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From left, Larry Childress, Pastor Gregory O. Lawson, President Byron Breland, Reverand Ken James and Erangelist Emanuel Dean Jr. meet in the Art Gallery on Thursday

Over 15 local African-American faith based leaders met for the first time with San Jose City College President Byron Breland on Sept. 25 in the arts gallery , to develop a plan that will help African-American students succeed with their educational goals.
It was a chance for community leaders to share on how African-American community members in Santa Clara and Silicon Valley can be better educated.
Some of the ideas shared were about access to financial aid and increasing parents awareness so they can share information with their children about going to college and being successful in a higher learning setting.
The day- to- day responsibility of community leaders is to make sure that African –American males can overcome challenges of limited resources and lack of connection to one another.
“This is the first of several meetings that will occur throughout the year,” Breland said, “so we can better our partnership and our network to be sure to continue the discussion and to make sure that we make some changes to better prepare the next generation for success in life and education.”