LSU and Southern University Announce the Inaugural Navigating the Storms of Slavery: Restore, Reflect and Reclaim Conference
February 05, 2024
Presented by the LSU Department of Geography & Anthropology and Southern University Law Center from February 8-10
BATON ROUGE—The LSU Department of Geography & Anthropology and the Southern University Law Center are partnering for an inaugural conference titled “Navigating the Storms of Slavery: Restore, Reflect and Reclaim.” The event will be held from February 8-10 at the Cook Hotel and Conference Center at LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
This international conference will address the past and present impact of slavery in Louisiana and LSU and marks an important moment in scholarly inquiry and understanding of how the enslavement of Black and Indigenous people shaped Louisiana’s history and the history of its universities.
“With LSU being the flagship university for the state and our guiding principle being ‘scholarship first,’ we should be the leader in advancing the conversation on the legacies of racial slavery and how that history figures into our efforts to move forward. There are 90-100 other universities having these national conversations that foster a platform for reflection, dialog, and change,” said Dr. Joyce Marie Jackson, chair of the LSU Department of Geography & Anthropology and conference coordinator. “We are welcoming not only academicians, but also indigenous and descendant communities as we work together with Southern University Law Center. I hope that attendees can make connections, cross boundaries, and create new collaborations as we do this work together,” Jackson added.
The interdisciplinary, multi-institutional conference will facilitate framing history in ways that help craft the narratives to restore resilient growth of communities and help resolve university and civic concerns while implementing early-stage planning for town and gown initiatives. Keynote speakers include Dr. Douglas Chambers, Dr. Marianne Fisher-Giorlando, Dr. Haywood Hall, Dr. Isaac Saney, Dr. Ibrahima Seck, Dr. Ruth J. Simmons, Dr. Andrew Sluyter, and Dr. Leon R Tarver II.
This collaboration between LSU and Southern University is part of the A&M Agenda, which demonstrates a commitment to expand the positive and collective impact of the two institutions, in partnership, for their students, Greater Baton Rouge, the State of Louisiana, and the Delta and Gulf and Gulf Coast regions.
For more information or to register, visit: www.lsu.edu/ga/events/sos2024/.