Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2015
37 ° Cloudy
Three Virginia Wesleyan professors will present Sept. 26-27 at Norfolk State University’s second annual “1619: Making of America” conference, hosted in partnership with the Hampton History Museum. The conference will offer scholars and participants a unique platform to engage in dialogue on important issues defining new interpretations of the crucial events that occurred in Virginia history during the year 1619, such as the arrival of the first Africans and the formation of the House of Burgesses. During a Sept. 26 panel titled “The 1619 Nexus: The Growing Influence of Natives and Africans on American Literature,” Assistant Professor of English Rebecca Hooker will present "David Cusick's Sketches of Ancient History of the Six Nations (1827): An Iroquois Origin Story and A Challenge to the Western Historical Timeline." Associate Professor of History Richard Bond will present "The Politics of Commemoration" during a Sept. 27 panel titled “Commemorating 1619.” Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice/Sociology Thomas Brown will also present on Sept. 27 during a panel titled “Race, Law, and Slavery in Early America.” He will present his paper "'Taken from a Negro': Extralegal Policing of Slaves and Property in the Eighteenth Century Low Country." Other presenters will include American Indians, local physicians, area historians, National Park Service officials, and nationally known scholars. The conference will take place at the Hampton Convention Center on Sept. 26 and at Norfolk State's student center on Sept. 27. For more information, visit www.1619makingofamerica.com.