l. to r. Light Cummins, Michael Phillips, Jeffrey L. Littlejohn
I attended the Austin College Conference on Racial Violence and Resistance held on September 23 and 24th which included presentations by my friends Michael Phillps and Jeff Littlejohn. This conference examined the history racial violence with special focus on Texas and Oklahoma.
The conference highlighted past and present racial injustices in the United States, with special reference on this region. The event hosted a wide variety of speakers, from historians to authors who have written and published on topics related to the theme of the conference, which was sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition.
Presenters included Karlos K. Hill, Adam McKinney, Tammie Rubin, Lawrence Scott, Kate Suster, Roseann Bacha-Garza, Kalenda Eaton, Todd Moye, Jeffrey L. Littlejohn, Terry Anne Scott, Melissa Theil, and Michael Phillips. Topics included: "Histories of Violence and White Supremacy," "Commemoration and Memorialization," and "Confronting Violence and Resistance."
Several of the presentations centered on the successful efforts in Sherman, Texas by a group of people who have secured a Texas historical marker to note the 1930 riot which took place there. This group is being led by Melissa Thiel, who gave a presentation on those efforts. Click Here to learn more about these efforts.
