Historians Against Slavery Conference

“Using History to Make Slavery History”

Hosted by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

September 24-26, 2015

The conference is designed to facilitate dialogue, scholarship and action in an effort to end modern-day slavery. Survivors, activists, scholars and educators from around the world will convene at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center to illuminate vital themes that can inform today’s abolition and educational movements. The conference theme is “Using History to Make Slavery History”. Registration for the conference is free and is available online at freedomcenter.org/HAS. Conference attendees are responsible for transportation, lodging and meals. There is an optional keynote luncheon ticket available for purchase on Friday, September 25.

“The Historians Against Slavery conference is truly an unique opportunity for the general public to meet with and hear from experts in the field of modern-day slavery,” says Michael Battle, PhD, executive vice president and provost of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “It’s unlike any other conference of its kind, providing attendees with up-to-date information from those who have been and are on the ground in areas that have seen high amounts of human trafficking.”

Historians Against Slavery brings together a distinguished body of scholars and activists from North America, Europe and Africa. The panels feature discussions offering numerous practical examples of how history might be used to inform modern abolition efforts. Panel discussions and breakout sessions include: “Lost in Translation? Linking Activism and the Academy”; “Lessons for Activists from the Slave Narrators Past and Present”; “Frederick Douglass Family Foundation: Globalize 13 K-12 Curriculum Project” and many more.

“Using History to Make Slavery History” keynote speakers include Clarence G. Newsome, PhD, president of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center; Edward E. Baptist of Cornell University and Rachel Moran, a survivor of contemporary slavery, author of Paid For, and anti-slavery activist.

“We are proud to partner with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center again,” said Matthew Mason, co-director of Historians Against Slavery and associate professor of history at Brigham Young University. “Both organizations have a responsibility to raise awareness and educate communities about modern-day slavery. What attendees will learn, from education to consumer demand to policies, are all lessons that we can draw upon from our own experience with slavery, making citizens less vulnerable to trafficking.”

The Historians Against Slavery Conference at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, September 24-26, is free and open to the public with online registration. The conference is presented and sponsored by Historians Against Slavery, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and John and Francie Pepper. For more information and to register for the conference visit freedomcenter.org/HAS or contact Pam Dock at pdock@nurfc.org or (513) 333-7568.

About the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center opened in August 2004 on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Since then, more than 1.3 million people have visited its permanent and changing exhibits and public programs, inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom. Two million people have utilized educational resources online at freedomcenter.org, working to connect the lessons of the Underground Railroad to inform and inspire today’s global and local fight for freedom. Partnerships include Historians Against Slavery, Polaris Project, Free the Slaves, US Department of State and International Justice Mission. In 2014, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center launched a new online resource in the fight against modern slavery, endslaverynow.org.

About Historians Against Slavery
Historians Against Slavery, founded by James Brewer Stewart in January 2011, is a group of scholars who bring historical context and scholarship to the modern-day antislavery movement in order to inform activism and develop collaborations to sustain and enhance such efforts..