CFP: “Those who have must turn and around give:” Celebrating Forty Years of Preserving Black History and Education
“Those who have must turn and around give.”—Dr. Myrtle Glascoe
Description
The College of Charleston’s Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture is hosting a three-day symposium focused on Black education and the preservation of Black History through archives and community engagement, from June 9 to 11, 2026, at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. The symposium’s title is derived from the Avery Research Center’s first executive director, Dr. Myrtle Glascoe. She laid the groundwork for community archiving and preservation, partnering with the Avery Institute of Afro American History and Culture. She also initiated early collection efforts, including hosting archival workshops with local churches and showcasing the work of Gullah Geechee artists.
Her tenure also marked the restoration of the building that housed the Avery Normal Institute (1865–1954) on 125 Bull Street. The Avery Normal Institute was a private normal school that trained generations of educators and civic leaders. Graduates known as Averyites include Septima Clark, Cynthia McCottry-Smith, Eugene Hunt, and former South Carolina State University president Dr. Robert Shaw Wilkinson.
As the Avery Research Center prepares to recognize multiple milestones, with the Avery Normal Institute marking its 160th anniversary and the Avery Research Center celebrating its fortieth (40th) anniversary, we are issuing a call for proposals for our three-day symposium on education and archives. We encourage research/presentations to have a Southern emphasis. We invite all scholars, organizations, students, independent researchers, community historians, and activists to submit a proposal on one of the following topics:
- Community archives and Black Memory Work
- Sustainability
- Archival and education adaptation to climate change
- Black Educational Institutions and Black Educators
- Decolonizing Educational Curricula
- Black Pedagogies and Epistemologies
- Digital Humanities and Access to Black archives
- Education Policy
- Historical Erasure
- Political Education and Community Coalitions (e.g., Freedom Schools, Organizing Schools, etc.)
- Making archives accessible
Session and Proposal Information
- Each session will run for 75 minutes. The presentations will be in person but livestreamed to registrants.
- If you do not have additional panelists for your session, the symposium committee can match you with others who share a similar topic.
- Proposals can be submitted in the following formats: panel, individual paper, or poster presentation.
- The proposal should be detailed and indicate which track the proposal aligns with: education or archival.
- Each proposal will consist of an
- Abstract (300 words max) that highlights the topic and session goals.
- Names, emails, and affiliations of all speakers, along with a brief bio (250 words max)
Please use the link below to submit your proposal
Proposal Application (Link to Google Form)
Deadlines
Early bird submissions are due by December 20, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. EST, and regular submissions are due by January 20, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST. Presenters will be notified by March 15th of the decision.
Lodging and Registration Information will be available in Spring 2026.
Questions about the symposium should be directed to the contact form.
Funding from the Andrew Mellon Foundation is supporting the symposium.