On Friday, February 14, 2020 join Tennessee State University’s College of Liberal Arts and the Metropolitan Historical Commission for a celebration of the contributions of African Americans to Nashville and Tennessee history. For almost forty years, this award-winning conference has brought together historians, students, educators, community leaders, and others interested in African American history and culture. This year’s conference, entitled “A Journey from Enslavement to Liberation,” will examine the myriad ways African Americans have made an impact in Nashville and Tennessee, through history, story, and song.
This year, Brigette Jones will speak about the enslaved experience at Belle Meade Plantation, while Dr. Angela Sutton will highlight the recent inclusion of Fort Negley as a UNESCO Site of Memory in the trans-Atlantic slave route, and Tina Cahalan Jones will discuss using U.S. Colored Troops’ records for genealogical research. With 2020 as the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, Linda Wynn will examine the dual struggles African American women faced in the quest for suffrage. Lt. Col. Sharon Presley will focus on the challenges faced by TSU graduates serving as Tuskegee Airmen, fighting for freedom abroad while being denied freedoms at home in the Jim Crow South. After lunch, Frist Art Museum curator Katie Delmez will explain the process of bringing the Murals of North Nashville exhibit to the Frist, and Fisk librarian Brandon Owens, Sr. will discuss the educational legacy of the colored Carnegie libraries in Nashville. Entertainment this year will be provided by the Tennessee State University Jazz Collegians, directed by James Sexton.
Make plans to join us for this exceptional program on Friday, February 14, 2020 at the Avon Williams Campus of Tennessee State University. The Conference will begin at 9:00 am and will conclude at 3:30 pm. Pre-registration is open until January 31 and costs $30 (student cost is $20). From February 1 until the day of the conference, the cost is $35 and includes admission to all speakers and performances, and additions to the Profiles of African-Americans in Tennessee series. Lunch and parking are also included.