Hill Harper, who stars as Dr. Sheldon Hawkes in the hit CBS drama series CSI: NY, will be the keynote speaker at the 2008 Building Leadership in the African American Community for Kids (BLAACK) Conference. The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sat., April 19, at Overland High School, 12400 E. Jewell Avenue in Aurora.

Nearly 3,000 students, parents and community members are expected to attend the conference, which will focus attention on the achievement gap and promote academic excellence for African-American students.

"Our goal for the BLAACK Conference is to inspire our students, parents and community to work together to ensure all students, including African-American students, succeed in school and in life," said Dr. Kandy Cassaday, principal of Prairie Middle School. "We want to give them information and strategies that will help them overcome any obstacles they face and reach their full potential."

Although Hill is an accomplished stage, screen and television actor, he is also a passionate advocate for children and education. He graduated magna cum laude from Brown University, cum laude from Harvard Law School, and also earned a Masters degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government.

Hill is the author of a book of advice for teens, Letters to a Young Brother: MANifest Your Destiny. The book won the American Library Association's 2007 prize for Best Book for Young Adults. Hill founded the 'MANifest Your Destiny' Foundation, a non-profit youth organization dedicated to empowering, encouraging and inspiring underserved males to succeed.

In addition to Hill, the conference will feature a performance by Denver's renowned Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, and a Career Fair, where students and parents can meet in small groups with professionals from a variety of occupations including law enforcement, legal fields, banking and finance, graphic arts, and journalism. There will also be three panel discussions, one featuring experts from all branches of the military, one focusing on careers in medical fields, and the third focusing on jobs in education, from elementary school through graduate school.

The BLAACK Conference is sponsored by the Cherry Creek School District, Prairie Middle School and its African-American Parent Leadership Group, which successfully staged the first BLAACK Conference in October 2006.