More than 70 colleges, employers, health providers and community groups will fill the Pasadena Convention Center on October 3 for the return of the Black Education Expo, a free K-12 education fair running from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and open to the public. Families from Los Angeles, the Antelope Valley, Orange County and San Bernardino County are invited, and organizers are offering a complimentary bus from South Los Angeles for those who need a ride.
According to Pasadena Now, the event at 300 E. Green St. is designed for students ages 5 to 18, along with families, educators, schools and community organizations, and is co-presented by Pasadena Councilmember Tyron Hampton. Los Angeles City Council District 8 partnered with We Grow LA, Education Is Key and Mor Girls With Goals to help provide the free bus, which boards at 9 a.m. at the Chase Community Center on Crenshaw.
Founder Says Access Is the Whole Point
Victoria Williams, who founded the Black Education Expo, said access is at the heart of BEE, per the same report. Williams leads BWP Enterprises, an event strategy firm. Williams was honored by NBC4 Los Angeles in March, per the Black Education Expo.
The expo began in Pasadena, with Williams holding the first edition at Lake Avenue Church in February 2024 before it moved to the Pasadena Convention Center that October. It returned to the convention center in October 2025, and its most recent edition was held at West Los Angeles College's graduation lawn in February, where organizers distributed more than 600 free books with participation from the Kiwanis Literacy Club Foundation, the outlet notes.
What Families Will Find Inside the Expo Hall
The expo hall will bring together colleges, employers, educational organizations, health and wellness providers and community organizations under one roof. The Teen Zone includes an artificial intelligence literacy workshop presented by Google, mental health and resilience programming, college access information and a teen-led career panel, the report states.
The Wellness Zone offers mental and physical wellness resources along with blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol screenings. The Educator Lounge, hosted by the Black Educator Advocates Network, opens with a restorative sound bath with Coach LaLa provided by Stars, and the Parent Zone offers financial wellness, scholarships, college pathways and family engagement resources. Parent and educator workshops are scheduled from 10 to 10:45 a.m. and again from 11:15 a.m. to noon.
Joy Zone and Noon Program Round Out the Day
The BEE Joy Zone, presented by the California Black Women's Collective Empowerment Institute, is supported by Russell Westbrook's Why Not? Foundation and offers free books, face painting and family games. The foundation has opened 13 “Russell's Reading Rooms” filled with 1,200 books each across Los Angeles to address book scarcity in lower-income neighborhoods, where, per the Russell Westbrook Why Not? Foundation, book-to-child ratios can drop to 1 to 300.
Dr. Ray Cunningham, associated with UNCF Los Angeles, will host a noon program in the expo hall featuring raffles and partner highlights, according to the same Pasadena Now report. The expo's broader partner network includes Pasadena City College, the Los Angeles Community College District, Citizens Business Bank, Athens Services, the Pasadena Community Foundation and others. Last year's Pasadena expo drew more than 70 exhibitors, including UCLA and California State University, Dominguez Hills, a teen career panel with PCL Construction, a book corner with the Kiwanis Foundation, and five scholarships awarded to BEE Scholars.
Regional Gaps the Expo Is Trying to Address
The expo's outreach comes as statewide data show persistent disparities in Black student achievement. According to 2025 California Smarter Balanced Assessment data reported by the California School Boards Association, only 33% of Black K-12 students met state English standards and 20% met math standards in 2025, compared with 49% and 37% respectively across all California students.
Those gaps have unfolded alongside a shrinking Black student population statewide. The expo's regional outreach prioritizes busing and access for South LA families.
Public institutions have also attempted structured interventions. The Los Angeles Unified School District cut its school police budget by $25 million in summer 2020 and redirected that money toward its $36.5 million Black Student Achievement Plan in February 2021, according to Capital & Main. Head Start participation is also planned for the October event.
Getting There and Registering
Admission to the expo is free, and attendees can register through Eventbrite. A subterranean parking structure at the venue holds 600 spaces, with onsite parking costing $15 per day and allowing one entry per day; the structure includes eight EV charging stations and has a 6-foot-6-inch height limit. About 2,500 additional parking spaces are available within one block of the venue.
The Pasadena Convention Center is also accessible by Metro A Line, with the Memorial Park and Del Mar stations located about four-tenths of a mile away. Organizations and companies interested in partnership inquiries can contact [email protected], and large groups traveling by bus can reach the same address to arrange travel.
