Community in Conversation: Panel Discussions
October 13 at 10am–4pm Savannah State University – Howard Jordan Building – Mary C. Torian AuditoriumJoin us in the Mary C. Torian Auditorium at Savannah State University for a series of panel discussions throughout the day in connection with our Legacy of Slavery in Savannah initiative.
Schedule of Programs:
10:00 am – Welcome and Opening Remarks
10:30 am – Panel I: Education, Memory, and the Legacy of Slavery
Panelists: Dr. Jelani Favors, Fath Davis Ruffins, and Dr. Anne Bailey
- Dr. Jelani Favors, Henry E. Frye Distinguished Professor of History, North Carolina A&T State University: “Til’ I reach My Highest Ground: Georgia State Industrial College and the Pursuit of Black Freemen During the Nadir, 1877-1900”
- Fath Davis Ruffins, Curator of African American History and Culture in the Division of Cultural and Community Life, Smithsonian National Museum of American History: “Memories and Histories of Slavery: Br’er Rabbit, Haunted Plantation Houses, and the Acacia Collection”
- Dr. Anne C. Bailey, Professor of History and Africana Studies, Director of the Harriet Tubman Center for Freedom and Equity, SUNY Binghamton University: “The Weeping Time and Full Freedom”
12:00 pm – ***BREAK FOR LUNCH***
1:30 pm – Panel II: Losing Ground: Land Ownership in the Lowcountry
Panelists: Dr. Felicia Jamison and Dr. Andrew Kahrl
- Dr. Felicia Jamison, Assistant Professor of History & Comparative Studies, University of Louisville: “’This Land Ain’t Got No Papers Over It:’ Land Displacement and the Black Community in Liberty County, Georgia During War II”
- Dr. Andrew Kahrl, Professor of History and African American Studies, University of Virginia, “Coastal Capitalism Comes to Sea Islands”
2:30 pm – Panel III: Activism in the Face of Violence
Panelists: Dr. Julie Buckner Armstrong, Dr. Mia Bay, and Michele Johnson
- Dr. Julie Buckner Armstrong, Professor of English, University of South Florida: “The Negro Womanhood of Georgia has been shocked: ‘Race, Gender, and Lynching in Savannah”
- Dr. Mia Bay, Roy F. and Jeannette P. Nichols Professor of American History, University of Pennsylvania: “The Tribune Says ‘Walk’: Struggles over Streetcar Segregation in Savannah 1872-1908”
- Michele Nicole Johnson, Librarian/Assistant Professor of Library Science, College of Coastal Georgia: “Ahmaud Arbery – Legacy of Slavery in Savannah”
3:30 pm – Closing Remarks
4:00 pm – Event Concludes
This event is free and open to the public. Seating is first come first serve. Space is limited and pre-registration is recommended.
Since 2019, Telfair has collaborated with artists, scholars, and organizations across Savannah to hold community engagement events and exhibitions through the Legacy of Slavery in Savannah initiative. Join us for a weekend-long reflection at Savannah State University and Telfair Museums.
