A Leadership Conversation

BLACK
EXCELLENCE
IN ACTION

Presented by Jacquelyn Clark

DESIGNED FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS · 30 MINUTES

02
Icebreaker

Stand Up If…

"That feeling of being unseen or unheard is not new. Let's start there."

Movement Activity — 60 Seconds
03
History

1619

In 1619, the first recorded Africans were brought to this land against their will.

They did not choose the journey.

They did not choose the system.

Some remembered freedom. Some would grow up never knowing anything else.

04
Resilience

406 Years Later

Not Just Survival. Contribution. Leadership.

From those beginnings came educators, inventors, artists, and leaders.

The 1619 National Celebration honors resilience — and the power of contribution.

Every generation built on the one before it.

05
Activity

Turn & Tell:
30 Seconds Each

"You don't have to start at the microphone. Sometimes leadership starts in the room."

Pair Activity — 60 Seconds Total
1.

Turn to the person next to you.

2.

Person A: Tell Person B a time you were underestimated.

3.

Person B: Tell Person A what you wish you had said.

4.

You have 30 seconds each.

06
Awareness

History doesn't ask you
to feel guilty.

It asks you to be aware.

Awareness gives you the ability to choose.

What choices do you have now that they didn't?

Participation was once limited. What does it look like today?

07
Personal Story

I didn't need to become
someone else.

I needed to become clearer.

Before

"Being guarded felt powerful. But it protected me — and also limited who could hear me."

After

"I started by just sitting in the room. Leadership starts not with volume, but with clarity."

08
The Framework

Clarity.
Purpose.
Engagement.

Clarity

State the issue clearly. No fluff. No vagueness. Just the truth.

Purpose

Explain why it matters to you, your community, and your future.

Engagement

Offer a specific action or solution. Leave them with a next step.

"Being loud isn't power. Being clear is."
09
Challenge

The Clarity
Challenge

Take a vague complaint and make it powerful using the framework.

Improv Activity — 2–3 Volunteers

The Vague Complaint

"The lunch food is bad."

Too vague. No power. No direction.

10
Affirmation

You are not
underdeveloped.

You may be under-recognized.

Some students are easier to coach because they already know how to show their potential.

If you haven't been picked yet — that doesn't mean you don't have it.

Refinement is available to everyone.

Participation is power.

11
Together

Say It With Me.

Call & Response — Whole Room

I say:

Start small.

→

You say:

START SMALL.

I say:

Speak clearly.

→

You say:

SPEAK CLEARLY.

I say:

Stay steady.

→

You say:

STAY STEADY.

Tap each row to illuminate the response.

"Four hundred and six years later — you are not powerless. You are not average. You are under-recognized."

12

Start small.

Speak clearly.

Stay steady.

Leadership does not belong to the loudest person.

It belongs to the one who participates.

You don't have to be perfect. You just have to practice.

Jacquelyn Clark

"Participation led to opportunity. It can for you too."

Attend a meeting.Speak at a school board.Join a council.