ROUNDTABLE: This roundtable explores what mothering and fathering of Black youth looks like in the 21^st century.  Featuring journalists and social scientists who have deeply researched different cases of Black parenting, the session addresses the emotional labor, decision-making and strategies that Black parents undertake to raise children and live as parents of Black youth in today’s America.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Karla Slocum

BlackCom Co-Chair

 

PANELISTS

Mosi Secret

Independent journalist and writer

Shauna M. Cooper

Associate Professor of Psychology, UNC Chapel Hill

Dawn M. Dow

Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Maryland

Dani McClain

Reporter and Contributing Writer, The Nation

COLLAB SESSION: Conference participants explore new collaborations inspired by the preceding roundtable. Share community project ideas, solicit help on your initiative, seek feedback on research, etc.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Iheoma U. Iruka

Research Professor of Public Policy and Founding Director of the Equity Research Action Coalition, UNC Chapel Hill

ROUNDTABLE: What would it take to create a school culture that affirms the value of Black life?  Is achieving that culture possible within the American public education system? This panel explores a variety of school and learning structures ranging from those that elevate an African-centered and Black-affirming curriculum to those that engender a school-to-prison pipeline. Drawing on their expertise as researchers and educators, panelists discuss the possibilities for social justice and anti-racism in schooling.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Karla Slocum

BlackCom Co-Chair

 

PANELISTS

Savannah Shange

Assistant Professor of Anthropology, UC Santa Cruz

Carol D. Lee

Founder, Betty Shabazz International Charter Schools; Professor Emeritus of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University

Damien M. Sojoyner

Associate Professor of Anthropology, UC Irvine

Ronda Taylor Bullock

Co-founder & Lead Curator, we are (working to extend anti-racist education, Inc)

COLLAB SESSION: Conference participants explore new collaborations inspired by the preceding roundtable. Share community project ideas, solicit help on your initiative, seek feedback on research, etc.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Eldrin Deas

Senior Consultant and Global Director of Research and Impact, Yardstick Management

Led by undergraduate college students, this student-only session provides a space for reflection on the day’s roundtables and collab sessions as well as discussion on how the content is relevant to students’ experiences.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Kimani Smith (1); Valerie Nguyen (2); Miriam Madison (3); Grace Morse (4)

ROUNDTABLE: There was extensive news coverage last summer of the Freedom Georgia Initiative, a group of Black Georgians who purchased 100 acres of land to start their own community. Their purpose is to promote self-sufficiency, environmental sustainability, and cooperative economics for Black people.  This session features Ashley Scott, of the Freedom Georgia Initiative, who will share information about the group’s work.  In dialogue with researchers and activists on this roundtable, Scott will discuss histories of Black place-making as well as the future for Black self-reliance through community building and connections to land.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Karla Slocum

BlackCom Co-Chair

 

SPEAKER

Ashley Scott

Vice-President, The Freedom Georgia Initiative 

 

PANELISTS

Kofi Boone

University Faculty Scholar and Professor of Landscape Architecture, NC State University

Patricia Zoundi Yao

Founder, Canaan Land

Willie J. Wright

Assistant Professor of Geography and Africana Studies, Rutgers University

COLLAB SESSION: Conference participants explore new collaborations inspired by the preceding roundtable. Share community project ideas, solicit help on your initiative, seek feedback on research, etc.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Adrienne Hall

Doctoral student of geography, UNC Chapel Hill

ROUNDTABLE: The past year has witnessed a disproportionately negative impact of COVID-19 on Black health, wealth, and businesses.  But there has also been a resurgence of interest in buying Black, banking Black, and investing in Black founders as well as pan-African economic solidarity and reparations.  Join us for a dynamic discussion that will explore the business and economic future of Black people and communities across the African diaspora.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Mark Gabriel Little

BlackCom Co-Chair

 

PANELISTS

Julia Collins

Founder + CEO of Planet FWD

Wilmot Allen

Entrepreneur, Investor and Political Economist

Henry C. McKoy, Jr.

Professor and Director of Entrepreneurship, NC Central University

Cassi Pittman Claytor

Climo Junior Professor of Sociology, Case Western Reserve University

COLLAB SESSION: Conference participants explore new collaborations inspired by the preceding roundtable. Share community project ideas, solicit help on your initiative, seek feedback on research, etc.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Ariel D Smith

Founder, The Food Truck Scholar, LLC

Led by undergraduate college students, this student-only session provides a space for reflection on the day’s roundtables and collab sessions as well as discussion on how the content is relevant to students’ experiences.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Jorren Biggs (1); Aneesha Tucker (2); Kat Timm (3); Eleanor Murray (4)

