Ella Baker for the 21st Century: National One Day Symposium
Keynote by Angela Davis and Barbara Ransby
Friday, December 1, 2023 | 9:30 AM-8:30 PM
Location: Event Oval, The Diana Center, Barnard College
In honor of the 20th anniversary of the publication of Ella Baker and the Black Radical Tradition by Barbara Ransby, this day-long symposium will feature a keynote conversation by Angela Davis and Barbara Ransby, panels with nationally recognized scholars, and a celebratory reception with music, poetry, and refreshments. Join us for a robust celebration of Ella Baker and her legacy and a rich conversation about Black radicalism.
ARRIVE EARLY + LIVESTREAM
We are currently over capacity and recommend an early arrival to ensure your seat. If you cannot join us in person, we are happy to share that the entire symposium will be livestreamed. Links to the livestream sessions are included in the program below and are also available on the event page.
PROGRAM
9:30-10 a.m. | Welcome
Livestream available here
Premilla Nadasen (Barnard College)
10-11:30 a.m. | Black Women and the Black Radical Tradition
Livestream available here
Robin D.G. Kelley (University of California, Los Angeles), Dayo Gore (Georgetown University), Mariame Kaba (Project Nia), and Barbara Smith (Combahee River Collective), moderated by Gina Dent (University of California, Santa Cruz)
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch Break
1-2:30 p.m. | Teaching Ella Baker
Livestream available here
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (Princeton University), Robyn Spencer (Wayne State University), and Beverly Guy-Sheftall (Spelman College), moderated by Farah Jasmine Griffin (Columbia University)
2:30-2:45 p.m. | Coffee Break
2:45-4:15 p.m. | What Ella Baker’s Legacy Means for the Freedom Movement Today
Livestream available here
Maurice Mitchell (Working Families Party), Leena Odeh (Ella’s Daughters), Karissa Lewis (M4BL), and Asha Ransby-Sporn (BYP100), moderated by Cathy Cohen (University of Chicago)
4:15-4:30 p.m. | Break
4:30-6 p.m. | Keynote Conversation
Livestream available here
Barbara Ransby (University of Illinois, Chicago) and Angela Davis (University of California, Santa Cruz), introduced by Premilla Nadasen (Barnard College)
6-8 p.m. | Reception
Remarks by Sarah Haley (Columbia University) and Jafari Allen (Columbia University)
Music by DJ Lynnée Denise and performance by poet Kristiana Rae Colón
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Presented by Barnard Center for Research on Women -BCRW and the Institute for Research in African American Studies, Columbia University- IRAAS
Co-Sponsors: Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies-Columbia University; the Program in American Studies, the Department of History and the Institute for the Study of Sexuality and Gender-Columbia University; the Department of Africana Studies- Barnard College, the Department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Barnard Library and Academic Information Services, Barnard College
