Black Declarations of Independence:

Before and After 1776

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | February 19th-20th, 2026

About

The Library Company of Philadelphia, in partnership with the American Philosophical Society, invites proposals for Black Declarations of Independence, Before and After 1776, a two-day public conference exploring how Black people have articulated, enacted, and reimagined freedom across time.
The significance of this event is especially urgent amid current debates and controversies surrounding Philadelphia’s 250th-anniversary commemorations. This gathering insists that any reckoning with 1776 must also attend to the multiple, ongoing declarations of freedom that both preceded and followed it, marking the presence and persistence of Black life within this history.
We are pleased to announce that our keynote speakers will include:
  • Christopher Brown, historian of the British empire and professor of history at Columbia University, with award-winning projects such as Moral Capital: Foundations of British Abolitionism (2006)
  • Annette Gordon-Reed, Carl. M. Loeb University Professor at Harvard University, and Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Hemingses of Monticello (2008) and On Juneteenth (2021)
  • Nell Irvin Painter, renowned historian, artist, author, and Edwards Professor of American History, Emerita, Princeton University, with bestsellers such as Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol (1996)

Conference Format

Unlike traditional academic conferences, Black Declarations of Independence is designed for a broad public audience. To maximize engagement and accessibility, each speaker is invited to build their 10–15 minute presentation around a single source that conveys a notion of Black freedom. This may be:
  • An excerpt from a text-based source, such as:
    • Narrative or autobiographical pieces
    • Books, magazines, newspapers, periodicals
    • Letters and correspondence
    • Manuscripts, diaries, journals, and other personal writings
    • Legal or financial records, government documents
    • Wills, depositions, and other official documents
  • An extract from a visual or material sources, such as:
    • Photographs of significant events, people, or places
    • Broadsides, prints, maps, or blueprints
    • Artwork or other visual materials
    • Historical objects, memorabilia, or ephemera
By focusing on one document or object, we aim to provide attendees with copies (when possible) so that the audience can learn with you, read alongside you, and participate more deeply in the conversation. Our goal is to move away from a series of lectures and toward a shared, community-centered experience of discovery.
Overall, we welcome the submission of any text, image, or artifact, so long as it meets our one-record scope and is authored by and ​for Black people, opening up questions of independence, self-making, autonomy, and resistance.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit a brief CV and proposal of approximately 250–300 words describing:
  • the single source you intend to discuss
  • its historical, cultural, or philosophical significance
  • how it speaks to Black practices or expressions of freedom
  • how you envision presenting it to a general, non-specialist audience
Deadline for submissions: December 15, 2025
Notification of acceptance: Early January 2026

Program Comittee

Library Company of Philadelphia

Dr. Jim Downs
Director of the Program in African American History

Wynn Eakins, MLIS
Reference Librarian, African Americana Subject Specialist

American Philosophical Society

Dr. Michelle McDonald
Director of the Library & Museum

Dr. Brenna Holland
Assistant Director of Library & Museum Programs