Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference on the Harlem Renaissance

Burton Peretti Announcement
Location
Virginia, United States
Subject Fields
African American History / Studies, Black History / Studies, Local History, Urban History / Studies, Cultural History / Studies
CALL FOR PAPERS THE MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE ”THE NEGRO SPEAKS OF RIVERS: THE POTOMAC RIVER REGION AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURE” HOSTED BY THE NORTHERN VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGEIN ASSOCIATION WITH THE TINNER HILL HERITAGE FOUNDATIONANNANDALE, VIRGINIA APRIL 28 - 30, 2017

 

The Northern Virginia Community College is requesting proposals for the first Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference on the Harlem Renaissance to be held on the Annandale campus of the Northern Virginia Community College, 8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, Virginia 22003-3709, 12.5 miles from Washington, D.C.

The conference will include a tour of the Tinner Hill historic site, where the first rural branch of the NAACP was founded in 1915, and a staging of the Harlem Renaissance Fair, an evening of jazz, dance, and displays presented by the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, on Saturday evening, April 29.

The theme for the conference is “’The Negro Speaks of Rivers:’ The Potomac River Region and African-American Culture.” The focus for presentations will center on how the Potomac River Region (Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland) was affected by the Harlem Renaissance and how the Harlem Renaissance was affected by the Potomac River Region in terms of political thought, visual art, poetry, prose, dramatic arts, history, music, dance, and popular culture.

The Harlem Renaissance of the 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s took place in cities across the United States, as African Americans migrated to new communities, asserted themselves through political and social activism, and created a cultural Renaissance in literature and the arts. The Potomac River Region – the home of Duke Ellington and Howard University, and where Langston Hughes first gained notice – was a major site of the Renaissance as communities in Northern Virginia and Southern Maryland shared in Washington’s redefinition of Black life and culture in the early 20th century.

We invite all scholars and students to submit paper and panel proposals. There will also be opportunities for student poster sessions.

 

Possible areas of inquiry include but are not limited to:

  • Langston Hughes and His “Discovery” at the Wardman Park Hotel
  • Duke Ellington: From Ward Place N.W. to the World
  • Ella Fitzgerald: From Newport News to Harlem, celebrating 100 years
  • Alain Locke and 41 years at Howard University
  • James Weldon Johnson and the NAACP years on Logan Circle
  • Bill Robinson: Bojangles leaves Richmond for Washington
  • A. Phillip Randolph and the March on Washington Movement
  • Literature in the Potomac River Region from 1910 to 1940
  • The performing arts in the Potomac River Region
  • Popular culture of the Potomac River Region
  • Community and spiritual life and organizations in the Potomac River Region
  • Political and social activism in the Potomac River Region
  • Regional African American identity in the Potomac River Region
  • The relation of the Potomac River Region to Harlem and other centers of Black culture

Proposals or abstracts are sought in two participant categories:

  1. Academic and independent scholars and researchers

  2. Undergraduate and graduate students

 

Submission Requirements: Proposals for individual or posters should be no more than 250 words in length or 750 words in length for a panel proposal or abstract. A clear and concise statement of the significance of the topic of the proposal or abstract is requested. Indicate all participants, the participant’s category as described above, and the title or focus of the individual or panel presentation.

Proposals or abstracts should be submitted no later than January 31, 2017, with earlier submissions encouraged. Submit electronically to [harlem@nvcc.edu] or mail to:

Harlem Renaissance ConferenceProvost’s Office, AN-CG-202Annandale CampusNorthern Virginia Community College8333 Little River TurnpikeAnnandale, Virginia  22003-3709

Details about the conference, registration, lodging, fees, contacts, and paper proposals will be available on the conference website, http://blogs.nvcc.edu/harlem/, after October 15, 2016.