16th Annual Black New England Conference
Where the Money Resides: An Exploration of Racialized Access & Historic Exclusion from Wealth
A Virtual & In Person Conference
October 21 and 22, 2022
We want to ensure that this conference is available to all who are interested in attending. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we can reduce the registration fee and offer several complimentary tickets and student scholarships to attendees. Please inquire at info@blackheritagetrailnh.org or call 603-570-8469 for more information.
CONFERENCE TOUR #1
The Changing Faces of Manchester: Black Entrepreneurship then and Now
Thursday, October 20 | 3:00 PM | Bus Tour | Cost $40
Tour Guide: Anthony Poore
In response to the constraints of racism and a history of enslavement, African Americans and other people of color have built a tradition of overcoming obstacles and employing creative strategies to make a living, develop businesses, and succeed.
This tour focuses on Manchester’s enterprising African Americans who, from the early 1800s, established businesses from barbershops to dry cleaners to the multicultural shops of today. We also will highlight some of New Hampshire’s first entrepreneurs, descendants from an African culture of great
Tour meets at the Currier Museum. There will be an additional cost for dinner after the tour. More information to come.
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE 2022
VIRTUAL & IN PERSON PRESENTATIONS
Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, NH
Friday, October 21, 2022
8:45 AM WEBINAR WAITING ROOM OPENS
OPENING EVENT
9:00 – 9:15 AM
TBA
9:15 – 10:45 AM
PANEL #1
THE RISE AND FALL OF ENSLAVED AND FREE BLACKS OF AFFLUENCE
The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade allowed for the massive accumulation of wealth in Europe and the Americas.
Stolen labor, trading in human bondage, insurance claims on "lost" cargo, and reparations for slave owners after emancipation entrenched America’s financial systems.
But what of the economic potential of the enslaved or free Blacks? This panel will introduce some of the African Americans who were able to accumulate wealth despite enslavement and the aftermath of Reconstruction.
Panelists:
Najee Brown, Theatre for the People, Maine
Tere Fowler-Chapman, Admissions Counselor, Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester NH
Moderator:
David Watters
10:45 – Noon
PANEL #2
BY DECREE: LAWS & SYSTEMATIC BARRIERS TO THE ACQUISITION OF WEALTH
Often, wealth, land, and property are passed down through generations, effectively giving each subsequent generation more of an advantage. However, for many African Americans, explicit government policies dramatically reduce their earning potential and ability to acquire wealth. For this panel, presenters will explore how federal, state, and local governments have enacted laws and policies that have had a profound and lasting impact on Black families’ ability to accumulate wealth.
Panelists:
Richard Rothstein, Distinguished Fellow of the Economic Policy Institute, Washington DC, Author of "Color of Law"
Moderator:
Shelley Phillippe, Communications, BAE Systems, NH
12:30 PM
LUNCHTIME KEYNOTE ADDRESS FEATURING
Mehrsa Baradaran
The Color of Money
1:30 – 3:00 PM
PANEL #3
THE MYTH OF BLACK EXCEPTIONALISM: PATHS TO BLACK ECONOMIC POWER
There is a long history of Black people building prosperity and wealth that is often unknown or misunderstood. The Greenwood neighborhood in Tulsa was a thriving Black neighborhood having earned the nickname, “Black Wall Street” because of the high concentration of prosperous, African American owned businesses. But this is just one of many examples where ingenuity, persistence, hard work and self-reliance brought prosperity to Black individuals and communities. In this panel, we will hear about different and, at times divergent, paths to economic power – and consider the obstacles and challenges encountered along the way. We will learn that these successes were not limited to a few “exceptional” individuals or communities – but were far more prevalent than is commonly recognized.
Panelists:
Ray Diamond, Louisana State Law Center, "Black Conservatism, Black Radicalism, and False Dichotomy: Paths to Black Economic Power"
Renel Domond, Owner of Juice Kings, Stamford CT, "A Journey from Imprisonment to Wealth"
Marlene Kim, Umass Boston, "Race and Gender Discrimination in Earnings, Intersectionality, and the Working Poor"
Moderator:
Chris Matthews, Southern New Hampshire University
6:00 – 9:00 PM | In-Person | Southern New Hampshire University
AWARDS DINNER & KEYNOTE ADDRESS FEATURING
TBA
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2022
PANEL PRESENTATIONS
Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, NH
8:45 AM WEBINAR WAITING ROOM OPENS
9:00 – 10:15 AM
PANEL #4
WEALTH MATTERS IN BLACK & WHITE
Far too often, embedded structural racism has stymied the efforts of entrepreneurial and talented African Americans to achieve economic success. The panelists will consider how institutional disparities and access to education, employment, healthcare, and financing, all have an impact on achieving success and building wealth. Additionally, panelists will explore how the school to prison pipeline has affected community wealth. We will also discuss what needs to change to remove these barriers, level the playing field, and promote equal access to economic prosperity.
Panelists:
Daniel Fontenot, Director, ProWlydSolutions LLC, Baton Rouge, LA "Racial Disparities in America's Ecology"
Stephanie Harvey, University of New Hampshire, Durham NH "A Study of the Racial Wealth and Achievement Gaps in the Field of Education"
Melanie and Joe Haas, Dean of General Studies, Southeast Arkansas College | Graduate Student, Southern New Hampshire University "The 13th Amendment: How the United States (un)Abolished Slavery and Enforces Blacks"
Nicole Sublette, Antioch University, "The Myth of Meritocracy: How this Micro-aggression Limits Black Access to Wealth and Health
Moderator:
Melina Hill Walker
10:30 – 11:45 AM
PANEL #5
A GENEROUS SPIRIT: BLACK PHILANTHROPY
Philanthropy has long been embedded in the African American tradition. In order to survive segregation and the Jim Crow era, Black Americans gave through community churches, social and fraternal organizations, educational institutions, and mutual aid societies. Black philanthropy was integral to the development of Black schools, banks, and businesses. For this panel, presenters will discuss the rate and pattern of African American giving outside of the traditional foundation models.
Panelists:
Bithia Carter, President & CEO, Blacks in Philanthropy, Boston MA
Dennis Creary, President & CEO, Black on Wall Street, New York, NY
Wendy McNeil, Major Gifts Officer, PBS, New Jersey
12:00 – 1:00 PM
LUNCHTIME KEYNOTE ADDRESS FEATURING
1:15 – 2:30 PM PANEL #6
ECONOMIC POWER, BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND THE NEW VIRTUAL ECONOMY
For the last three decades, according to various researchers, the rate of new business formation has been on a steady decline in the U.S. More recently, a report from Babson College’s Global Entrepreneurship Monitor found that Black business owners are creating businesses at twice the rate of their white counterparts. This panel will explore the history of Black Entrepreneurship and the new business models African Americans are creating.
Panelists:
Andrea Williamson, Edward Jones
Kaye Woodard,
Kaira Carter-Taylor, University of Fort Lauderdale; Adjunct Professor at Southern New Hampshire University
Moderator:
Dottie Morris
2:30 PM
CLOSING EVENT
