Part of the Graduate School of Education
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.
Information is being added daily. Please check back frequently to keep up with the most current developments.
2024 Conference Theme
In 2024, the conference theme is Black to the Future: Afro-futurism as Black History. Join us as we reimagine the world without racism and antiblackness. Our conference work will focus on reconceptualizing the past and present through writing about the future. We will push the boundaries of learning, using our knowledge of the past as commentary for Black people’s future, not one of despair but one that reimagines what it means to be Black in a society that historically was meant for us not to survive.
Mark Your Calendars
The conference will be held over three days:
Friday, July 26-27 will be in-person. Sunday, July 28 will be held virtually.
*Note that this year we will not have asynchronous or live stream learning for our virtual attendees.
Center Director and Conference Leader
LaGarrett King
LaGarrett J. King, PhD joined the University at Buffalo’s Graduate School of Education in January 2022 as an associate professor of social studies education. 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.
Go Directly To
This year, the conference theme is "Black to the Future: Afro-futurism as Black History." Afrofuturism is seen as a cultural aesthetic combining science-fiction, history, and fantasy to explore and connect the African American experience to their forgotten African ancestry. Others have noted that Afrofuturist imagines a world absent of white supremacist thought and institutional structures hindering and oppressing Black communities. Afrofuturism evaluates the past to create a better present and prepare for a future void of those problematic histories. Afro-futurism is about using science fiction that is fact based to teach about Blackness that diverges from societal understandings about Black people and their history.
Afrofuturism is typically associated with Black science fiction and includes various sub-categories, including cyberpunk (art in futuristic settings focusing on futuristic technology and scientific achievement, think Artificial Intelligence, and cyber culture), Black speculative fiction (futuristic literature focusing on race and the history of race, may also include fantasy and horror), and music such as Afropunk and funk, art, fashion, costumes, and films. Yet, it is history education that ties everything together. To reimagine a safe and free world for Black people, Afrofuturism must use history as its foundation. For many, it is commentary on where we have been. In many ways, it is about teaching us about our history that has been forgotten or ignored.
Conference Dates
Three Days
Friday, July 26, 2024 (in-person)
Saturday, July 27, 2024 (in-person)
Sunday, July 28, 2024 (online only)
Pricing:
Researchers/Teachers/Educators: $115
College Student: $50 (must upload proof of student status)
Conference Location
Diefendorf Hall
University at Buffalo
South Campus
Buffalo, NY 14214
Accommodations
125 High Street
Buffalo, NY 14203
Guests can start booking rooms beginning Monday, February 19, 2024.
All guests can book at the discounted rate of $117/night until Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
- Book by Phone
Call the reservation line: (877) 999-3223 - Book Online
Wyndam Garden hotel website
When booking use GROUP/BLOCK CODE: 072324TEA
10 Lafayette Square
Buffalo, NY 14203
- Book by Phone
Please contact Hilton Reservations at 1-855-446-1178 or contact the hotel directly at 716-848-1000. Please inform an associate of the dates that your guests wish to book under the code UBBH to receive event rate. - Book Online
Hilton Garden Inn hotel website
On the homepage, enter the arrival and departure dates for the stay. Before selecting the Check Rooms and Rates button, click the link underneath to “Add a Special Rate" and enter your group code UBBH.
The cutoff date for reserving under the block is June 23, 2024 at midnight. Rooms not reserved in the block will be released back into the general inventory.
2 Fountain Plaza
Buffalo, NY 14202
- Book by Phone
Please contact Hyatt Reservations at 1-888-591-1234. Please inform an associate of the dates that your guests wish to book under the code Teaching Black History Conference to receive event rate. - Book Online
https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/group-booking/BUFFA/G-TBHC
The cutoff date for reserving under the block is July 3, 2024 at midnight. Rooms not reserved in the block will be released back into the general inventory.
CONFERENCE FORMAT
Please note that this year we will not have asynchronous or live stream learning for our virtual attendees.
Black History & Racial Literacy Writing Retreat
This year's conference will include the opportunity to participate in a writing retreat. This two‐day session best serves researchers and scholars who are interested in writing collaborations around Black history and race research. Snacks and drinks are provided.
Price: $50/person
Dates: July 24-25, 2024
Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: University at Buffalo South Campus, Diefendorf Hall
Questions?
Contact LaGarrett King at lagarret@buffalo.edu or 716-645-2455
Social Studies Curriculum Coordinators Retreat
This two-day retreat will include presentations by social studies coordinators about developing Black history and racial literate curriculum. Each day will also include collaborative planning sessions. Snacks and drinks are provided.
