2025 Teaching Black History Conference Program and Room Assignments

All sessions will take place at the University at Buffalo's Jacobs School of Medicine.

Go Directly To

Friday, July 25, 2025

Registration 11:00-11:30 a.m.
 
Poster Session in the Atrium (All Day)
This event showcases the Capstone assignment for the first cohort of the Teaching Black History micro-credential. In their posters, micro-educators will showcase their Black history content knowledge, pedagogy and key takeaways of their final unit or professional experience designed in the program. The micro-educators will demonstrate the ability of Black history education to highlight diverse perspectives and experiences by using LaGarrett King’s Black Historical Consciousness principles. By showcasing a variety of units, lesson plans and histories, these poster sessions invite other educators to learn from the individual experiences and curriculum development from the micro-educators. Posters will remain visible throughout the conference with special Q&A sessions scheduled on Saturday and Sunday. During Q&A sessions, attendees are invited to ask the micro-educators to share their story, network and engage in conversation around effective Black history instruction.
 
Session One: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Speaker(s) Presentation Title Room
Clianda Florence The Rebirth: The Harlem Renaissance and the Impact of Minister Franklin Florence’s F.I.G.H.T. Organization on America 2120 B
Joelle C. Rozier Reclaiming Black Joy Through Special Education  2213 B
Ashanti Haynes Impacting Black Boy Joy and Black Girl Magic by Cultivating a Culturally Responsive Paradigm  2220 A
Emilye Crosby Toolkit Workshop on SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) and Freedom Teaching  2220 B
Anthony L. White II, PhD Too Edgy and Advanced Frameworks for Approaching Black U.S History Curriculum 6128
Willie J. Montague, PhD The Role of Family, Mentorship and Community in Transforming the Lives of At-Risk Young Men 6201
Session Two: 1:15-2:15 p.m.
Speaker(s) Presentation Title Room
Nneka Gigi-Patton, PhD Crowning Glory: Braiding Culture, Literacy and Liberation in Black Childhoods 2120 A
Cheney Brockington "Because I Said So!": The ‘Why’ Behind Harsh Parenting Towards Black and Brown Youth  2120 B
Laura Gore A Year of Black History Infusion in a Fourth-Grade Classroom   2213 A
Averill Kelley, PhD Re-Imagining Black Teacher Education Preparation 2213 B
Anthony M. Pierce Wakandaverse: Black Panther & The Future of Comic Fanhood 2220 A
Leonard Webb Being a Bridge for Black and Brown Girls 6128
Session Three: 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Speaker(s) Presentation Title Room
TaLoria Wilson Liberatory Literacy: Rethinking Reading and Writing Instruction Through a Black Educational Lens 2120 A
Hakeem McFarlane Beyond Struggle: Honoring the Joy and Power of Black Childhood 2213 A
Emilye Crosby Toolkit Workshop on Women and Gender in SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) 2213 B
Lora Smothers Free Play: Play as Black Joy, Liberation, and Resistance 2220 A
Asia Bingaman Pathways to Teaching African American Studies: Preparation for Effective Teaching of the Advanced Placement Curriculum 2220 B
Jermaine Carl Robinson Remember Why We Started: Using the History of Black Public Education to Re-Engage and Restore the Identity of the Black and Brown Student Populace and Schoolhouse Community 6128
Session Four: 3:45-4:45 p.m.
Speaker Presentation Title Room
Ewura-Abena N. Adomako The Power of Joyful, Black-centered Education: An Educator's Vision for Racial Diversity and Representation in Learning 6201
Christine Woyshner, PhD, and Ismael Jimenez, PhD, Karim Brown, Keziah Ridgeway, and Aquil Dantzler Teaching About Black Networks and Associations in the 20th Century 2213 A
Torrence Brown-Smith Learning Liberation Through Literacy in a Middle School Classroom 2213 B
Joy Barnes-Johnson Unearthing Black Boy Joy and Black Girl Magic—Becoming Sustainability SUPER Heroes 2220 A
Gamze Ar Joyful Journeys: Celebrating Identity in African American Children's Literature 6128
Keynote Speaker and Reception 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Keynote Presentation and Reception
Room: 2120 A&B
Jevon D. Hunter, PhD, Buffalo State University
To Be Young, Literate and Black: The Unflinching Literacy Brilliance of Buffalo’s Black Youth

Saturday, July 26, 2025

Registration 8:00-8:30 a.m.
 
