The Slave Dwelling Project Conference: the Stono Rebellion and the Atlantic World

Event Details

The 7th national Slave Dwelling Project Conference will take place September 8–10 in Charleston, SC, in collaboration with the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program and the Carolina Lowcountry and Atlantic World Program (CLAW) at the College of Charleston and as part of a monthlong commemoration of the Stono Rebellion. This year’s theme, The Stono Rebellion and the Atlantic Word, offers an in-depth look at the 1739 rebellion by enslaved African Americans along the Stono River in South Carolina and elsewhere in the LowCountry. Conference events will take place at the Stern Center on the campus of the College of Charleston. Conference-associated activities will occur on key sites related to the Stono Rebellion, with additional opportunities for self-guided activities in and around the Charleston area. The 2022 SDP Conference is made possible through major funding by The 1772 Foundation.

The Stono Rebellion, a transformative event in the history of enslavement in the Americas, tells a powerful story of resistance and resilience. In September 1739, against near-impossible odds, a group of enslaved South Carolinians south of Charleston armed themselves and set out to make their way to freedom in Spanish Florida. This early-American story of rebellion, resistance, and resilience powerfully impacted the 18th- and 19th-century Atlantic world, and continues to wield power today as we seek to unearth the full story of African-American resistance to enslavement, and to celebrate the extraordinary legacy of African-American resilience.

The 2022 Slave Dwelling Conference, The Stono Rebellion and the Atlantic World, seeks to examine not only the 1739 rebellion but also its lasting impact—one that continues to resonate throughout the world today in the ongoing fight for racial and social justice.
With engaging keynote addresses by Dr. Edda Fields-Black, author of the forthcoming ‘Combee’: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War , and Dr. Hilary Green of Davidson College (previously with the University of Alabama), author of Educational Reconstruction: African American Schools in the Urban South, 1865-1890, as well as presentations by many other notable scholars and historians, the 7th national SDP Conference offers the opportunity to participate in over 20 informative and enlightening sessions in Charleston, SC, with virtual conference attendance options as well. Additionally all sessions will be available to registered participants for two weeks post-conference.

The Slave Dwelling Project is also pleased to announce four very special extra events associated with the conference. An evening with Aunt Pearlie Sue and the Gullah Kinfolk exploring the roots of Gullah in the southern sea islands; a guided progressive tour of the key sites of the Stono Rebellion led by Shawn Halifax and Joseph McGill; a demonstration by the Fort Mose Militia and Historical Society; and a campfire conversation at Caw Caw Interpretive Site (a Stono Rebellion site) with dinner by acclaimed Gullah chef BJ Dennis.

Visit bit.ly/sdpconf2022 to register.

Founded in 2010, the Slave Dwelling Project envisions a future in which the hearts and minds of Americans acknowledge a more truthful and inclusive narrative of the history of the nation that honors the contributions of all our people, is embedded and preserved in the buildings and artifacts of people of African heritage, and inspires all Americans to acknowledge their Ancestors. Please visit www.slavedwellingproject.org for more information.