7th Annual National Conference
Lincoln's Era: The Role of Religion in the Underground Railroad
The role of churches & people of faith working against the institution of slavery during the 1800s will be the focus of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center's 7th Annual National Conference on the Underground Railroad Conference the weekend of Sept. 19-22, 2008 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The annual conference, co-sponsored locally by Northern Kentucky University with additional support from Hebrew Union College - Jewish American Archives, Christ Church Cathedral, University of Cincinnati, Black Baptist Conference, Faith Community Alliance and others is expected to attract several hundred participants and is intended to promote the dialogue and understanding among people of faith and scholars about the role of faith in fighting oppression. The 2008 theme of the conference is "Lincoln's Era: The Role of Religion in the Underground Railroad."
Conference highlights
- Speeches by prominent theologians, scholars and celebrities;
- Bus tours of historic faith sites on the Underground Railroad;
- Genealogy Assistance;
- American Negro Spirituals Concert;
- Re-enactment of worship services from the era;
- Panel discussions dealing with Underground Railroad issues of faith and Abraham Lincolns evolution in his views on slavery
Who should attend: Ministers, students and history buffs, as well as professional scholars.
Cost: Participants can attend the entire conference or individual events. Registration for the entire conference, except for the bus trips, is $125 per person. Registration includes membership to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
Individual Events: Tickets for individual activities can be purchased in advance beginning September 1: Friday morning faith tours, Friday night keynote address, Saturday luncheon speaker or Saturday night spirituals concert.
For more information on the conference, call Ernest Britton at 513-333-7511 or ebritton@freedomcenter.org.
Publication
Freedom Stations Program: Scholar's Corner - publishing conference papers online
Committee
Ernest Britton, Freedom Center; Prof. Eric Jackson and Prof. Roger Billings, Northern Kentucky University; Prof. Gary Zola, Hebrew Union College; Rev. James Diamond, Christ Church Cathedral; Rev. James Vickers, Ebenezer Baptist Church; Rev. Jackie Jackson; Prof. Jana Brazel, University of Cincinnati; Rev. Aaron Geenlea; and Prof. Spencer Crew, George Mason University
Past Conferences (2002-2007):
- 2007 Frederick Douglas International Underground Railroad Conference, NY
- 2006 Borderlands Conference: Organizing History, People, Places, Trails and Local Stories, OH
- 2005 International Conference: Poverty, the Face of Modern Day Slavery, Mexico
- 2004 Borderlands Conference: Telling Our Stories: The National Significance of Local Events on the Underground Railroad Movement, OH
- 2003 Passages to Freedom: The Underground Railroad in American History and Legend, Washington, DC.
- 2002 Passages to Freedom: The Underground Railroad in American History and Memory--A National Conference, OH