Poster Session in the Atrium (All Day)
Poster Session Q&A 12:30-1:30 p.m. and 2:30-3:30 pm
 
Welcome and Introduction of Keynote Speaker 8:30-8:40 a.m.
Keynote Presentation 8:40-9:40 a.m. 
Room: 2120 A
Lora Smothers, Founder and Director of Joy Village
Schools in the Key of Joy: Designing a School for Black Thriving
 
Session One: 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Speaker(s) Presentation Title Room
Panel Discussion Micro-Credential 2120 A&B
Session Two: 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Speaker(s) Presentation Title Room
Kai Dupe, EdD Coding While Black  2213 A
Jamie Tomczuk Jane Johnson: Examining Sources, Stories and Storytellers 2213 B
Clarence Hogan Black Boy Joy: Promoting Resilience, Hope and Joy Through Storytelling 2220 A
Mike Brown, PhD Teaching Beyond the Textbook: Resurrecting Marginalized Cultures in Educational Curriculum 2220 B
Damion V. Bolton, PhD The Power of a High Emotional Bank Account 1225 A
Njemele Anderson Black Joy in Pursuit of Social Justice 2120 A
Ramona Thomas Beyond the Plate: Cultivating Black History Through Culinary Stories 2120 B
Session Three: 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Speaker(s) Presentation Title Room
Monica Reed How to Integrate African American History in Your Daily Curriculum 2120 A
Samantha Green Centering Black Perspectives and Voices Through Literature 2120 B
Danielle Saint Hilaire The Power of the Sociological Imagination 2213 A
Evalaurene Jean-Charles Liberated Learning: Centering Black Student Voice to Build Joyful, Rigorous and Liberating Classrooms 2213 B
Gariel Pierce Stamped (For Kids): A Resource for Elementary Classrooms and Teacher Preparation 2220 B
Ezenwanne, Dorothy, Nkem The Influence of Family in Supporting Growth, Identity Formation and Black Childhood Development Through Home Management 2220 B
Oran Singleton Jones Milestones of Moments: This is Our Fight Song- Celebrating Black Joy in the Struggle for Freedom 1225 A
Akil Parker The Academic Childhoods of John Henrik Clarke, Kwame Ture and Henry Highland Garnet 1225 B
Laura Gore, Jania Hoover, Jamie Perry and Glen Summers Poster Session Q&A Atrium
 
Lunch Break 1:30-2:30 p.m.
 
