The 13th Annual Lemon Project Spring Symposium

At the Root: Exploring Black Life, History, and Culture

March 24-25, 2023

This event will take place both in person at the School of Education (301 Monticello Avenue, Williamsburg, VA) and virtually over Zoom. Registration is free, and breakfast and lunch are provided for in-person attendees. All are welcome to attend.

View the Program

Friday, March 24, 2023

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.	Check-In	Concourse
8:50 a.m. - 8:55 a.m.	Welcome by Robert Francis Engs Lemon Project Director Jody Allen	Matoaka Woods
8:55 a.m.- 9:00 a.m.	Remarks by Provost Peggy Agouris	Matoaka Woods
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.	Keynote by Judge John Charles Thomas HON '18	Matoaka Woods
	Concurrent panels
10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.	"We've Come This Far by Faith:" A Panel Discussion on Black Church History in Virginia's Historic Triangle	Matoaka Woods
10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.	Hampton Plantation, the Lynching of Howard Cooper, and the Freedom Trail: Centering Community and Creating Connections	Dogwood
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.	Lunch
12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.	Robert F. Smith Explore Your Family History Center Community Curation Presentation	Matoaka Woods
	3 concurrent panels
1:30 p.m. - 2:45 pm	Tangled Roots: Braxton Descendants Research Their Past and Discover Intersecting Black and White Family Threads	Matoaka Woods
1:30 p.m. - 2:45 pm	A Game Plan to Set the Record Straight on Black History in America	Dogwood
1:30 p.m. - 2:45 pm	African American Churches, Cemeteries, and the Documentary Records of Black Virginians	Holly
	3 concurrent panels
3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.	Where Do We Go From Here?: A generational discussion of The Reservation Experience	Matoaka Woods
3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.	Making A Living: Memory of Slavery, Community, and Businesses	Dogwood
3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.	Past Reflection, Forward Progress: Douglass School, Kokomo, Indiana	Holly
4:15 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.	Break
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.	Elegba Folklore Society presents The Talking Drum	Matoaka Woods

Saturday, March 25, 2023

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.	Check-In	Concourse
8:50 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.	Welcome	Matoaka Woods
	3 Concurrent Panels
9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.	Illuminating the Black Communities Displaced by Colonial Williamsburg: The Case of Nicholson Street	Matoaka Woods
9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.	Celebrating Simms, Oral Histories, and Community Storytelling: Toward a Collaborative Practice for Polyvocal Black Historical Recovery	Dogwood
9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.	Listening to the Elders: Family History, Local History, and Personal History	Holly
	3 Concurrent Panels
10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.	“Neat in their Cloaths”: Utilizing Material Culture to Expand Black Women’s Narratives	Matoaka Woods
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.	Maryland and the World: A Roundtable Discussion about Truth and Reconciliation	Dogwood
10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.	Navigating Black Culture Today: Disability, Safe Spaces, Publication Education, and Preservation	Holly
11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Lunch	Matoaka Woods
	3 Concurrent Panels
12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.	Mending the Fork in the Road at the Forks of Cypress	Matoaka Woods
12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.	Feeding Minds and Souls in Wake Forest, North Carolina	Dogwood
12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.	Honoring Authenticity: An Exploration of Undergraduate Student Research of Campus Iconography	Holly
	3 Concurrent Panels
2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.	Life in the Reservation Community: Community-University Partnerships for Public Research	Matoaka Woods
2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.	Historic Preservation, Property Rights, and Landscapes	Dogwood
2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.	The Power of Language: Clinical Perspectives of Systemic Narratives	Holly
3:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.	Closing Remarks	Matoaka Woods
4:00 p.m.	Hearth: Memorial to the Enslaved Tour & Discussion If you're interested in visiting Hearth, please join us at 4:00 p.m. on site for a tour and discussion.	115 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185 (Parking is available behind the Admissions Building, off of Grigsby Drive.)