2023 Call for Proposals
Transgenerational Resistance Resilience and Unadulterated BLACK JOY!
Conference Dates: February 16-17, 2023
This year’s conference invites participants to examine their individual and collective contributions to the formation and sustaining of unadulterated BLACK JOY. We dare to shift beyond trauma narratives and acknowledge our collective joys.
Points of consideration:
How have we/you demonstrated and continue to demonstrate resilience?
How have we/you resisted and continue to resist?
What are we/you already doing for our communities, and how can we/you do better for one another?
Inspired by, writer, poet, and educator, JJ Bola’s premonition of transgenerational joy.
“I think about transgenerational trauma a lot, but I think of transgenerational joy more. I would like to think that my ancestors passed on love, and joy and happiness, that they knew I would need peace to survive this world, and so they sowed it in my blood.”
The 47th Annual Pan African Conference offers guests a chance to pause, acknowledge, and appreciate paths of resistance. We ask participants to join us in in commemorating Unadulterated Black Joy. By exploring intersections resilience withing and beyond; education and leadership, individual and collective development, film and media, racial justice, and social and political activism.
Proposal Submissions
The conference welcomes proposal submissions to present at this year’s Pan African Conference. All presentation topics should focus on this year’s theme, “Transgenerational Resistance Resilience and Unadulterated Black Joy!”and align with one or more of the program tracks. We are interested in a diverse array of perspectives and presenters who have varying levels of expertise, experience, nationalities, organization type, and institutional structure. The goal of the Pan African Conference is to build student leadership and to provide an opportunity for academic scholars, students, professionals, and community members to discuss the issues that affect descendants of Africa on a local, national, and international level.
Deadline
The deadline to submit a proposal for consideration is 11:59 p.m. CST on Thursday, January 23, 2023. Email proposals to panafricanconference@mnsu.edu.
Proposal Eligibility
The conference workshops committee welcome proposals from faculty, administrators, staff, graduate students, undergraduate students, and community members who possess experience and/or expertise in at least one of the program track areas and supports the conference theme.
Conference Program Tracks
- “Education & Leadership” Submissions should focus on building and refining innovative approaches to academic leadership in support of transgenerational resistance, resilience, and unadulterated BLACK JOY. Presentations in this track can include but are not limited to; authentically engaging with BLACK students in and beyond the classroom, examining and implementing needed curricula change; anti-racist pedagogy, and fostering a positive working and learning environment. Submissions to this track can also address new trends or developments in higher education.
- “Individual and Professional Devlopment” Submissions should focus on methods of personal and professional development in support of transgenerational resistance, resilience, and unadulterated BLACK JOY. Presentations in this track can include but are not limited to; global citizenship (awareness – knowing beyond one’s individual experience) and daring to move beyond singular ways of thinking/being.
- “Film & Media” Submissions should examine ways in which domestic and international media has contributed to transgenerational resistance, resilience, and unadulterated BLACK JOY. Presentations in this track should include but are not limited to; known and rising director, actors, and creatives, films, anchors, and social media activists.
- “Art& Creatives” Submissions should focus on the one of many methods by which artists and creatives are supporting transgenerational resistance, resilience, and unadulterated BLACK JOY. Presentations in this track should include but are not limited to; persons and institutions who dare to reimagine our shared world. Artists and Creatives are invited to showcase their work at the PAC.
- “Family & Community” Submissions should center familial (biological and social) ways of resilience, resistance, and unadulterated BLACK JOY. Presentations in this track should include but are not limited to narrative oration, reconciliation, spiritual healing, cognitive reshaping, and metaphysical practices.
