Jared Sampson
Jared Sampson brings meaningful and impactful conversations about authenticity, sexuality, masculinity, and life as a gay, black, man.
TOPICS
- Diversity
- Fraternity & Sorority Life
- Leadership
- LGBTQ+ Focused
- Masculinity
KEYNOTES
Getting to know
Jared Sampson
Jared Sampson has accomplished a great deal despite the challenges along the way. As a gay Black man living in the south, Jared has a unique perspective on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Although he is an accomplished businessman, entrepreneur, and professor; he is not free from the issue of systemic racism faced by African Americans as well as further discrimination based on his sexual orientation. Jared grew up in a small town in Louisiana but set out on his journey towards self-acceptance and understanding at the age of 16 after graduating from high school a year early. Over the years Jared has worked hard to become the man he is today; leading with love and light as he charted a course and navigated many obstacles. Since graduating from the University of New Orleans in 2002 with a Bachelors of Arts in Communication, Jared has worked for the YMCA of Greater New Orleans (Youth Programs Director), Radio Disney New Orleans (Promotions Manager), Feld Entertainment (Event Marketing and Sales Manager – Monster Jam, Disney On Ice, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus) and the New Orleans Saints (Director of Game Day Entertainment & Special Events). In 2007 Jared earned his MBA with a marketing concentration and in 2008 he began teaching for Delgado Community College. He is currently a full-time instructor for the college, where he is the lead instructor for Marketing and teaches Business and Management courses. During his nearly thirteen years of teaching; Jared has taught a number of courses at Delgado and other colleges/universities that deepened his interest in how companies are structured and managed. Some of his favorite subjects include Human Relations in Business, Organizational Behavior and Leadership, and Principles of Management.
Throughout his education and career Jared has had to navigate discrimination; racism and homophobia. In 2018 he resigned from the New Orleans Saints to focus his attention on teaching, speaking, and further developing his own companies.
Jared has risen above so much and is a voice of hope and inspiration. He shares his knowledge and passion with all who want to understand the issues and desire solutions. As a past recipient of the Human Rights Campaign “Equality Award” in New Orleans. Jared uses his story and his voice to bring about change. Jared‘s voice was heard the loudest when he realized he had an opportunity and responsibility to bring the meaningful and impactful conversation to the cast of Southern Charm New Orleans. Jared utilized that platform to publically and emotionally let the world in as he opened up about his sexual orientation, challenges with masculinity, and his feelings as a gay Black man. He realized the importance of authenticity and since that moment he has unapologetically shared his Black and gay experiences to further that conversation as well as put actions behind his words.
In addition to his busy career, Jared finds many ways to be the change he wishes to see. He serves on the Steering Committee for Human Rights Campaign and was recently appointed to be the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) liaison. He also serves on the DEI Taskforce with Delgado Community College, a Mentor for Son of a Saint, and volunteers his time to other worthwhile causes and organizations as time permits.
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
To help you promote your event with Jared, CAMPUSPEAK has created promotional templates you can use. In this folder, you will find resources for social media, a promotional poster for printing, and press photos you can use for your event.
Link to Promotional Materials
LOGISTICAL MATERIALS
Below you will find logistical resources for the day of your event with Jared.
In-Person Event AV Needs (PDF)
Speaking Introduction (PDF)
SEE WHAT PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY About Jared Sampson!
KEYNOTES
I AM…
We are living in a time where it is easy to get caught up in so much that can cause us to lose ourselves. It seems we filter everything in our lives to fit what is popular, on trend, etc. We compare our lives to that of others based on what they are sharing on social media, where they work, etc. We also have to live up to the expectations of family members and there can be a lot of pressure to achieve what others have in mind for our lives. We have to be so many things to so many people and it is easy to lose sight of self.
If we are not careful, one day we may not even know who we are anymore or may end up living a life that is not true to ourselves. If we constantly ignore our inner voice and do things that project a certain image or satisfies the desires of others, we may not be the most authentic version of ourselves. Ways to recognize when someone is not being authentic. At some point in time we will we have to present our most authentic self and declare I AM…
Learning Outcomes
As a result of attending this program, students will learn:
- what it mean to be authentic,
- how to self identify who they are and the importance of being an individual,
- the qualities that are essential to being authentic, and
- the ways to recognize when someone is not being authentic.
The Struggle is Real: “Black” and “Gay”
Intersectionality is a term that we are hearing a lot as of late. It is the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group, regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage. It should be clear that there are struggles that people face simply because of the “social” categories that they belong to. It should come as no surprise that the struggle is real for individuals who are black and gay. This is not just a tagline or a catch phrase, it is something that is unfortunately a documented fact. The Human Rights Campaign may have put it best when they stated, “intersectionality is more than a buzzword, it is a real word that has actual meaning and failing to understand it will undoubtedly lead to consequences that negatively affect marginalized communities.” LGBTQ people of color face discrimination within both the black and gay communities. If that is not troubling enough, black transgender women face the highest levels of fatal violence, black gay and bisexual men are among the communities most affected by HIV and at times this community at large has fewer educational opportunities. Those are just three examples of the issues that make the struggle real, but not impossible to overcome.
Learning Outcomes
As a result of attending this program, students will learn:
- the definition of intersectionality.,
- the issues that impact gay people of color,
- how they can make a difference in the fight for equality
- what equality means to those who face discrimination based on multiple factors,
- how to create a more inclusive campus, organization, and.
- the impact that intersectionality has on people when they have to overcome multiple forms of
discrimination.
Sexuality and Masculinity Are Not the Same
There is a difference between sexuality and masculinity, however society often emasculates men who do not identify as straight or who do not display hyper masculine behavior. There are far too many toxic ideas around masculinity and sexual orientation. At a young age we are told that there are things that makes a man a man. Much of what we are taught about masculinity is actually very damaging and often times adds to the issues men face when they identify as homosexual. That can be even more complex in communities of color as well.
While change is occurring, there is still room for improvement in this space. Far too often people are bullied or worst because of their sexual orientation, with their manhood called into question. Because much of the negativity is learned behavior, children are facing issues that their minds cannot fully comprehend and that has troubling outcomes as these children grow into adulthood.
As it relates to sexual orientation, oftentimes there is an attack on one’s manhood when discussing sexual orientation. Because there are a lot of ill-informed individuals, it makes it hard for many men to live their truth and open up about their sexuality. A lot of men live on the down low to protect their masculinity.
Learning Outcomes
As a result of attending this program, students will learn:
- how to challenge their own thinking when it comes to ideals around manliness,
- how to identify the way in which society places unhealthy restrictions on men, real men do not show emotions, do not do certain things, do not dress a certain way, etc.,
- how to address issues that arise from toxic masculinity, and
- how to identify the difference between sexuality and masculinity.
JARED’S BLOGS
The following are past entries Jared has written for the CAMPUSPEAK Speaker’s Voice Blog
