Elmer Lucille Allen Conference
February 18th & 19th
In service of our mission as a “diverse community of learners dedicated to meeting the needs of the times”, Spalding University presents the Seventh Annual Elmer Lucille Allen Conference on African American Studies on February 18 and February 19. Organized by Dr. Deonte Hollowell, Director of African American Studies, and by the School of Liberal Arts, this multi-disciplinary two-day event will be held in the College Street Ballroom and the Egan Leadership Center (ELC) with an option to attend virtually via Zoom. There will also be an exhibition in the Huff Gallery (Located in the basement of the Spalding library) featuring local Black artists.
The conference theme for 2025 is Environmental Injustice in the Black Community. “Vital to Blacks” continued struggle for racial equity, is the need for our communities to experience fair protection from environmental and health hazards, along with equal access to the decision-making processes behind environmental policies and development. This traditional idea of environmental justice is about protecting people in their natural and adaptive environments.
For Black communities, specifically, this protection must lead to equitable creative placement for the overall Black (Africana) experience. This holistic approach is necessary in the Black (Africana) Studies discipline, which is organized to effectively address issues relating to the quality of life of Black people. The work includes the disciplines of history, the arts, social work, women/gender studies, economics, education, and psychology. The Black Studies discipline, along with its leadership, philosophies, and solutions is under constant scrutiny and attack socially and politically. The mission of grassroots advocacy and education continues.
About Elmer Lucille Allen
Elmer Lucille Allen is one of the first African American graduates of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth (now Spalding University) and has the distinction of being the first African American chemist to be hired at Brown-Forman in 1966. Today, she is an accomplished textile artist and ceramicist.
Itinerary
Tuesday, February 18th
College Street Ballroom (unless otherwise noted)
9:30 AM: Check-in Opens
10:00 AM: Introduction/Agenda & Welcome with Elmer Lucille Allen
10:15 AM – 11:45 AM: Keynote & Panel with the Youth Justice Cohort
11:45 – 12:00 PM: Break
12:00 – 3:00 PM: Lunch & Grassroots Fair*
2:00 – 3:00 PM: Tour of Spalding Campus (Meet in Hallway by Ballroom)
3:00 – 3:15 PM: Break
3:15 – 4:00 PM: Charles ‘Chuck’ Thomas Panel with Spalding BSA & Simmons College
4:00 – 4:15 PM: Break
4:15 – 5:00 PM: Youth Tour – Elmer Lucille Allen Exhibition (Huff Gallery – Basement of University Library)
4:00 – 6:00 PM: Grassroots Fair* & Networking
*The Grassroots Fair: This is an opportunity for students of all ages, and other conference participants, to become familiar with various community resources as they search for jobs, internships, organizational memberships, and volunteer opportunities. Attendees include youth programs, grassroots organizations, community service-oriented groups, and local businesses.
Wednesday, February 19th
Egan Leadership Center, Harry B. Troutman Lectorium (unless otherwise noted)
8:30 AM: Check-in Opens
9:00 – 10:00 AM: Welcome with Elmer Lucille Allen
+
Redefining Environmental Injustice with Dr. Deonte Hollowell
10:00 AM – 10:15 PM: Break
10:15 – 11:15 AM: Breakout Sessions 1 & 2 (1 Hybrid & 2 Virtual)
11:15 AM — 1:00 PM: Lunch (on your own – light refreshments available)
1:00 – 2:00 PM: Breakout Sessions 3 & 4 (3 Hybrid & 4 Virtual)
2:00 – 2:15 PM: Break
2:15 – 3:15 PM: Breakout Sessions 5 & 6 (5 Hybrid & 6 Virtual) with Spalding BSA & Simmons College
3:15 – 3:30 PM: Break
3:30 – 4:30 PM: Breakout Sessions 7 & 8 (7 Hybrid & 8 Virtual)
4:30 – 5:00 PM: Break
5:00 – 5:45 PM: Elmer Lucille Allen Exhibition Tour & Chat (Huff Gallery – Basement of University Library)
5:45 – 6:00 PM: Break
6:00 – 7:00 PM: Keynote Presentation
Sponsorship
Dr. Hollowell invites local business owners, grassroots organizations and programs focused on the upliftment of Black people to purchase sponsorships for this year’s conference. Our conference program will feature advertisements encouraging our guests to patronize your business, services or programming. The deadline for sponsorships for the Seventh Annual Elmer Lucille Allen Conference is 11:59pm Friday, February 10th. Any sponsorship submissions that come in after the deadline will go towards next year’s Conference. We will not be able to include sponsors who submit after the deadline in our Conference program for this year. Thanks for understanding and supporting the Elmer Lucille Allen Conference on African American Studies.
Register
For More Info
Deonte Hollowell
Director of African American Studies
Associate Professor – School of Liberal Arts
Email: dhollowell@spalding.edu
Dorina Miller Parmenter
Chair of School of Liberal Arts
Director of Honors Scholar Program
Professor of Religious Studies
Email: dparmenter@spalding.edu