Join us for our 1st Annual Amistad Conference!

Saturday, December 14, 2024

8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Chamberlain Student Center, Ballroom, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ

Rowan University's 1st Annual Amistad Conference is an integral part of a Natinoal Endowment for the Humanities & Social Sciences grant entitled Establishing a Black Humanities in Education Initiative Through History and Culture (BHE). Codirected by Drs. Valerie Lee and Chanelle Rose, the grant addresses curricular and learning gaps at the state level and provides a model that could be implemented by other states during a time of heightened need for greater understanding of the significance of teaching U.S. Black history.

About the Amistad Conference

The conference will  highlight the work of participating humanities faculty who developed an eight-part, self-paced, asynchronous professional development (PD) online workshop series entitled Empowering Educators: Strategies for Integrating Black History in the Classroom. This event will also feature the robust lesson plans created by in-service teachers who participated in the PD workshop. Local historians, community leaders, archivists, and faculty from peer institutions across the state will discuss their research and lived experiences to underscore the significance of teaching Black history. In addition, local high-school students and public-school teachers will address recent developments in legislation, particularly efforts to strengthen the 2002 NJ Amistad law. The conference will also highlight Cherry Hill’s pioneering initiative in requiring a course on African American history for graduation, setting a precedent for other school districts in New Jersey. 

Objectives of the Amistad Conference

1. Foster excitement and interest in initiatives, programs, and PD online workshops on Black history at Rowan University, aiming to strengthen the implementation of the NJ Amistad law.
2. Provide a model for peer and aspirant institutions seeking to establish interdisciplinary collaborations between the humanities and CED to develop comprehensive curricula that integrate Black history into both higher education and K-12 public schools.
3. Raise more awareness about the significance of the NJ Amistad law and ongoing efforts to strengthen its implementation
4. Build partnerships between Rowan University and the wider community to bridge the gap between the dissemination of knowledge on Black history in higher education and the community.

Who should attend?

While all are encouraged to attend, the following professionals in the State of New Jersey will find the most value in this conference: educators, public school teachers, principals, superintendents, high-school students, faculty from peer and aspirant institutions, community leaders, legislators, parents, and undergraduate students.