Price: $125/person
Dates: July 24-25, 2024
Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Location: University at Buffalo South Campus, Diefendorf Hall
Questions?
Contact LaGarrett King at lagarret@buffalo.edu or 716-645-2455
Friday, July 26
Stephanie Toliver, PhD
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Title of Talk
Wakanda vs. Everybody: A Layered Account of Speculative Mundanity
Saturday, July 27
Film Session 1
Moderator: Daphanie Bibbs
Graduate Research Fellow, Center for K–12 Black History and Racial Literacy Education
Title of Film
Pushed Out
Film Session 2
Moderator: Asif Wilson
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Title of Film
Towards Inquiry
Film Session 3
Moderator: Bobby Morgan
Liberation Lab
Title of Film
Cultural War: Focus on Black Youth
Sunday, July 28
Franklin Oliver
University High School (Indiana)
Title of Talk
Building A High School Afrofuturism Class
| Presenter | Talk Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Abigail Henry & Liz Wallace | Chain-Gang All-Stars and the Criminal Justice System | |
| Akil Parker | Leveraging Historical Black Math Exemplars to Reach a Brighter Future | |
| Alizé Scott-Nowell | We Real Cool: The Birth of “Cool” and How “Coolness” Gives Us A Future | |
| Amaka Yvonne Okafor | A Journey Through Time: Exploring Afro-futurism and Igbo Cultural Heritage in Elementary Education | |
| Amber Lawson | Academics, Belonging, and Criticality: Incorporating Black History in Di•VERSE Literacy | |
| Amirah Ali & Alyssa Liles-Amponsah | Teaching Black History Through Immersive Play | |
| Aneke Chukwuemeka Emmanuel | Exploring Just and Unjust Wars through Afrofuturism: An Interdisciplinary Approach to International Studies | |
| Anitra Butler-Ngugi | Imagine the Possibilities: Using Language to Reinvent our Afro-futures | |
| B. Sharise Moore | Using Conjuring Worlds: An Afrofuturist Textbook to Teach Across the Curriculum | |
| Bobby Morgan | No More Broken Black Boys: Restorative Practices As Racial Justice | |
| Calissa Brown | Spectors and Spooks: From Haunting to Futurity | |
| Cayla Parson | We're Losing Recipes: Using Storytelling Through Stimuli to Develop, Clarify & Preserve African American Memories & Identities | |
| Dane Peters | "Painting the Narrative: Black Studies in the American Education Landscape" | |
| Daphanie Bibbs | Using Beyonce to Speak to, Advocate for and Celebrate Black girls The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools: A Strategic Convening of Film Viewing and Reflection | |
| Dr. Daryl Rock | They Were Black All Black: A High School Success Story | |
| Dawnavyn James | Who Are Your People?: Building Powerful People Sets to Teach Black History |
|
| Deana Forbes | Forward From February: Celebrating Black History and Joy in the Secondary School Setting Year Round | |
| Deirdre Lynn Hollman, EdM | Mapping the Futurity of Black Migrations: From Africa to the Americas Afrofuturism as a Transdisciplinary Design for Black Education in Communities and Schools | |
| Desiree McCray | Reimagining Reality: Afro-futuristic Exploration of Identity, Cultural Heritage, and Belonging | |
| Diamonnique Muhammad | Beyond Emancipation: Unmasking Intentions in Civil War Narratives and the Vital Role of Educators in Dispelling Historical Misconceptions | |
| Donnalie Jamnah | Healthy Black Futures: How Global Health Reporting can help us develop communities that thrive. Education Network Presentation | Centering Joy in Hard History and Imagining More JUST Futures | |
| Dr. Dorothy Mmaegbunam Afunugo | Leveraging afro and African futurism to transform educational psychology and teacher education through abolitionist teaching practices | |
| Ekemezie Ekene | Black to the Future: Leveraging Afro-futurism in Economic Globalization, Human Capital Development, and Addressing Income Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa | |
| Dr. Elizabeth McCauley McDonald | Black Oral Histories: Bridging Community and Content | |
| Emmanuel Kulu | Sankofa: I Am because We Are | |
| Frederick Douglass | Let Freedom Ring: Deconstructing the emergence of the Civil RIghts Movement and Examining Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's facing the challenge of a New age speech | |
Gloria Boutte Jarvais Jackson Saundah Collins Janice Baines Anthony Broughton George Johnson | Pro-Blackness in Early Childhood Education: Diversifying Curriculum and Pedagogy in K-3 Classrooms. | |
| Iman Lathan | The Secondary Diaspora of the Black NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Student-Athlete | |
