Men of color discuss their experiences at PWIs

Dressed in suits and ties, more than 50 men of color from Lehigh, Lafayette College, Muhlenberg College and Moravian University gathered on Saturday in the Rauch Business Center to uplift each other professionally. 

The symposium, hosted by Lehigh’s Men of Color Alliance, brought together men of color from universities in the Lehigh Valley to network, hear from successful professionals and receive advice on navigating life at predominantly white institutions.

The event featured two breakout sessions that discussed a range of topics, including professional etiquette, mindfulness, entrepreneurship, networking and more.

Before the sessions began, attendees introduced themselves with elevator pitches, to prepare them to seize opportunities in the future, said Dan Tessema, ‘27, event coordinator for the alliance. 

Olugoke Martins, ‘26, president of the alliance, also provided opening remarks. 

“What we have for you is a day of expedition for professional development, becoming better men and learning what it means to leverage and advance peace,” Martins said.

The first breakout session — led by Duly Olivert, a senior at Lafayette College, Justin Fermin, ‘26, and Giovanni Castro, ‘02 — was divided into three sections. The sections were titled, “Professional Etiquette 101,” “Calisthenics: Master Your Body,” and “Master Your Mind and Navigating Change Through Entrepreneurship.”

Fermin discussed calisthenics, bodyweight exercises, and said they changed his life and motivated him by providing a practice he could do entirely on his own.

Although calisthenics is a physical skill, he said it improved his ability to focus, his confidence and his mental strength.

Fermin said learning to do handstands, a skill he worked hard to master, significantly boosted his inner confidence. He said it had a positive impact on other areas of life, including interviews and speaking up in his classes. 

“Failure then becomes a tool, because I know I have something to fall back on,” he said. 

He also said showing up for himself and embracing discomfort allowed him to learn how to persevere.

“There’s no external validation,” Fermin said. “It’s just me and my willpower.”

Following the first breakout session, attendees heard from two keynote speakers from Lehigh — Isaac Jamison, an adjunct professor in the College of Business, and Kwame Essien, a professor in the department of history.

Jamison also serves as vice president and head of function at L’Oreal USA. In his speech, he discussed navigating corporate America as a man of color. He said for Black men and other men of color, the professional landscape can often feel like a space that wasn’t built for them. 

“It takes a lot more for us to be successful,” Jamison said.

He also said it’s common for minorities in corporate America to feel like imposters. While the game is “rigged” against them, he said he believes his story is a testament to the fact it still can be won.

To combat the “rigged” system and succeed, Jamison said becoming knowledgeable and financially literate is key.

“One thing I have learned as a leader in corporate America is that knowledge is the one thing they can’t take away from me,” he said. “If Malcolm X could teach himself in prison, what is your excuse?”

He also said financial literacy isn’t just about making money — it’s about managing wealth and learning how to grow it.

“We are not here to chase paychecks,” Jamison said. “Build generational wealth so your children won’t have to beg for a seat at the table. They’ll own the table.”

He also referenced words of Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou and Serena Williams to highlight the importance of perseverance and pushing forward through hardship. 

While sharing the hardships he faced while pursuing his doctorate in business administration, Jamison said he often wrote letters to his adviser, expressing a desire to quit when he felt like he couldn’t continue. 

Then one day, he said, a peer noticed he was having a rough time and left him a note.

“The note says, ‘Brother, don’t give up. Don’t quit. Keep pushing. Take a break if you need to, but don’t quit,’” Jamison said. “I have kept this index card in my briefcase since then, and I carry it with me everywhere.”

He also emphasized the importance of uplifting one another and building a network, as it allows the entire community of men of color to thrive. However, he said, not everyone has access to the same resources while growing up, so it’s crucial to help each other — because when one person rises, everyone rises.

The second breakout session then convened. It consisted of three speakers — Castro, Elijah Blaylark, ‘25, and Maridie Naire, a junior at Muhlenberg College. The topics discussed included the importance of personal branding in career growth, experiences at predominantly white institutions and insights on using personal networks for financial success.

The symposium concluded with a panel featuring Jamison, Will Constant, ‘21, Roman Mitchell, ‘24, and Antonio Ellison, the assistant director of study abroad diversity initiatives.

Constant said during his first day of classes at Lehigh, he walked into a writing class and found he was the only Black person in the room. He said it took him a moment to realize attending a predominantly white institution often meant being the only Black person in the room.

“I realized that I either let this isolate me or push against the boundaries of my network and make my connections work for me,” Constant said. “I now have a lot of friends who don’t look like me and who I have benefited from.”

Ellison shared a similar sentiment to Constant and said being the only Black person in the room can be an uncomfortable experience. 

“Eventually it gets to the point where you have to look up and realize, ‘Oh, I am the only one here,’” Ellison said. “It becomes second nature.”

However, he said learning how to find comfort in discomfort and staying authentic is important. 

David Antwi, a senior at Lafayette College, said while there are many opportunities and spaces to network, there is a specificity that comes with being a man of color, and having events catered to their experiences is helpful.

He said hearing others’ experiences helps build a sense of solidarity, and it was special to him to receive advice from alumni. 

“As a graduating senior, it is important to make sure that you are passing your knowledge down to the next generation, so they know what mistakes not to make,” Antwi said.