In a commanding voice, Errol Henderson, associate professor of political science, told a crowd of predominantly black students last night to work hard if they wanted to live up to the legacy of America's greatest black leaders.

"That's a huge mantle to carry, especially for people who can't make it to an 8 o'clock class," he said.

Henderson was the keynote speaker for "Where Did Our Black Leaders Go?" -- the last event of this semester's "Alpha Week" events, which were coordinated by the members of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

About 50 black students filled the East Commons cultural lounge to attend the program.

Anthony Armstrong, president of the Penn State chapter, said the idea for the event came from criticism he's heard that there aren't enough black leaders.

During the program, Armstrong and others emphasized that leaders don't necessarily have to be famous like Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X -- they can be anyone in a community who takes the initiative to make a difference.

Henderson encouraged the students to become educated and not buy into the "white supremacist" mindset.

He started off his speech by calling into question the title of the event.

"Maybe the leaders aren't gone at all, maybe the question is why you don't know them," he said.

Addressed was the difference between prominence and leadership -- Henderson said that while famous artists may seem influential, most of them don't do much to affect change.

"I think Jay-Z makes excellent music, but I don't think he's a leader," Henderson said. After Henderson's speech he was joined by a panel of five student leaders from various campus organizations.

Joy Nicole-Powell, founder of the student national medical association, emphasized the importance of black leadership in troubled areas by citing personal experience.

"We see the drug dealers, the pregnant sisters, a lot of negative things in our community," she said.

Darryl Watson, Black Caucus president, agreed. "I saw death before I saw a college recruiter," he said. "School kids get shot before they get books, and that's real."

When an audience member asked Henderson how students could help in the community, he said they already know how to help.

"Most of us ain't from no hood," he said, "you're from right outside the hood."

Henderson told them to go to the areas they avoid and start from there.

"Use your own creativity, use your own initiative," he said.

Watson said he felt the local community wasn't doing enough to address Penn State diversity issues.

"A 5K 'Race Against Racism?' That makes no sense," he said. He also criticized local media, including The Daily Collegian, for not providing adequate coverage of issues affecting the Penn State black community.

Danielle Forbes (freshman-English) said she enjoyed the event. "I thought it was informative," she said.