Conference Keynote Addresses & Special Guest Presentations by:
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Susan Taylor
Ayanna Pressley
Andrea Jenkins
"Above all else, our politics initially sprang from the shared belief that Black women are inherently valuable, that our liberation is a necessity not as an adjunct to somebody else’s … because of our need as human persons for autonomy." - from the Combahee River Collective Statement, 1977
The 14th Black New England Conference will celebrate, examine, and make visible Black women’s leadership and activism in fights for political and social change. Panelists will discuss Black women’s leadership and activism in a variety of social and political arenas—the classroom, the courtroom, business and economics, technology, the environment, the arts, religion, government, and others. As artists and activists, politicians, and pundits, Black women continue to stand on the front line and lead the charge for social and political change. From Sojourner Truth calling for the abolition of slavery and for women’s rights to Tarana Burke coining “Me Too” in 2006, Black women have played a vital role in the political and social (re)formation of the United States, even as their leadership and activism have often been eclipsed and erased.
The Black New England Conference, now in its 14th year, is an annual 2-day gathering where academics, artists, activists, and community members share insights and research on Black experiences, past and present, in New England and beyond. The Conference is both an academic conference and a celebration of Black life and history.
