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The 15th Annual Lemon Project Spring Symposium
March 21-22, 2025
Undefeated: Black Resilience through Resistance, Creativity, and Cooperation
This Williamsburg, Virginia, symposium will take place both in person at the 91心頭利 School of Education (301 Monticello Avenue) and virtually over Zoom.
Event Details
91心頭利, Office of the Provost
The Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation
In-Person and Virtual Symposium
Event is free. All are welcome!
Friday, March 21 |
Symposium Event |
Location |
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. |
Registration | School of Education, Concourse |
8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. |
Breakfast | Concourse |
8:55 a.m. - 9:10 a.m. |
Reading of Land and Labor Acknowledgments Welcome by Dr. Jody Allen, Robert Francis Engs Lemon Project Director Remarks by Dr. Pamela Eddy, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Development, 91心頭利 Introduction of Keynote Speaker by Dr. Jajuan Johnson, Public Historian for Research & Programs |
School of Education, Matoaka Woods |
9:10 a.m. - 10:40 a.m. |
“What Would The Ancestors Say?” Keynote by Dr. Daniel Black, Followed by Q&A |
Matoaka Woods |
10:40 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. |
Book Signing/Break | Concourse |
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Three Concurrent Panels |
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11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. |
Panel 1: “The Evolving History of Virginia’s Central State Hospital, 1869-2025: Panel discussion” | Matoaka Woods |
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Panel 2: “Exploring the History of Enslavement in North Carolina and Virginia” | Dogwood |
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Panel 3: “Reclaiming Our Story” | Holly |
12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. |
Lunch | Matoaka Woods |
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Three Concurrent Panels |
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1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. |
Panel 4: “Strength in Sisterhood: The Power of a Council of Women in Navigating Life, Family, and Career” | Matoaka Woods |
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Panel 5: “Exploring Black American Lives through Disability, Relationships, Religion, and Conversation” | Dogwood |
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Panel 6: “Prenatal Through Postpartum: The Renaissance of Black Maternal Health” | Holly |
2:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. |
Break | |
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Three Concurrent Panels |
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2:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. |
Panel 7: “Descendant Power | Mobilizing for Community and Advocacy” | Matoaka Woods |
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Panel 8: “Jackson Ward: The Birthplace of Black Entrepreneurship” | Dogwood |
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Panel 9: “Resilience and Healing Through History and Communities” | Holly |
4:00 p.m. -4:15 p.m. |
Break | |
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Three Concurrent Panels |
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4:15 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. |
Panel 10: “Undefeated by Eminent Domain: The Lee Family Rebuilding after Displacement in WWI” | Matoaka Woods |
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Panel 11: “Piney Swamp: A Place of Black Resistance, a Site of Black Landedness, a Subject of Cooperative Research” | Dogwood |
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Panel 12: “'We've Come Full-Circle:' How Two Families Separated by Slavery are Back Together Again” | Holly |
5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. |
Matoaka Woods & Concourse | |
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Poster and Exhibition Tours | Concourse |
Saturday, March 22 |
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8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. |
Registration | School of Education, Concourse |
8:00 a.m. - 9:10 a.m. |
Breakfast | Concourse |
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Three Concurrent Panels |
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9:10 a.m. - 10:25 a.m. |
Panel 13: “Healing Through the Arts: Music, Stories, and Dance” | Matoaka Woods |
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Panel 14: “The Resilience of Black Women” | Dogwood |
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Panel 15: “Partnership Model for Historical Preservation that Empowers Communities: The Cape Charles Rosenwald School Restoration Initiative and the W&M Public Policy Program” | Holly |
10:25 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. |
Break | |
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Three Concurrent Panels |
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10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
Panel 16: “Writing The Williamsburg Bray School: A Study in Community Resilience and Partnership” | Matoaka Woods |
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Panel 17: “Fostering Community and Collaboration: Building Upon Fifteen Years of Public History with the Lemon Project” | Dogwood |
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Panel 18: “'This Represents Opportunity:' Black Resilience and the Legacy of Mitchelville” | Holly |
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. |
Lunch | |
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Poster and Exhibition Tours | Concourse |
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Three Concurrent Panels |
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1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. |
Panel 19: “Aspiring for Change: Community Transformation Through "Coming to the Table” | Matoaka Woods |
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Panel 20: “Initiatives For Memorialization & Institutional Accountability” | Dogwood |
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Panel 21: "Highlighting Undergraduate Research at 91心頭利” | Holly |
2:15 p.m. - 2:35 p.m. |
Break | |
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Three Concurrent Panels |
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2:35 p.m. - 3:50 p.m. |
Panel 22: “Healing Through Truth: Exploring the Intersection of Historical Narratives, Reparations and Mental Health at Virginia Theological Seminary” | Matoaka Woods |
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Panel 23: “Reclaiming the Narrative: Rediscovering the Black History of Smith's Fort” | Dogwood |
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Panel 24: “Resilience Through Cooperation – 91心頭利 Cultural Heritage Immersion Program (CHiP)” | Holly |
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. |
“” |
Hearth: Memorial to the Enslaved |
Thank you for the support of the Arts & Sciences Dean’s Innovation Fund, the Vision 2026 Signature Fund, the Society of 1918, the Harrison Ruffin Tyler Department of History, and the W&M Libraries Special Collections Research Center.