FILM TALKBACK: A Caribbean coming-of-age classic in the tradition of SUGAR CANE ALLEY, Michael Mooleedhar’s first feature is adapted from Michael Anthony’s acclaimed 1967 novel. Set in 1952, the story centers on the 15-year-old boy Shellie (Tafari), whose poor but closely knit family has recently relocated to a village in the Mayaro region of Trinidad. With his father seriously ill, Shellie acquires a surrogate father-figure in the wealthy plantation-owner Mr. Gidharee (Lawkaran), and he finds himself torn between Gidharee’s seductive half-Indian daughter Rosalie (Kandhai) and the more down-to-earth charms of out-of-town girl Joan (Bartholomew). But does Shellie really have a choice, or has a trap been laid for him from the very beginning? GREEN DAYS BY THE RIVER is a rich sensory experience, featuring a lush sense of place, a superb music-laced soundtrack, and vividly colored, beautifully composed cinematography.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Mark Gabriel Little

BlackCom Co-Chair

 

SPEAKER

Michael Mooleedhar

Film Director

 

PANELISTS

DeShuna Elisa Spencer

Founder & CEO, kweliTV

Christian James

Film Producer

FILM TALKBACK: A group of Black youth from South Memphis take an unexpected excursion with Memphis Rox rock climbing gym to the mountains of Montana, where mentors Manoah Ainuu, Conrad Anker and Fred Campbell teach them how to ice climb.  This acclaimed film, produced by Jonathan “Malik” Martin, delves into the urban Black experience, community development models, and stereotypes of Black people and the outdoors.  

 

SESSION CHAIR

Karla Slocum

BlackCom Co-Chair

 

SPEAKER

Johnathan “Malik” Martin

Filmmaker

BOOK TALK: Between 1888 and 1930, African Americans opened more than a hundred banks and thousands of other financial institutions. In the award-winning book, Banking on Freedom, Shennette Garrett-Scott explores this rich period of Black financial innovation and its transformative impact on U.S. capitalism through the story of the St. Luke Bank in Richmond, Virginia: the first and only bank run by Black women. 

 

SESSION CHAIR

Karla Slocum

BlackCom Co-Chair

 

SPEAKER

Shennette Garrett-Scott

Author and Associate Professor of History and African American Studies, University of Mississippi

WATCH THE INNOVATIVE FILM EXPERIENCE NOW: https://www.cardiff1919.wales

FILM TALKBACK: “Cardiff 1919: Riots Redrawn” is a vivid day-by-day, hour-by-hour account of the Cardiff race riots, pieced together from reports in local newspapers, following the dynamic ebb and flow of the rioting.  Join us for a discussion of the film and its importance with UK-based director, Kyle Legal.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Mark Gabriel Little

BlackCom Co-Chair

 

SPEAKER

Kyle Legall

Filmmaker, Graffiti Artist and Animator

BOOK TALK: New York Times bestselling author Morgan Jerkins makes her fiction debut with this electrifying novel, for fans of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Jacqueline Woodson, that brings to life one powerful and enigmatic family in a tale rife with secrets, betrayal, intrigue, and magic.  Named a Most Anticipated Book of the Year by Time, BuzzFeed, O: The Oprah Magazine, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Ms.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Mark Gabriel Little

BlackCom Co-Chair

 

SPEAKER

Morgan Jerkins

Author

PARTNER PANEL: This session is about repairing education inequities by finding community-driven beautiful-solutions born out of the wealth of Black experiences. Participants will be introduced to the biggest educational challenges for Black students in NC schools, learn to make interpersonal connections for community solutions, and expand networks with stakeholders throughout NC.
Presented by the Center for Racial Equity in Education.

 

PANELISTS

Janeen Bryant (1); Tamika Lewis (2); Kierra Sims (3); Tinisha Shaw (4)

PARTNER PANEL: What does it take to authentically engage with Black communities? We will engage in conversation with several community members, activists, and an NC State professor who initiated a community-university partnership in which all are involved. Our panel will provide insight into our values and principles of engagement, individual and collective experiences we’ve had, the challenges and successes we’ve had, and the work we have ahead of us to maintain authentic engagement and build towards the transformative communities we envision.
Presented by NC State University.

 

PANELISTS

Lonnette Williams (1); Samone Bullock Dillahunt (2); Chalisa S. Williams (3); Verna Best (4); Kwesi Brookins (5)

ROUNDTABLE: From neighborhood lawns to corporate advertising, we have all seen the prominent and numerous statements that “Black Lives Matter.” But how meaningful for anti-racist work and impactful on Black experiences are these public declarations?  This session delves into this question by looking at issues of corporate social responsibility, community organizing, anti-racist activism, and appropriation.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Karla Slocum

BlackCom Co-Chair

 

PANELISTS

Rosalyn Woodward Pelles

Vice President, Repairers of the Breach

Marcia Chatelain

Professor of History and African American Studies, Georgetown University

Bianca C. Williams

Associate Professor of Anthropology, Women & Gender Studies, and Critical Psychology, CUNY

COLLAB SESSION: Conference participants explore new collaborations inspired by the preceding roundtable. Share community project ideas, solicit help on your initiative, seek feedback on research, etc.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Kamela Heyward-Rotimi

Practicing Anthropologist and Executive Director, Knowledge Exchange Research Group

PARTNER PANEL: In February 1945, the U.S. Army sent 855 black women from the Women’s Army Corps (WACs) to England and France to clear the backlog of mail in the European Theater of Operations.  The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, known as the Six Triple Eight, was the only all-black female battalion to serve in Europe during WWII.  During this panel, three Black veterans from the US & UK as well as the director of the film, SixTripleEight, will discuss the heroic feats of the women and their own personal experiences. Watch a trailer of SixTripleEight here,  https://vimeo.com/314611297.

