The Civil Rights Century: The NAACP at 100

Date: February 6-7, 2009
Call for Papers Deadline: October 31, 2008
Location: Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD

The Center for Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University seeks proposals for individual papers or panels for “The Civil Rights Century: The NAACP at 100.” This public conference will commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in February 1909. This landmark anniversary is an ideal moment for reflection and discussion on the current status of the struggle for civil rights in the United States.

The conference will begin with an opening reception and keynote address on February 6, followed by a day of panel discussions on February 7. Organizers seek papers or panels that will engage a broad audience of both academics and nonacademics alike.

The NAACP's long history suggests a wide variety of topics, including:

Interracial organizing
Women's leadership
The antilynching campaign
The fight against school segregation
Literary contributions by NAACP figures
The relationship between local branches and the national office
Conflict and cooperation with other civil rights groups in the 1950s and 1960s
Civil rights work in the “postcivil rights” era (1970spresent)
Interracial marriage
Relationship to the American Left
Connection to other minority communities and rights movements (feminism, gay rights, Chicano movement, etc.)
Legal approaches vs. direct protest
Interaction with the black church
Regional comparisons: North, South, Midwest, West
Reflections on the 2008 Presidential campaign and election

Please submit abstracts of no more than 500 words for each paper and a two page CV for each presenter to naacp100@jhu.edu by October 31, 2008. For panels, please submit abstracts and CVs for no more than three persons per panel. Accepted presenters will be asked to pay a registration fee of $20.

We hope you'll join us for this important event! “The Civil Rights Century: The NAACP at 100” is sponsored by the Center for Africana Studies, the Center for Social Concern, and the Office of Institutional Equity at Johns Hopkins University, with the Jewish Museum of Maryland and the Maryland Humanities Council; in partnership with the ACLU of Maryland, Equality Maryland, and the Maryland Black Family Alliance.