| Jamaal Thomas | TBD | |
| Jeffery White | Wakanda Forever: Integrating Afrofuturism into Education for Racial Equity | |
Jillian Ford Kristie Smith Samuel Sasser | Tubman and Banneker’s Cosmic Legacies: Using the Stars to Chart Our Future | |
| Joanneke Fleischauer (UNC African Studies Center) | The Possibilities of Using Digital Resources to Teach Contemporary Africa: A Project by the UNC African Studies Center | |
| John Gass | Sunken America: Teaching The History of Sunken Black Towns | |
| Josephine Obiageli Okafor, PhD | Impacts of translated afro-futurism themes in early childhood education for cultural competence in Anambra state, Nigeria | |
| Dr. Justina Anydiegwu | Storytelling as an Instrument of Deconstructing Black Image and Cultures: Insights from Justina Anyadiegwu’s Mbeagaba | |
| Karla Manning, PhD | Conducting a Black Studies Curriculum Audit for K-12 Schools | |
| Keith Benson | There is a Better Way: Camden City School District’s Approach to School Safety in Urban School District We're Not All the Same:Young, Black Educators Using Social Media to Shame Black Students and Black Parents |
|
| Kelly Parker & Lucy Horswill | Fine young Philly: the stereotypic intersectionality between horses and Jezebels. | |
| Ken Granderson | Timbuktu, the Online Black History Content Management Engine (Protecting the Future of Black History, using Technology that WE Created, Control and Own) | |
| Kenyatta Funderburk | Teacher PAI: Artificial Intelligence and the Black Experience | |
| Kerri Ullucci | Centering Black Students in Social Studies: Conscious history teaching to support Black youth | |
| Kimisha Simpson | Educational Emancipation: Unpacking The Afro-Caribbean Diaspora & Educational Reform | |
| Latif A. Tarik | “A Brother from Another Planet” An Examination of a Black Science Fiction Movie in College Africana History Courses | |
| Laura L. Gore | Ubuntu - Where I'm From Restorative Justice Circles in the Classroom |
|
| Loreen Williamson & Pamela Thomas | Museum funk, that’s what it is… Bringing an authentic 1970’s Black history museum experience to the classroom. | |
| Dr. Malissa Mootoo and Kyra Narain Lloyd | Afro-futurist Vision Boarding: Afro-futurism starts with Me and Us! | |
| Marcus "Sankofa" Nicks | Still We Rise!: Humanizing Black Histories For Healing, Community Care and a Liberatory Future | |
| Marsha Greco | Lift Every Voice Through AP African American Studies | |
| Michiko Quinones and Morgan Lloyd | Bringing People In: How we use marketing techniques to bring engage students in Black History | |
| Njemele Anderson | The Youth Have Spoken: Redefining the Future of the Eduction of Black People in America | |
| Samuel Ogechukwu Otugo | Alleviating the Computer Assisted Technology Proficiency Challenges in South Nigeria Tertiary Institutions for Advancing Justice in a Globalized Multi-Disciplinary Context | |
| Raymond Hamilton | Rethinking Social Studies in DC Public Schools: Centering Black Stories in Curriculum | |
| Renee O'Connor | Beyond Pain: Embracing Black Joy Through the Art of Photography | |
| Rhonesha Blanche, EdD | The Black Cake Framework | |
| Rodney Freeman | Building a curriculum around the history of Black Librarians In America | |
| Russel Bassarath | Teaching the 1955-1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott through an Intersectional Conceptual Framework | |
| Shakealia Y. Finley, MPA | Uchumi Njia Yetu: Imagining an Afro-Future for Precollege Economic Education | |
Shaquita Smith Angela Crawford Karen Williams | Teaching Resistance Through Afrofuturism | |
| Dr. Shokry Eldaly | "Afrofuturism and Emancipatory Paradigms: Transforming Education and Social Justice" "Reimagining Futures: Afrofuturism, Community-Based Education, and Social Change" "Afrofuturism as a Catalyst: Emancipatory Learning and Transformative Education" "Revolutionizing Education with Generative AI: An Afrofuturistic Approach" "Creating Futures: Emancipatory Education and Social Change in the Age of AI" |
|
| Sonya Sampson | The Power of Imagination | |
| Sylvia Miguelina & Regina Banks | Centering Your Identity in Career Path | |
| Ufoaro Obinna Arize | Afrofuturism and Environmental Justice: Impact of Climate Change and Real Output Growth on Income Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa | |
| Zena Robinson-Wouadjou | Harriet and Other Starseeds: Tapping Into Underground Ways & Wisdoms to Tune Into Free Black Futures |
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