Nassau Community College will host the two-part symposium Long Island’s Legacies From Slavery to Civil Rights: Examining Freedom and Equality in the 21st Century on Tuesday, April 23, and Tuesday, April 30, on the 11th floor of the Tower Building. Each day of the symposium will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Session topics will include: Religious Life, Spirituality and Racial Identity; The Civil War and Reconstruction in History and Memory; Jim Crow, Racial Politics and Global White Supremacy; Civil Rights and Black Power; and Contemporary Perspectives on Race and Racial Violence. One of those presenting at the symposium is Joseph McGill, a descendant of slaves who has devoted his life to ensuring the preservation of former slave dwellings in the United States. Toward that end, he is attempting to sleep in every slave dwelling in the country. As black people migrated en masse from the South in the 20th century, former slave quarters quickly decayed or were torn down. McGill has worked to draw attention back to this sad but important time of American history. He often shares his experiences with school groups and other visitors to antebellum sites. Also speaking are Cordell Reaves, Historic and Preservation Analyst at New York State’s Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; David Rattray, Editor of The East Hampton Star and the director of the East Hampton in Plain Site Project; and Donnamarie Barnes, Curator/Archivist, Sylvester Manor Educational Farm; among other speakers.
Although Long Island’s Legacies From Slavery to Civil Rights: Examining Freedom and Equality in the 21st Century is free, open to the public and accessible to the disabled, a reservation is required. To do so, please call Dr. Georgette Grier-Key at 516.572.7157 x25289 or go to eventbrite.com.
Facebook Comments