Black New England Conference

Keynote Address

The conference will conclude with a facilitated conversation with Joy Reid and moderator Anthony Poore.

Lunchtime Keynote Address

The lunchtime address will be delivered by George "Conscious" Lee.

Panel I

Narrating Black Identity, Memory, and Cultural Survival

In honor of: Arturo Schomburg

Who has the authority to tell Black stories, and what is at stake when those stories are erased, distorted, or silenced? The struggle for autonomy begins with the power to define oneself. Through literature, oral tradition, archives, museums, education, visual art, and public history, Black communities have preserved memory, affirmed identity, and safeguarded cultural inheritance across generations. This panel asks who we are and examines how storytelling itself becomes an act of resistance, ensuring that Black history, creativity, and lived experience remain visible, truthful, and enduring.

Moderator & Presenters

Panel II

Freedom, Wealth, Ownership, and Collective Prosperity

In honor of Ella Baker

What have we built? When traditional institutions excluded Black communities, Black leaders built their own. Churches, schools, businesses, newspapers, advocacy organizations, and cultural institutions became places where leadership was cultivated, knowledge preserved, and collective power exercised. Today, those institutions continue to serve as engines of resilience, innovation, and transformation while confronting new political and social challenges. This panel explores what it takes not only to create Black institutions but to sustain and strengthen them as foundations for future generations.

Moderator & Presenters

Panel III

Building Black Institutions as Sites of Power

In honor of Maggie Lena Walker

Economic autonomy has long been central to Black freedom movements. From mutual aid societies and cooperative enterprises to homeownership, entrepreneurship, and community investment, Black communities have continually developed strategies to build wealth despite systemic barriers. This panel examines the relationship between economic power and self-determination, exploring innovative approaches to expanding opportunity, increasing financial security, strengthening neighborhoods, and creating lasting prosperity for future generations.

Moderator & Presenters

Panel IV

Resistance, Protection, and the Pursuit of Freedom

In honor of John Lewis

Throughout history, Black communities have defended their humanity and freedom through courage, strategy, and collective action. Resistance has taken many forms—from abolitionist organizing and courtroom advocacy to cultural survival, community defense, and grassroots movements that challenge injustice today. Rather than viewing resistance as a single moment, this panel considers it as an ongoing practice of protecting Black life, securing freedom, and expanding the possibilities of autonomy across generations.

Moderator & Presenters

Panel V

Black Futures, Representation, Governance, & Collective Liberation

In honor of Octavia Butler

Where do we go from here? The struggle for autonomy is ultimately about shaping the future. Beyond representation alone, Black communities continue to envision new models of leadership, governance, civic participation, and collective decision-making that center justice, equity, and self-determination. As the conference concludes, this panel looks forward, inviting participants to imagine how today's scholarship, organizing, and vision can help build the institutions, policies, and communities that future generations deserve.

Moderator & Presenters