Call for Proposals for 2024 Graduate Student Symposium on (Re)imagining Black Futures

Diversity, equity, and inclusion
New Africa House, a brick building on a bright blue day

The graduate students of the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies invite undergraduate and graduate students, faculty members, and independent scholars to submit proposals for its Spring 2024 Graduate Student Symposium on "(Re)imagining Black Futures: Intersectionality and Coalition-Building for Reshaping Black Realities," to be held Saturday, April 27, at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

The deadline for submitting proposals is Friday, Feb. 2. Proposals should take the form of a 150-250 abstract that should be submitted through this form. The committee’s acceptance decisions will be sent by Thursday, March 4, via email. 

Applicants are invited to explore the interconnections between politics, history, literature, and culture within the framework of envisioning the future of Black communities and Black Studies. We aim to unravel intricacies defining our past, understand their impact on our present, and use that knowledge as a tool to reshape our futures. With an emphasis on intersectionality rooted in Black Feminist theory, we encourage proposals that recognize and address the interconnections of identity, power, and experience that influence Black lives and Black imagination. With a focus on coalition-building, the symposium welcomes the exploration of collaborative efforts that transcend individual perspectives, fostering an understanding of how collective action can drive sustainable change. Keeping with our commitment to interdisciplinarity, we welcome proposals from a broad range of genres, encompassing not only critical but also imaginative works. 

Proposal topics might include, but are not limited to: 

  • Afrofuturism and Speculative Futures: Literary, Visual, and Sonic Explorations 
  • Black Political Thought: Past, Present, and Future(s) 
  • Civil Rights, Public Policy, and Social Justice 
  • Activism, Black Resistance, and Community Organizing 
  • Education: Foundational Future Building 
  • Physical and Mental Health 
  • Black Joy 
  • Reparations & Visions for Justice 
  • Black Feminist and Queer Visions 
  • Black Internationalism: Africa, Its Diaspora, and Visions of a Black World 
  • Sustainable Futures: Environmental Justice in Black Communities 

For questions, please contact the organizing committee at AZBrooks [at] UMass [dot] edu 

Article posted in Diversity, equity, and inclusion