Moving… From Civil Rights to Human Rights

The Peace & Justice Studies Association announces its 2017 annual conference…

“Moving… From Civil Rights to Human Rights”

October 25-29, 2017

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)

Birmingham, Alabama

Early Bird Registration Rates & Proposal Submission Deadline: June 1, 2017.

As peace scholars, educators, and activists, we are challenged with a new reality. We must make a response. We must build a movement embracing the values and principles of justice and peace-building.

We invite proposals from graduate, undergraduate, professional scholars, educators, and activists on all topics related to peace, justice, human rights, civil rights, and building a new movement to challenge our culture. At this year’s conference, we invite you to explore methods and strategies that not only address the challenging attributes of our relationships and our world, but also showcase the success of visionary projects and movements that have built new ways of being and doing (that is, building the world we want) from the interpersonal to the global. In our emphasis on justice and peace, we especially encourage submissions and participation from individuals and communities whose voice historically has been marginalized.

Come and hear from the individuals that helped shape the Civil Rights Movement of the past, such as former SNCC activist Ruby Sales, and those on the front line of the Movement for Black Lives today including Pastor Cori Bush, La Trina Jackson and Reverend Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou. Other featured speakers include Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II with the North Carolina NAACP (pending final confirmation), activists working internationally such as Nelson Reiyia, and noted authors, activists and scholars including Riane Eisler, Ynestra King, Matt Meyer, Sally Bermanzohn and Hakim Mohandas Amani Williams. For more information on our featured speakers visit https://www.peacejusticestudies.org/conference/plenaries-featured-speakers.

We have also organized a pre-conference guided civil rights tour of sites in Montgomery, AL including the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered sermons, as well as the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the state Capitol Building. The conference will also feature a theatre performance, award presentations, a benefit concert, a silent auction, and a variety of plenaries, panels, posters, films, workshops, and roundtables.

To register and submit a proposal:

1. Begin by registering for the conference and any extra conference events at this link: http://bit.ly/2o0wOJ8. To receive the Early Bird Registration Rate, make sure to register and pay the registration fee before June 1, 2017. Credit card payments are accepted as part of the registration process. Please note that two dinner/speaker events are offered at a substantially reduced rate to conference registrants, purchased separately.

2. After registering, you may submit your proposal at this link: http://bit.ly/2o0hTPm. Please note, only proposals submitted by registered conference attendees will be reviewed for inclusion on the program. Therefore, we kindly ask that you register for the conference prior to submitting your proposal. Proposals received from non-registered individuals will not be considered until registration and payment can be confirmed. The deadline for submitting proposals is also June 1, 2017.

3. Conference organizers will inform accepted presenters and provide a preliminary presentation schedule this summer.

Proposals will be considered from every level from any field related to peace and justice studies such as African American Studies, Anthropology, Development Economics, Ecology, English, Government, History, Indigenous Peoples, International Relations, Justice Sciences, Peace Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Social Movement Studies, Sociology, Sustainability and Climate Change, Women and Gender Studies and so on.

Submissions may propose various formats, including:

• Individually volunteered papers
• Roundtable discussions
• Teaching and/or skills-building workshops
• Posters
• Panels
• Films, creative works, and art presentations using a variety of means

Submissions from teachers, activists, youth, and first-time presenters as well as academics are welcome. The PJSA conference provides a welcoming environment designed to facilitate the sharing of work and ideas across disciplines.

For more information, contact: info@peacejusticestudies.org or visit https://www.peacejusticestudies.org. A preliminary schedule of the conference can be found at https://www.peacejusticestudies.org/conference/schedule and will be continually updated as details are announced.