Slave Dwelling Project Conference

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The 8th national Slave Dwelling Project Conference will take place October 3-5 in Philadelphia, PA in collaboration with University of Pennsylvania’s McNeil Center for Early American Studies and Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights Sites at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design. This year’s theme,The Illusion of Freedom: Slavery in the Northern States seeks to explore American chattel slavery that was present in northern states prior to, and after the American Revolution. While gradual emancipation began after the Revolution, the complicity of northern states allowed the institution of enslavement to persist nationally. Current American ideology purports the North’s role in the American Revolution, the Underground Railroad, and the Civil War as asylum for the enslaved--nothing could be further from the truth. Less is known about northern participation in chattel slavery that existed in the United States and the legacy of chattel slavery that continues to disenfranchise the African American population and contribute to systemic racism. The 8th conference of the Slave Dwelling Project, the first in a northern state, will examine those roles as the nation prepares for the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution in 2026.

The 8th SDP Conference will feature an engaging keynote address by Michael Harriot, a columnist at theGrio and a staff writer on The Amber Ruffin Show and author of Black AF History: The Unwhitewashed Story of America. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, The Atlantic, NBC, BET, and on his mother’s refrigerator. He is a frequent political commentator on MSNBC and CNN and earned the National Association of Black Journalists Award for digital commentary as well as TV news writing. Participants will also have the opportunity to participate in 40 informative and enlightening sessions by many notable scholars and historians in historic Philadelphia, PA with many off-site experiences as well.

The conference will take place in the heart of the Philadelphia historic district just steps from such iconic landmarks as the Liberty Bell, National Constitution Center, and Betsy Ross House. The sessions will take place at the Museum of the American Revolution, The Philadelphia Marriott Old City, and the University of Pennsylvania, with opportunities for off-site experiences.

Major funding for the conference has been generously provided by the 1772 Foundation with support from the Americana Foundation. We are also pleased to have the University of Pennsylvania’s McNeil Center for Early American Studies and Center for the Preservation of Civil Rights Sites at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design as partners and sponsors.