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.
The year 2026 marks two historic milestones that frame our theme of Black Founding Mothers and Fathers.
It is the semiquincentennial — the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. While the Declaration excluded Black people from its promises of liberty, it did not erase their profound impact on the founding of the United States. Black people fought for independence, contributed to the nation’s growth and built enduring institutions — churches, schools, mutual aid societies and civic organizations — that sustained Black communities and, in many ways, established a nation within a nation. These builders, leaders and visionaries are remembered as Black Founders.
It is also the 100th anniversary of Negro History Week, the precursor to Black History Month. Here, we honor Carter G. Woodson, the “father of Black history,” whose groundbreaking work made Black history visible, accessible and integral to the nation’s story. His vision established a tradition of celebrating and preserving the legacies of Black people who shaped the nation.
Taken together, these anniversaries invite us to reflect on the Black women and men who founded institutions, movements and ideas that carried forward the struggle for freedom, dignity and self-determination. The 2026 Teaching Black History Conference will celebrate, teach and learn from these Black Founding Mothers and Fathers — those who built, created and passed down legacies that continue to define Black life and American democracy today.
Thank you for attending the 2025 Teaching Black History Conference! Information for 2026 will be added soon. Please check back frequently to stay up-to-date with the latest developments.
Mark Your Calendars
The conference will be held over three days:
July 25-27, 2025
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
Register to Attend
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: Jacobs School of Medicine
University at Buffalo Downtown Campus
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
Contact
Hannah Montgomery 716-645-1060
Retreats
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: University at Buffalo | South Campus
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
285 Pharmacy Building, Buffalo, New York 14214
Classrooms 183A and 183B
Questions?
Contact LaGarrett King at lagarret@buffalo.edu
Social Studies Curriculum Coordinators Retreat
This two-day retreat will include will include presentations by social studies coordinators about developing Black history and racial literacy 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: University at Buffalo | South Campus
School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
285 Pharmacy Building, Buffalo, New York 14214
Classrooms 183A and 183B
Questions?
Contact LaGarrett King at lagarret@buffalo.edu
Conference Apparel
Apparel Sales
Online t-shirt sales are now closed. Conference attendees can purchase shirts in person at the registration table. We look forward to seeing you!
Keynote Speakers
“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.
Presenters and Room Numbers
All room assignments are within the Jacob's School of Medicine on UB's Downtown Campus unless otherwise noted.
Call for Proposals
The 2025 Teaching Black History Conference call for proposals is now open!
This is a great opportunity to present to hundreds of K-12 educators about the best practices for Black history education. Presentation proposals will fit into one of the following four categories:
- Early childhood/elementary (PK-6)
- Middle/High School (7-12)
- General (all academic levels)
- University teacher education or the training of practicing teachers
Below, you will find our call for proposals and a link to submit your idea.
Proposals are due by March 1, 2025.
