Teaching Black History Conference
Each year, the Teaching Black History conference, our signature event, convenes hundreds of teachers to learn the best curricular and instructional practices surrounding Black history education. We host expert speakers and entertainment, but the stars of the conference are our teachers. Each conference session is led by a classroom teacher who shares their Black history strategies. The sessions are interactive, so participants will have hands-on experiences to bring to their classrooms. We welcome community educators, parents, school-aged students, librarians, museum curators and anyone who loves to learn about Black history. Attendees are eligible for 24 professional development credits.
2025 Conference Theme
In 2025, the conference theme is Black Boy Joy, Black Girl Magic: The History of Black Childhoods. Join us as we delve into the rich and powerful narratives of Black childhoods, highlighting the joy, resilience and brilliance that have shaped generations. Educators, historians and advocates are invited to engage in meaningful discussions and transformative learning experiences that honor the past and illuminate the path forward.
Mark Your Calendars
The conference will be held over three days:
July 25-27, 2025
Information is being added daily. Please check back frequently to keep up with the most current developments.
Center Director and Conference Leader
LaGarrett J. King, PhD
LaGarrett J. King, professor of social studies education, joined the University at Buffalo’s Graduate School of Education in January 2022. He was previously the Isabella Wade Lyda and Paul Lyda Professor of Education at the University of Missouri. He received his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin after an eight-year teaching career in Georgia and Texas. His primary research interest examines the teaching and learning of Black history in schools and society. He also researches critical theories of race, teacher education and curriculum history.
Contact: lagarret@buffalo.edu or 716-645-2455
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Key Information
Three Days (In-Person)
Friday, July 25, 2025 | 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
Saturday, July 26, 2025 | 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sunday, July 27, 2025 | 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
(Times are flexible and may be subject to change)
Location of the Conference
University at Buffalo (Downtown Campus)
955 Main St, Buffalo, NY 14203
Pricing:
Researchers/Teachers/Educators — $125 per person
College Student With School ID — $50 per person
High School Student With School ID — $0 per person
Wyndham Garden Buffalo Downtown
25 High Street | Buffalo, New York 14203
(877) 999-3223
Code: 072425TEA
Block Dates: 7/22-7/28
Must book by June 24, 2025
Rate: $126.00/night
Hilton Garden Inn Buffalo Downtown
10 Lafayette Square | Buffalo, NY 14203
(716) 848-1000
Code: UBTBH
Block Dates: 7/22-7/28
Must book by July 1, 2025
Rate: $139.00/night
Black History & Racial Literacy Writing Retreat
This year's conference will include the opportunity to participate in a writing retreat. This two‐day session is for researchers and scholars who are interested in writing collaborations around Black history and race research.
Price: $75/person
Dates: July 23-24, 2025
Time: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: TBD
Questions?
Contact LaGarrett King at lagarret@buffalo.edu or 716-645-2455
Social Studies Curriculum Coordinators Retreat
This two-day retreat will include will include presentations by social studies coordinators about developing Black history and racial literate curriculum. Each day will also include collaborative planning sessions.
Price: $125/person
Dates: July 23-24, 2025
Time: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: TBD
Questions?
Contact LaGarrett King at lagarret@buffalo.edu or 716-645-2455
“To Be Young, Literate and Black: The Unflinching Literacy Brilliance of Buffalo’s Black Youth”
Jevon D. Hunter, PhD
Buffalo State University
Session Abstract: During this keynote, Jevon D. Hunter will share his work alongside Buffalo’s Black Youth to illustrate how they use literacy in learning spaces of purpose, joy, and love to resist, challenge, and respond to anti-racist, anti-Black schooling and educational efforts. By illuminating how Buffalo’s Black teens access and leverage literacy as agentive acts to push forward discussions of justice and advocate for change, educators, “particularly those who deal the hearts and minds of young people,” will be challenged to reconsider and rediscover the emancipatory dimensions of literacy with, for, and by our youth: as a tool to author our identities, assert our dignity, affirm our humanity, and claim our freedoms on our own terms, unapologetically.
“Schools in the Key of Joy: Designing a School for Black Thriving”
Lora Smothers
Founder and Director of Joy Village
Session Abstract: Joy Village is Athens, Georgia’s only private school centering Black joy and thriving—a community that exists as a haven for Black genius and joy in a city and country designed for Black demise. The school was built on the belief that simply reforming oppressive systems is ineffectual at bringing about true liberation. As Bettina Love writes, “The barriers [hindering Black thriving] cannot be eradicated by tweaking the system or making adjustments.” Joy Village stands in a long lineage of alternative Black learning spaces forged by those who refuse to rework unjust systems, choosing rather to create something radically different.
Lora Smothers founded Joy Village in 2021 with the vision of creating a school where Black children could experience a deep sense of belonging, intellectual freedom, and cultural affirmation. At Joy Village, every element, from the curriculum to the school culture, is intentionally crafted to honor and uplift Blackness. In this session, Lora will share stories from her journey of founding Joy Village, highlighting the challenges, triumphs, and design principles that make it a place where Black children flourish.
