversation with law enforcement.  The young men not only receive critical college information and the opportunity to talk about relevant issues facing young students today, but they also get to connect with the CSUSB community and establish ongoing mentor/mentee relationships to help them on their educational pathway to college.