The African American Program at the Heinz History Center will host the Inaugural Martin Robison Delany Symposium on Aug. 26-27, 2022, at the History Center.
The two-day academic conference’s theme is “Before, During, and Beyond the Civil War” and will take an unprecedented look at the life, career, and legacy of Martin Delany, one the nation’s most influential African American leaders in the 19th century.
The History Center will host a welcome reception for the Delany Symposium attendees on the evening of Friday, Aug. 26 in the museum’s Great Hall.
On Saturday, Aug. 27, the day-long symposium will feature speakers and scholars from across the nation who have studied Delany and his indelible impact. Sessions will examine Delany’s literary publication, Blake, the emigration movement, politics, Black identity, and Delany in public history. The keynote speakers are Tunde Adeleke, director African American Studies at Iowa State University, and Richard J. Blackett, the Andrew Jackson Professor of History at Vanderbilt University.
All Delany symposium events and sessions are included with registration. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served at the Friday evening reception. Breakfast and lunch will be served during the symposium on Saturday.
Registration is $50 for in-person attendees; $10 for virtual attendees; $25 for students; and $10 for History Center members. Advance registration is required.
The Delany Symposium is being supported in part by Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), funded by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. The program is also supported by the Allegheny Regional Asset District and the Heinz Endowments.