2025 Teaching Black History Conference Program and Room Assignments

Please note that room numbers for each presentation are still being determined. Check back for more details.

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Friday, July 25, 2025

Registration 11:00-11:30 a.m.
 
Poster Session in the Atrium (All Day)
 
Session One: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Speaker(s) Presentation Title Room
Taharra Battle-Taylor Using Affirmations to Empower Black Youth 2120 A
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 White III, 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
  Florence’s F.I.G.H.T. Organization on America 2213 A
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’s Most Creative Fans 2220 A
Darius Phelps Poetic Inquiry and the Black Imagination: Teaching Liberation Through Black Poets 2220 B
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
Deana Forbes Forward to Freedom: Centering Afro-Futurism and Honoring Black Humanity in the Social Studies 2120 B
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
Monica Reed How to Integrate African American History into Your Daily Curriculum 2220 A
Asia Bingaman Pathways to Teaching African American Studies  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. Adoma The Power of Joyful, Black-centered Education: An Educator's Vision for Racial Diversity and Representation in Learning 2120 B
Christine Woyshner, Ismael Jimenez, 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)
 
Welcome and Introduction of Keynote Speaker 8:30-8:40 a.m.
Keynote Presentation 8:40-9:40 a.m. 
Room: 2120 A&B
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
Lisa Wilson Black Boy Joy and Black Girl Magic: Evidence-Based Practices for Affirming Early Learning Spaces  2120 A
Kai Dupe, PhD Coding While Black  2213 A
Renee O'Connor Magic in the Margins: Teaching African American History to Middle and High School Students Through Black Children’s Books 2213 B
Mike Brown, PhD Teaching Beyond the Textbook: Resurrecting Marginalized Cultures in Educational Curriculum 2220 B
Damion V. Bolton The Power of a High Emotional Bank Account 6128
Njemeke Anderson Black Joy in Pursuit of Social Justice 2120 A
Keith Benson Fatherhood: A Retrospective of a Young, Unprepared Father 6201
Session Three: 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Speaker(s) Presentation Title Room
Samantha Green Centering Black Perspectives and Voices Through Literature 2120 B
Danielle Saint Hilaire The Power of the Sociological Imagination 2213 A
Eva 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 6128
Akil Parker The Academic Childhoods of John Henrik Clarke, Kwame Ture and Henry Highland Garnet 6201
 
Lunch Break 1:30-2:30 p.m.
LaGarrett King Graduate Student Informational Session 2220 A
 
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
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  6128
Brianna Ross Unearthing Joy: Counter-Stories of the Colored School Experience 6201
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 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
Milan Drake The mixTAPE x maniFESTO: The Role of Black Thought, Music and Design Thinking in the Teaching of Black Childhood Identity 2213 B
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  6128
Lashonda Bradberry and Nneka Gigi-Patton, PhD Legacy in Motion: From Student Vision to Lasting Impact  6201
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
Baba Amin Ojuok Black History In STEM: Utilizing Our Past to Propel Our Children Into the Future of STEM 2213 B
Jada Bradley Educators will (Re)Consider Literary Origins when Using Public Domain Texts in their Classrooms  2220 A
Leroy Smith Unveiling the Hidden Potential: Understanding Black Boys with Learning Differences 2220 B
Craig Aarons-Martin Renaissance Leadership: Creating Brave Spaces for Black LGBTQIA Youth and Adults in Schools  6128

Sunday, July 27, 2025

Registration and Breakfast 8:30-9:00 a.m.
 
Poster Session in the Atrium (All Day)
 
Session One: 9:00-10:00 a.m.
Speaker(s) Presentation Title Room
Panel Session Micro-Credential Panel 2120 A
Session Two: 10:15-11:15 a.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
Baba Amin Ojuok Black History In STEM: Utilizing Our Past to Propel Our Children Into the Future of STEM 2213 B
Jada Bradley Educators will (Re)Consider Literary Origins when Using Public Domain Texts in their Classrooms 2220 A
Leroy Smith Unveiling The Hidden Potential: Understanding Black Boys with Learning Differences  2220 B
Craig Aarons-Martin Renaissance Leadership: Creating Brave Spaces for Black LGBTQIA Youth and Adults in Schools 6128
  Presentation 3 on Blooms Taxonony 6201
Session Three: 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Speaker(s) Presentation Title Room
Jamie Tomczuk Jane Johnson: Examining Sources, Stories and Storytellers 2120 A
Jennifer Howard Using Black Historical Picture Books in Grades K-2 2120 B
Esheonn Conner We are Black History: Storytelling  2220 B
Ayanna Cooper Young, Bilingual and Black in the United States 6128
 
Lunch Break 12:30-1:30 p.m.
 
1:00-1:30 pm
LaGarrett King Graduate Student Informational Session 2220 A
 
Session Four: 1:30-2:30 p.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 2213 A
Suad Lawrence Islam, PhD The ABCs 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
Collin Perryman Towards a Post-Brown v. Board of Education Life Course Framework 2220 A
Mr. Karsten Barnes Teaching Black Joy in a Digital Classroom: How AP African American Studies Uplifts Black Youth 2220 B
Session Five: 2:45-3:45 p.m.
Speaker(s) Presentation Title Room
Gloria Rosario Wallace Powerful Partnerships: Families and the District  2120 A
Regina Banks Teaching Panafricanism to Multicultural Children: The Importance of All Students Understanding They Are African  2120 B
Michelle Yang-Kaczmarek and Keisha Smith-Carrington Read Alouds that Celebrate Learners and Teach Racial, Historical and Critical Literacies 2213 A
Ella Alexandra and Michelle Williams Black Childhood During the Black Arts Movement: Representations, Realities and Legacies 2213 B
Keith Benson About Those "Failing Schools": Conventional Wisdom and (Mis)Understanding "Failing Schools" 2220 A
Kenyatta Funderburk 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 6128