Call for Proposals

Undefeated: Black Resilience through Resistance, Creativity, and Cooperation

This Williamsburg, Virginia, symposium will take place both in person at the William & Mary School of Education (301 Monticello Avenue) and virtually over Zoom.

Event Details

William & Mary, Office of the Provost
The Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation
In-Person and Virtual Symposium
Event is free. All are welcome!

Submit your proposal by October 1, 2024.

Call for Proposals

Proposals by individuals, panels of 3-4 people, and poster sessions are welcome.

About The Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation

Founded in 2009, the Lemon Project is the second institutionally funded project of its kind in the United States. The Lemon Project is a multifaceted and dynamic attempt to rectify wrongs perpetrated against African Americans by William & Mary through action or inaction. An ongoing endeavor, The Lemon Project explores and encourages scholarship on the 330+ year relationship between African Americans and William & Mary. The Lemon Project builds bridges between William & Mary and African American communities through research, programming, and supporting students, faculty, and staff.

Call for Proposals

"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it." - Maya Angelou

In 2025, the Lemon Project celebrates fifteen years of our spring symposium. As we navigate today’s world, the reparative and healing work of the Lemon Project is as vital as it has ever been. Remembering the past fifteen years of symposium gatherings, we celebrate Black resilience through the theme, “Undefeated: Black Resilience through Resistance, Creativity, and Cooperation.” “Undefeated” beckons us to embrace communal strength in a world where obstacles seem insurmountable, and challenges are relentless. The symposium celebrates the indomitable spirit of resilience, the power of cooperation, and the transformative force of creativity within Black communities. This gathering aims to explore how these interconnected themes shape the experiences, challenges, and triumphs of Black individuals and communities worldwide.

The 2025 Spring Symposium will explore the following questions: How have historical experiences of adversity and resilience shaped the current strengths and challenges within Black communities? In what ways do Black communities demonstrate resilience through cultural practices, collective action, and grassroots initiatives? What are examples of successful intra community cooperation initiatives that have strengthened solidarity and mutual support within Black communities? What are examples of innovative solutions and entrepreneurship within Black communities that address local challenges and foster economic resilience

These questions aim to stimulate meaningful discussions and explore innovative ideas at the symposium focusing on resistance, resilience, cooperation, and creativity within Black communities. We encourage participants to reflect on historical contexts, celebrate cultural strengths, and envision collaborative pathways towards sustainable empowerment and social justice.

Our symposium is multi-disciplinary and open to all. We seek proposals from people who explore Black resistance, creativity, healing, and reclamation, including but not limited to academic and descendant and/or family researchers and historians, educators, genealogists, activists, spiritual practitioners, and members of Greater Williamsburg communities and beyond. We invite a broad range of topics from people who work in the fields of American Studies, Black Studies, Anthropology, History, Public Humanities, Preservation, Oral History, STEM, among others. We also invite community organizers, activists, mental health professionals, and wellness practitioners to submit proposals in areas such as cultural production (art, poetry, music), wellness, and spirituality.

Possible topics include but are not limited to:

Family histories, local histories, descendant histories, and genealogical studies, including stories of strength, overcoming, and perseverance
Cooperation during slavery through Civil Rights and beyond
Black healers and ancestral health practices; healing through land, space, and ancestral ties
Black family reunions, gathering spaces, and religious events, including homegoings, and homecomings
Black LGBTQ+ people and/or communities’ creativity, cooperation, and resilience
Mental and emotional health in Black communities
Black memory, community healing practices, and heritage studies
Reparations and reparative efforts by people and/or institutions
Narratives of enslaved and free Black people, including narratives of resilience and resistance
The ways in which the state/government has weaponized the concept of cooperation against Black people

We also invite you to review past symposium themes and to build on those topics:

Submit your proposal by October 1, 2024.

Proposal Submission Guidelines

We are accepting proposals from:

individuals (individuals usually present for 15 minutes)
panels of 3-4 people (panels are an 1 hour, 15 minutes)
poster sessions (posters will be displayed at the symposium)

Guidelines for a Submission from an Individual

Complete your submission by applying here no later than October 1, 2024. Submissions require the following information:

Name and Email Address
Institutional or Community Affiliation, if applicable
Indicate whether you are a/an: Undergraduate Student, Graduate/Professional Student, Community Member, Faculty, Staff, Administrator, Genealogist, or Not Listed
Title of Individual Submission
Summary of your proposal (1020 characters maximum), including a discussion of how your presentation relates to the symposium’s theme, and/or question(s) that you will address and/or a call to action. This will be included in the online program.
Brief biography (no more than 900 characters). This will also be included in the online conference program.

Guidelines for Panel Submissions

Complete your submission by applying here no later than October 1, 2024. Submissions require the following information:

Names and Emails of panelists
Name and Email of Panel Moderator (Required)
Institutional or Community Affiliations, if applicable
Indicate whether panelists are: Undergraduate Students, Graduate/Professional Students, Community Members, Faculty, Staff, Administrators, Genealogists, or Not Listed
Summary of your proposal (1020 characters maximum). This should include a brief discussion of how your presentation relates to the symposium's theme, and/or a question that you will attempt to answer and/or a call to action.
Short biography (no more than 200 words for each person) of each panel participant and the panel moderator.

Guidelines for Poster Submissions

Complete your submission by applying here no later than October 1, 2024. Submissions require the following information:

Name and Email Address
Institutional or Community Affiliation, if applicable
Indicate whether you are: Undergraduate Students, Graduate/Professional Students, Community Members, Faculty, Staff, Administrators, Genealogists, or Not Listed
Title of Poster Submission
Summary of your poster (1020 characters maximum). This should include a brief discussion of how your presentation relates to the symposium's theme, and/or a question that you will attempt to answer and/or a call to action. *This will be included in the online program.
Space requirements of your poster. Please provide approximate measurements of your poster and indicate if you will use a table or easel.
Short biography (1020 characters maximum). This will be in the online program.

Questions?

For questions about The Lemon Project Symposium, email Lemon Project Associate Director Sarah Thomas at [[w|lemon]].