Before the Black Action Movement: The U-M African American Student Project, Washtenaw County’s Black Communities, and the Struggle for Inclusion

A distinguished panel of U-M African American alumni, and representatives of the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County (AACHM) and the Bentley Historical Library, will discuss the African American presence in Washtenaw County prior to 1970.

After the panel discussion, attendees will have the opportunity to discover more and interact with the sponsors about their various projects pertaining to the topic.

Program

Welcome & Introduction
Angela D. Dillard
Chair, Department of History

Overview of African American Student Project
Brian A. Williams
Assistant Director and Archivist for University History, Bentley Historical Library

Panel Introduction and Moderator
Matthew Countryman
Chair, Department of Afroamerican and African Studies; Member, Black Washtenaw County Humanities Collaboratory

Panel Discussion
• Lauretta Flowers (U-M Alum)
Teacher, Ann Arbor Public Schools (Retired)
• Joyce Hunter
President/CEO, African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County
• Elizabeth James (U-M Alum)
Program Associate, Department of Afroamerican and African Studies
• Alma Wheeler Smith (U-M Alum)
Michigan State Representative (2005–2010), Michigan State Senator (1995–2002)

Closing Words
John Carson
Director, Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies

Project Stations and Reception
• Living Oral History Project
AACHM & Ann Arbor District Library
• African American Student Project
Bentley Historical Library
• 50th Anniversary Project
Department of Afroamerican and African Studies

The 2023 DAAS-History-EIHS Martin Luther King Jr. Day Symposium is presented in partnership with the African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County (AACHM) and the Bentley Historical Library. Additional support from the Kalt Fund for African American and African History.