Session Four: 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Speaker(s) Presentation Title Room
Nykia Greene Young and Carlynn Wooten-Scott Celebrating Black Girlhood 2120 A
Stacy Shepard, PhD From Punishment to Possibility: Reimagining Discipline for Black Boys Through Historical Truth and Community Power 2120 B
Mike Brown, PhD The Revolution Will Not Be Standardized 2213 A
Montayha Adams Creating Black Joy: The Impact of CDF Freedom Schools on Black Childhoods 2213 B
Denisha Jones and Erika Strauss Chavarria Beyond the Struggle: Celebrating Joy and Agency in Black Childhoods 2220 A
Brittany Billups Sankofa Dreams: Rediscovering the Black Arts Movement and Unlocking Joyful Expression Through the Performing Arts  2220 B
Cedric A. Washington The Cultural Foundations of Black Childhood: Hip-Hop as a Historical Narrative  1225 A
Brianna Ross, EdD Unearthing Joy: Counter-Stories of the Colored School Experience 1225 B
Joshua Clough, Esheonn Conner, Marie Giancarlo and Charlene Highsaw Poster Session Q&A Atrium
Session Five: 3:45-4:45 p.m.
Speaker(s) Presentation Title Room
Chuck Marable The Magic from Roots to STEMM: 150 Years of Black STEMista History in America 2120 A
Dan Tulino, PhD and Dawnavyn James "This Is My Song" (Siffre, 1972): Curating Text Bundles for Counterstorytelling Narratives 2120 B
Jamie Tomczuk Creative Assessments for Black History Classrooms 2213 A
Jessie Gillooly and Tandria Elliott Cross-Curricular and Multimodal Explorations of Black Joy in Elementary Art, ELA and History 2220 A
Letisha Malcolm, PhD Global Legacies: Black Childhood, Cultural Identity and Leadership Development 2220 B
Shereen Holmes, PhD Crafting Historical Narratives in Lessons that are Culturally Connected to Students  1225 A
Lashonda Bradberry and Nneka Gigi-Patton, PhD Legacy in Motion: From Student Vision to Lasting Impact  1225 B
Session Six: 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Speaker(s) Presentation Title Room
Jerrod K. Grant Black History is in Everything You Teach 2120 A
Crystalyn Thomas-Davis The Power of Storytelling: How Community Histories and Family Narratives Enrich Black Historical Learning  2213 A
Jada Bradley Loading the Literary Canon: Considerations When Using Public Domain Texts in The Classroom 2220 A
Leroy Smith  Unveiling The Hidden Potential: Empowering Neurodivergent Black Boys. 2220 B
Craig Aarons-Martin Renaissance Leadership: Creating Brave Spaces for Black LGBTQIA Youth and Adults in Schools  1225 A

Sunday, July 27, 2025

Registration and Breakfast 8:30-9:00 a.m.
 
Poster Session in the Atrium (All Day)
Poster Session Q&A 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
 
Session One: 9:00-10:00 a.m.
Speaker(s) Presentation Title Room
Vidal Montgomery BlaXonomy Primer 2120 A
Jennifer Howard Using Black Historical Picture Books in Grades K-2 2213 A
Esheonn Conner We are Black History: Storytelling  2213 B
Ayanna Cooper Young, Bilingual and Black in the United States 2220 A
Session Two: 10:15-11:15 a.m.
Speaker(s) Presentation Title Room 
Kyle Randolph Bacon, PhD The Power of Black Childhood Narratives: A Case Study of Academic Resilience 2120 A
Anitra Butler-Ngugi Reflections of Identity: Celebrating Black Childhood with Vocabulary Ladders and African American Children's Literature  2120 B
M. Lena Barbee From Harlem to Hip-Hop: Engaging Students Through Music 2213 A
Suad Lawrence Islam, PhD The ABC’S of Genealogical Research, the Me of Me: Understanding Who You Are as a Path to Empower, Inform and Impact Your Instructional and Professional Practices 2213 B
Laura Gore, Jania Hoover, Jamie Perry and Glenn Summers Poster Session Q&A Atrium
Session Three: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Speaker(s) Presentation Title Room
Gloria Rosario Wallace Powerful Partnerships: Families and the District  2120 A
Michelle Yang-Kaczmarek and Keisha Smith-Carrington Read Alouds that Celebrate Learners and Teach Racial, Historical and Critical Literacies 2213 A
Mr. Karsten Barnes Teaching Black Joy in a Digital Classroom: How AP African American Studies Uplifts Black Youth 2220 B
Joshua Clough, Esheonn Conner, Marie Giancarlo and Charlene Highsaw Poster Session Q&A Atrium
 
Lunch Break 12:30-1:30 p.m.
 
Session Four: 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Troy Donaldson Black History and Artificial Intelligence: Empowering Educators with Teacher PAI and Community Change Pedagogy 2220 B
John Gass Creating Joy and Community for Black Teens 2213 A
Henry Sandoval Black History 365 2120 B