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The 11th Annual Lemon Project Spring Symposium

Four Centuries of Black Women in America: Freedom, Activism, and Justice for All
March 22-27, 2021
View the Symposium program here!
This symposium will take place virtually on an Eventbrite virtual page. Please register for the Symposium here. It is free!
Monday, March 22, 2021
12:00 p.m.-1:15 p.m. 
Women and Slavery

Moderator: Dr. Susan Kern, Executive Director, Historic Campus

Elsa Mendoza, ““Only God and Trusty Black Women”: The life and labor of enslaved women at Georgetown University and the Jesuit plantations in Maryland”

Candace Jackson Gray, “collective defense”

Caroline Watson, “A History of Archaeological Work at William and Mary”

4:00 p.m.- 5:15 p.m. 
Not Everybody Knows My Name: Negotiating Identities

Moderator: Dr. Monika Gosin, Sociology

Dr. Michelle Harris, “Black Superwoman Syndrome”

Anjail M. Haqq, “There Wasn’t No Song”: Generational Trauma, Lynching and Black Mental Health

6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. 
Introductory Remarks by Jody Allen, Robert Francis Engs Director of The Lemon Project
Opening Remarks by President Katherine Rowe
Keynote: “Black Women and The Conscience of a Nation”
Dr. Christy Coleman, Executive Director, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation

From colonialist roots to nation-building, black women have been at the forefront of movements to ensure this nation lives up to its creeds. Their powerful words and actions have been a driving force throughout US history. Ms. Coleman will share stories to illuminate why their stories are critical to understanding this nation's struggles for freedom and equity.

Tuesday, March 23, 2021
12:00 p.m.-1:15 p.m.
Organizing on The Front Lines: Examining Power through Networks

Moderator: Ghana Smith

Dr. Phyllis Slade-Martin, “International Anti-Apartheid Activism in the U.S.: Black Women on the Front Lines”

Dr. Alexandria Russell, "“The Mary Clubs: Named Memorials of the National Association of Colored Women in the Early Twentieth Century”"

3:00 p.m.-3:45 p.m.

Coffee break- Come chat with attendees on Zoom!

4:00 p.m.- 5:15 p.m. 
The Fight for Civil Rights: Mary Rice Hayes Allen, Mattie L. Humphrey, Theresa A. Walker, Helen Palmer Howard, Elizabeth Johnson (Rice)

 Moderator: Dr. Adrienne Petty, History

Dale F. Harter, “"We will not stop until we have full freedom”: The Unusual Life and Civil Rights Journey of Mary Rice Hayes Allen"

Steven Gayle, “Valuing African American Humanity and Self Study: The Life and Work of Mattie L. Humphrey”

LaTika Lee, "In Her Own Words: An Intimate View of Unsung Women in Virginia Civil Rights"

Wednesday, March 24, 2021
12:00 p.m.-1:15 p.m.
Revolutionary and Cultural Impacts

Moderator: Dr. Jay Watkins, History

Lee Ann Timreck, “A Visual Narrative of the Black Emancipation Experience: The Sculpture of African American Artists Mary Edmonia Lewis and Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller”

Lindsay Gary, “Cecile Fatiman: Entering the Haitian Revolution”

Monet Timmons, "Beyond Kitty’s Cottage: Exploring Contested Commemoration Practices to Remember Catherine “Miss Kitty” Boyd"

4:00 p.m.- 5:15 p.m.
Remembering Those Who Came Before Us: Enslaved Families of Fontainebleau and Civil Rights Activist Nellie Jane Hinderman McLeod

Moderator: Dr. Jajuan Johnson, The Lemon Project

Jackson Cantrell, “The Enslaved Families of Fontainebleau”

Dr. Charles McLeod, “Mama’s Boy--The Untold Story of Virginia Civil Rights Activist Nellie Jane Hinderman McLeod and Her Influence on Her Son’s Zeal for Social Justice”

Thursday, March 25, 2021
12:00 p.m.-1:15 p.m.
Finding Sources, Telling Stories

Moderator: Dr. Meghan Bryant, W&M Libraries

Rachael Finch, “We Bid You Enter: Slavery, Resistance and Freedom of Enslaved and Free Women of Franklin and Williamson County, Tennessee”

Greg Crawford, “Narratives of pre-1866 Black Women found in Library of Virginia’s Virginia Untold Digital Collection”

3:00 p.m.-3:45 p.m.