Presented by Recognize Black Heritage & Culture.

 

PANELISTS

Edna Cummings (1); TBA (2); Garry Stewart (3); Jim Theres (4)

ROUNDTABLE: Many people are aware of the most egregious outcomes of our justice systems, from state-sanctioned murder of Black people, to abuse of Black women and mothers in prisons, to a parole system that effectively encourages recidivism.  During this session, we will seek to understand the underlying causes and to imagine the fundamental changes required to achieve justice for Black people and communities across the US and globally.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Mark Gabriel Little

BlackCom Co-Chair

 

PANELISTS

Laurence Ralph

Professor of Anthropology, Princeton University

Wilfred Olal

National Convener of the Social Justice Centres Working Group, Kenya

David Muhammad

Executive Director, National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform

karen g. williams

Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Guttman Community College

COLLAB SESSION: Conference participants explore new collaborations inspired by the preceding roundtable. Share community project ideas, solicit help on your initiative, seek feedback on research, etc.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Jay A. Pearson

Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Duke University

Led by undergraduate college students, this student-only session provides a space for reflection on the day’s roundtables and collab sessions as well as discussion on how the content is relevant to students’ experiences.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Eleanor Murray (1); Jorren Biggs (2); Kimani Smith (3); Valerie Nguyen (4); Aneesha Tucker (5); Grace Morse (6)

ROUNDTABLE: The complex meaning, central role, and undeniable power of Black art seethes throughout the history of humanity from Capoeira and Negro Spirituals to contemporary visual artists and filmmakers.  Black art tells the history of the world with the emotional immediacy of the most intimate personal relationship.  This roundtable will explore complex ways that Black people engage with art as well as what Black art tells us about this current critical moment in the journey of Black peoples and how Black creativity itself can shape our future.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Mark Gabriel Little

BlackCom Co-Chair

 

PANELISTS

Alexander “D Great” Loewenthal

Calypso artist

Brian Foster

Assistant Professor of Sociology & Southern Studies, University of Mississippi

Angela Davis Johnson

Painter, performance artist and activist

Takiyah Nur Amin

Assistant Professor of Africana Studies, Wooster College

COLLAB SESSION: Conference participants explore new collaborations inspired by the preceding roundtable. Share community project ideas, solicit help on your initiative, seek feedback on research, etc.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Alexa Joy

Scholar and activist

ROUNDTABLE: Diverse gender and sexual identities have always been a part of and central to Black culture, life and history.  However, there are new and emerging ways that Black women, Black trans people, Black gay men, and Black queer people are visible in the past decade.  This roundtable will explore the challenges and possibilities associated with this visibility and what it means for the future of inclusive Black communities.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Mark Gabriel Little

BlackCom Co-Chair

 

PANELISTS

C Riley Snorton

Professor of English Language and Literature, University of Chicago

E. Patrick Johnson

Dean of the School of Communication and Annenberg University Professor, Northwestern University

Katina Parker

Filmmaker, photographer, writer and activist

Jide Macaulay

Founder and CEO of House Of Rainbow CIC

COLLAB SESSION: Conference participants explore new collaborations inspired by the preceding roundtable. Share community project ideas, solicit help on your initiative, seek feedback on research, etc.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Amy Evans

Writer and Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs, The Julliard School

Led by undergraduate college students, this student-only session provides a space for reflection on the day’s roundtables and collab sessions as well as discussion on how the content is relevant to students’ experiences.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Aneesha Tucker (1); Kat Timm (2); Miriam Madison (3)

PARTNER PANEL: In the months since the killing of George Floyd, large corporations across the US and globally have taken a wide range of approaches to addressing racism.  Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina made a public statement affirming support for Black people and connecting the impact of racism to health outcomes and has since made a number of changes to their operations.  Join us for an in-depth discussion of corporate commitments to anti-racism, the impact of those commitments on Black lives and on the corporations themselves.

Presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.

 

PANELISTS

Danielle Andrews (1); Stephanie Mahin (2); Olga Hawn (3); Cara Valentino (4)

BOOK TALK: As author Michael W. Twitty’s fifty-one recipes deliciously demonstrate, rice stars in Creole, Acadian, soul food, Low Country, and Gulf Coast kitchens, as well as in the kitchens of cooks from around the world who are now at home in the South. Exploring rice’s culinary history and African diasporic identity, Twitty shows how to make the southern classics as well as international dishes—everything from Savannah Rice Waffles to Ghanaian Crab Stew.

 

SESSION CHAIR

Karla Slocum

BlackCom Co-Chair

 

SPEAKER

Michael Twitty

Author