Conference Schedule

Thursday, April 7

Plenary Session 2 – 10:30-11:50 a.m.   (Oechsle Hall 224)
"Paul Robeson and the Cold War"
Nelson Peery, author and founding member of the League of Revolutionaries for a New America. (Moderated by Ilan Peleg, Dana Professor of Government and Law, Lafayette College.)

Lunch (on your own) – noon to 1:50 p.m.

Robeson Film Festival - noon-4 p.m.   (Limburg Theater, Farinon College Center)
Body and Soul (1925), noon; Borderline (1930), 1:45 p.m.; Emperor Jones (1933), 3:05 p.m.

Plenary Session 3 – 2-3:20 p.m.   (Oechsle Hall 224)
“The Significance of Paul Robeson's Theatre Productions”
Amiri Baraka, professor emeritus of Africana Studies, State University of New York at Stony Brook. (Moderated by Rexford A. Ahene, professor of economics and business and co-chair of Africana studies, Lafayette College.)

Plenary Session 4 – 3:30-5 p.m.   (Oechsle Hall 224)
"Marx’s and Engels’ Influences on the Development of Robeson’s Intellect”
Harry R. Targ, professor of political science and American studies, Purdue University, and John T. McCartney, professor and head of government and law, Lafayette College. (Moderated by Kevin Cameron, department of government and law, Lafayette College.)

Dinner (on your own) – 5:10-6:50 p.m.

Plenary Session 5 (Keynote Address) – 7-8:30 p.m.   (Kirby Hall of Civil Rights 104)
Keynote address by Paul Robeson Jr.
(Introduced by Arthur J. Rothkopf, president, Lafayette College. Moderated by June Schlueter, provost, Lafayette College.)

President’s Reception and Book Signing – 8:35-9:35 p.m.
Hosted by Arthur J. Rothkopf, president, Lafayette College.

Friday, April 8

Plenary Session 7 – 10:30-11:50 a.m.   (Colton Chapel)
“Robeson: Forgotten Hero Who Laid the Foundation for a Movement”
Lamont Yeakey, associate professor of history, California State University, Los Angeles. (Moderated by Curlee Raven Horton, professor of art and director of Experimental Printmaking Institute, Lafayette College.)

Lunch (on your own) – noon-1:20 p.m.

Robeson Film Festival noon-4:35 p.m.   (Limburg Theater, Farinon College Center)
Show Boat (1936), excerpt, noon; Sanders of the River (1935), 12:15 p.m.; Song of Freedom (1936), 1:55 p.m.; King Solomon's Mines (1937), 3:15 p.m.

Spoken-Word Performance – 1:30-3:20 p.m.   (Marlo Room, Farinon College Center)
Saul Williams
(Moderated by Gladstone Hutchinson, dean of studies, Lafayette College)

Plenary Session 8 – 3:30-4:50 p.m.   (Kirby Hall of Civil Rights 104)
“Robeson’s Research for His Roles in Films and Plays”
Charles Musser, professor of film studies and American studies, Yale University. (Moderated by Norman Roberts, professor of communications/theater, Northampton Community College.)

Dinner (on your own) – 5-6:45 p.m.

Plenary Session 9 (Keynote Address) – 7-9 p.m.   (Kirby Hall of Civil Rights 104)
Keynote address by author Randall Robinson, founder and former president of TransAfrica
(Moderated by Riley K. Temple, secretary, Board of Trustees, Lafayette College.)

Reception – 9:10-10 p.m.
Hosted by Africana studies program and Portlock Black Cultural Center, Lafayette College.

Saturday, April 9

Plenary Session 11 – 10:30-11:50 a.m.   (Kirby Hall of Civil Rights 104)
“The Significance of the Production History of Phillip Hayes Dean’s Paul Robeson”
Ed Bullins, Distinguished Artist-in-Residence, Northeastern University; Miller Lucky Jr., associate professor of theater, North Carolina A&T State University; and Samuel A. Hay, visiting professor of government and law, Lafayette College. (Moderated by Suzanne Westfall, professor of English, Lafayette College.)

Lunch (on your own), noon-1:20 p.m.

Robeson Film Festival noon-4:15 p.m.   (Limburg Theater, Farinon College Center)
Big Fella (1938), noon; Jericho aka Dark Sands (1936), 1:15 p.m.; Proud Valley (1939), 2:35 p.m.; Tales of Manhattan (1942), excerpt, 3:55 p.m.

Plenary Session 12 – 1:30-2:50 p.m.   (Kirby Hall of Civil Rights 104)
"The Cultural Politics of Robeson and Richard Wright: Theorizing the African Diaspora"
Floyd W. Hayes III, senior lecturer in political science and coordinator of undergraduate programs in Africana studies, The Johns Hopkins University. (Moderated by Sharon Gavin-Levy, professor of English, Northampton Community College.)

Plenary Session 13 – 3-4:20 p.m.   (Kirby Hall of Civil Rights 104)
“Standing on A Stone: The Influence of Africa on Paul Robeson’s Life and Work”
Kofi Opoku, professor of religious studies and co-chair of Africana studies, Lafayette College. (Moderated by Javad Tavakoli, associate professor and head of chemical engineering, Lafayette College.)

High School Student Competitions – 2-4:50 p.m.   (Kirby Hall of Civil Rights 204)
"taking Cues from Robeson"
(Moderated by Mercedes Sharpless, librarian, Kirby Library, Lafayette College.)

Curriculum Development Workshop for Robeson Studies – 2-3:30 p.m.   (Kirby Hall of Civil Rights 206)
Led by Dr. Vernon Grier, Cultural Institute, Teaneck, N.J.

Celebration: Paul Robeson's Here I Stand - 4:30-6 p.m.   (Interfaith Chapel, Hogg Hall)
Reader's Theatre Production starring Stephen McKinley Henderson, J.D. Hall, John Peak, and Ron Dortch; performance by Lafayette Concert Choir, Nina Gilbert, director; performances by community choirs and dance ensembles

Dinner (on your own) – 5-6:45 p.m.

Final Plenary Session (“A Robeson Portrait”) – 7-9 p.m.   (William Center for the Arts)
Production of “A Robeson Portrait” starring Staff Sergeant Alvy Powell, U.S. Army Chorus
(Moderated by Jewell Robinson, public program director, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.)

Reception – 9:15-10 p.m.   (William Center for the Arts)
Hosted by Association of Black Collegians and International Students Association, Lafayette College.