Coffee break- Come chat with us on Zoom!

4:00 p.m.- 5:15 p.m.
Zelophehad's Modern Black Daughters: Black Female Suffragettes Who Enhanced the Power of the Black Vote

Moderator: Dr. Jody Allen, The Lemon Project

Dr. Margaret B.S. Bristow

Dr. Gail Taylor

Friday, March 26, 2021
12:00 p.m.-1:15 p.m.
Lucy Bocock, Daughter of Men Who Played Key Roles in Establishing and Implementing Slavery in America, and the Manifestation of When and Where I Enter

 

Moderator: Andre Taylor, W&M Libraries

Clarence M. Dunnaville, Jr.

Peter Gunner Dunnaville

4:00 p.m.- 5:15 p.m.
Branch Out: Four Centuries of Black Women in America: Freedom, Activism, and Justice for All

Moderator: Molly Shilo, The Lemon Project

Meg Jones, Tayli Shekleton, Caitlin Maria, Zoe Mollencop, Maria Cetrone, & Taylor Fischer

William & Mary Branch Out Students who participated in Branch Out in January 2021 will discuss their service experience. Each student produced
social media campaigns on the experiences of an African American woman. Come hear thoughts about activism through community engagement and digital platforms during this student-led panel.

6:30 p.m.
Keynote: “Without Ladyhood, Whiteness Or Maleness To Stand Upon African American Women Invent Themselves”

Dr. Catherine Meeks, Director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing

Saturday, March 27, 2021
9:30 a.m.
Keynote: The Fire This Time: Racial Justice, Covid19, and the Future of America 

Dr. Karsonya "Kaye" Wise Whitehead, Associate Professor of Communication and African and African American Studies at Loyola University Maryland; Founding Director of The Karson Institute for Race, Peace & Social Justice

2020 was a challenging year, with the violent deaths of unarmed Black men and women by the police and would-be vigilantes and the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the Black and Brown communities. Conversations have been reignited around the country about anti-Blackness and anti-racism, policing, and justice. As we move forward into 2021, with a new administration, questions remain about the long-term impact on our society and how we can reimagine our way forward. Dr. Karsonya Wise Whitehead will address these questions and facilitate a larger conversation about the impact of Black Covid Stories and Black Lives Matter on the Black Family. 

11:00 a.m.
Memorial Art: Students Remember the Enslaved  

Anthony Joseph, Student Assembly President

Kyle Vasquez, Student Assembly Vice President

Loni Wright, Student Assembly Chief of Staff

Student Artists: Meghan Davis, Aria Austin, Whitney Ledesma, William Ryu, and Sarah Sutton

2:00 p.m-3:30 p.m.
“Ida B. Wells, Mary McCleod Bethune, Malissa A. Jackson And Self Invention” Workshop

Dr. Catherine Meeks, Director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing

The workshop will explore particular aspects of the lives of these women which help to demonstrate the ways in which they and other African American Women weave the threads of oppression and liberation together in their quest for self-invention. The workshop will be interactive.

6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
For Colored Girls Who Inspired the World: Performances Honoring the Impact of Black Women

A Collaboration of The Lemon Project and The Asian Centennial at William & Mary

Dance

Ameya King

Song

Aida Aguas

Kristin Hopkins

Sumie Yotsukura

Spoken Word/Poetry/Monologue

Baiyina Doyle

Deirdre Jones Cardwell

Francis Edemobi

Poet of Honor

Dr. Luisa Igloria, Virginia Poet Laureate

Conceptualized, Produced and Directed by Francis Tanglao-Aguas, Co-Chair of the Committee for the Asian Centennial; Director of William & Mary Global Studies; Director, Freeman Intern Fellowship Program in Asia; Professor, Asian & Pacific Islander American Studies and Theater

Assistant Producer/ Broadcast Manager: Margot Flanders 

Special Thanks from the Asian Centennial to:

Dr. Laurie J. Wolf, Chair of William & Mary Theatre, Speech, & Dance

Aguas Arts Ink

Dr. Chon Glover

Mr. Michael J. Fox

Dr. Deenesh Sohoni & The Committee for the Asian Centennial at William & Mary

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Note: All events will be held in Williamsburg, VA time zone (Eastern). Some events will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel at a later date.


For questions about The Lemon Project Symposium, email [[w|lemon]].

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