"Emancipation: The Meaning of Freedom" A Humanities Conference at Essex County College

"We want more soul, a higher cultivation of all spiritual faculties. We need more unselfishness, earnestness, and integrity. We need men and women whose hearts are the homes of high and lofty enthusiasm and a noble devotion to the cause of emancipation, who are ready and willing to lay time, talent, and money on the altar of universal freedom." –Frances E.W. Harper, The Anglo-African Magazine, 1859 

On January 29, the Humanities Division of Essex County College (where I teach) will host a conference entitled "Emancipation: The Meaning of Freedom." As the conference organizer (and I will also be delivering a paper), I have to say that it has been my pleasure to work with my colleagues on this exciting endeavor. Click here to be taken to the conference website. There, you can view the panel sessions, meet the conference participants, check out some of the recommended readings, and look at the links to other sites related to abolitionism, slavery, and emancipation.

I have also created a sample assignment for the classroom. American History High School in Newark is scheduled to bring students to some of the panels--it's going to be an awesome day at Essex County College! Dr. S. Aisha Steplight Johnson, our Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will deliver the Keynote Address. Dr. Steplight Johnson holds a doctorate in African American Studies from Temple University--click here for her biography.

I especially encourage our local educators here in Plainfield to visit our conference site!

All best,

Rebecca