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U.S. National Archives and Partner Agencies to Present Symposium Marking
200th Anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade in the U.S.,
on January 10, 2008 in Washington, DC

The U.S. National Archives in partnership with several partner agencies
will present a symposium commemorating the 200th anniversary of the
abolition of the slave trade in the U.S., on Thursday, January 10, 2008 at
the National Archives in Washington, DC.

The Center for the National Archives Experience and the Foundation for the
National Archives are presenting the event, entitled Abolition and the Road
to Freedom: 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act of
1808, in collaboration with: the Bicentennial Committee for the Abolition
of the Slave Trade; the National Museum of African American History and
Culture; Howard University; the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center
for Research in Black Culture; and the National Archives Afro-American
History Society.  Abolition and the Road to Freedom is generously supported
by the Foundation for the National Archives, the Ford Foundation, Howard
University; and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

The United Nations (UN) called in 2006 for international activities to
celebrate and commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the
slave trade in the British Empire (March 25, 1807). The symposium evolved
from this watershed event in world history. The Slave Trade Act of 1808,
passed by Congress in March of 1807, became effective January 1, 1808. The
purpose of the day-long symposium is to raise awareness of the slave trade,
its abolition, and the impact on U.S. history and culture.

The National Archives extends its thanks to the executive members of the
Bicentennial Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade: Joseph Harris,
Howard Dodson, John W. Franklin, and James Early, for their key roles in
organizing this symposium.

Symposium
Abolition and the Road to Freedom: 200th Anniversary of the Slave Trade Act
of 1808
Thursday, January 10, 2008;  9:00 am to 5:30 pm
U.S. National Archives
William G. McGowan Theater
7th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC

Advance Registration is Required

PROGRAM
9:00 am to 9:30 am
Welcome
Remarks by Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States; Lonnie Bunch,
director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture,
and Howard Dodson, director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black
Culture.

9:30 am to 10:30 am
Keynote Address
Pulitzer Prize–winning historian David Levering Lewis speaks on “Competing
Agendas: Ending the Atlantic Slave Traffic.”

10:45 am to 12:15 pm
Global Scope of the Slave Trade and the Act of Abolition
This panel will address the national and international reasons for
abolition. Panelists include Joseph Inikori, professor of history,
Rochester University; Ira Berlin, professor of history, University of
Maryland; Sylviane Diouf, curator, Schomburg Center for Research in Black
Culture; Marika Sherwood, The Black and Asian Studies Association, England;
and Lisa Crooms, professor of law, Howard University.

2:15 pm to 3:45 pm.
Africans and the African Diaspora
This panel will identify and compare the status of African descendant
communities in the United States and other American regions during the
periods of enslavement and abolition. Panelists include Gwendolyn Midlo
Hall, senior research fellow, Tulane University; Selwyn H. H. Carrington,
professor of history, Howard University; Michael Gomez, professor of
history, New York University; Michael Turner, professor of history, Hunter
College, City University of New York; and historian and scholar Bernice
Reagon.

4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Contemporary Implications of the Abolition of the Slave Trade
This panel will examine how the legacy of enslavement continues to affect
contemporary American society. Panelists include Ali A. Mazrui, director,
Institute of Global Cultural Studies, Binghamton University; Georgia
Dunston, professor and founding director, National Human Genome Center,
Howard University; George Dalley, chief of staff, Office of Congressman
Charles Rangel; John W. Franklin, National Museum of African American
History and Culture; and Clarence Lausane, professor, School of
International Service, American University.

REGISTRATION
Register by January 4. General Registration Fee: $25; Foundation for the
National Archives members: $20; Students/Educators/Seniors: $15
Send your name, address, e-mail address, and daytime telephone number along
with a check to:

Slave Trade Abolition Symposium
National Archives at College Park
Attn: Katie Wilmes, NWE
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740

Make checks payable to the National Archives Trust Fund. To pay by credit
card, include the card number, expiration date, and cardholder signature.
You may also fax this information to 202-357-5925 or call  202-357-5127      
Tuesday–Friday. Do not leave credit card information in the message; a
staff member will contact you.

For more information, visit
http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/events/january.html#symposium and
contact Katie Wilmes [email: katie.wilmes@nara.gov  phone:               202-357-5127