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National Black Graduate Student Association (NBGSA) is the nation’s largest inter-disciplinary graduate organization for students of African descent. The association was established to address the needs and concerns of black graduate and professional students, and to encourage black undergraduates to pursue advanced degrees. The NBGSA provides critical resources for ensuring the academic success of African American students and aids in developing a powerful network of emerging black scholars who can continue to diversify the academy and enrich the larger community.

NBGSA is a 501 c (3) non-profit organization that is student led. The national headquarters is located at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Founding
In 1989, Robert Sellers, Todd Shaw, Robert Brown, Daria Kirby, Lisa Brown, and Thomas LaVeist planned and hosted a graduate student conference at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The conference, Social Science Research on Black America allowed African American graduate students from across the country the opportunity to present and share their research dealing with the black community. After the success of this three day conference, the organizers, who are the considered the founders, decided to create a national organization that would address the needs and concerns of black graduate students. The conference attendees elected Todd Shaw as the first president with Jacqueline Davis as Vice-President, Donna Cochran as Recording Secretary, Barbara Gates as Corresponding Secretary, and Minora Sharpe as Treasurer.

At the second annual conference, Global Perspective on Black Cultures that was held at Mississippi State University, the attendees voted to incorporate NBGSA in the state of Mississippi. Dr. Phyllis Gray-Ray, Associate Professor of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work at the institution, served as the first National Advisory Chair and the first Executive Director of NBGSA. Mississippi State University became the home of the NBGSA in 1994 and remained in that location until 1997.

Early Years
NBGSA in its early years followed the career of Dr. Gray-Ray. In 1997, she accepted a position at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina. The Executive Council agreed to temporarily move the national headquarters to North Carolina. Several years later, Dr. Gray-Ray took another position at Jackson State University and the association relocated its national office back to Mississippi. Upon arriving at Jackson State University, Dr. Gray-Ray resigned her position with the NBGSA. The Executive Council presented Dr. Gray-Ray with the title of Executive Director Emeritus in 2000, at the national conference held at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Also, in 1999, NBGSA found a permanent home at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Past Conferences
21st ''Engaged. Empowered. Expect It!'' Houston, Texas March 2009

20th Brilliance in Black Chicago, Illinois March 12-16, 2008

19th Heirs of the Dream: Building on a Tradition of Intellectual Excellence Baltimore, Maryland March 21-25, 2007

18th Positively 'Facing the Rising Sun' Las Vegas, NV March 15-19, 2006

17th Mission Possible: Taking Back the Black Community Charlotte, North Carolina March 16-20, 2005

16th Higher Education in Changing Times Cincinnati, Ohio March 24-28, 2004

15th Celebrating 15 Years of the NBGSA Conference: Making a Difference in the Community Through Leadership, Scholarship and Service Atlanta, GA March 19-23, 2003

14th Black Scholars: Connecting Community and Scholarship Howard University March 27-31, 2002

13th Building the Vision Black Scholars In the World of Education and Beyond Texas Tech University

12th Facing the Challenge: Black Leadership 2000 and Beyond University of Wisconsin, Madison

11th Expanding Our Ranks: Black Scholars in the New Millennium Louisiana State University (LSU), Baton Rouge, LA

10th The Future of Diversity in Higher Education University of Texas, Austin

9th Making our Future by the Best Use of Our Present Alliance of Black Graduate and Professional Students of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in collaboration with the North Carolina Triangle Area Black Graduate Student Alliance

8th Bridging the Gap Between Academia and the African Community Claremont Graduate University

7th From Many, One: People of the African Diaspora University of Florida

6th Promoting the African Diaspora Through Education Mississippi State University

5th Cultivating a Vision: The Black Community in the Midst of Global Change University of Minnesota

4th The Research Problem: Black Scholarly Activism on the Horizon of the Twenty First Century Howard University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and Virginia State University

3th Research and Service: Black Intellectual Activism on the Horizon of the Twenty First Century University of California, Berkeley

2nd Global Perspective on Black Cultures Mississippi State University

1st Social Science Research on Black America University of Michigan