Resources for Antiracist Conference Design
As part of their consulting work, presenters at the 2021 Watson Conference on Rhetoric and Composition contributed resources to this digital archive, whose contents can provide guidance to organizers interested in antiracist practices for conference design. Should you experience any difficulty accessing or interacting with these documents, or if you would like to suggest or contribute a resource, please email the 2021 Watson Conference Director, Andrea Olinger, at andrea.olinger [at] louisville.edu.
All images are from the Noun Project: the presentation icon (“Slideshow”) is by Srinivas Agra; the report icon (“report”) is by Eucalyp; the handout icon (“Brochure”) is by Ayra Icons; the script icon (“Writing”) is by Creative Stall; the magazine icon (“magazine”) is by IronSV.
Social Justice In and Beyond Conferences (Antonio Byrd)
Dr. Antonio Byrd’s handout summarizes best practices for building relationships among scholars, conferences, and local community activists.
Questions for Antiracist Conference Organizing (Sumyat Thu)
Dr. Sumyat Thu’s handout asks critical questions of conference genres in order to promote publicly engaged scholarship and equitable conferences.
TheFeministsAreComing: But are They Anti-Racist? (Michelle Grue)
Dr. Michelle Grue’s presentation script discusses the labor involved in conference planning and highlights both critiques and promising developments in writing studies organizations and conferences, using the Feminisms and Rhetorics conference as a case study.
Context and Background on the Biennial Feminisms and Rhetorics Conference (Wendy Sharer)
Dr. Wendy Sharer’s presentation script discusses various aspects of the Biennial Feminisms and Rhetorics (FemRhet) Conference and the broader Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition, including the background and contexts of the coalition, the time and location of the 2019 FemRhet Conference, and the historical whiteness of the coalition’s leadership.
Excerpts from the 2021 Report of the Workflow, Formats, and Processes Task Force Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition (CFHRSC)
Excerpts from this report outline recommendations for expanding antiracist, inclusive practices at the Feminisms and Rhetorics conference, recommendations for conference and host committees, and a proposal for the establishment of the Fellowship Pod Program, which works to build mentoring and other relationships among Coalition members.
“What Am I Doing Here?” When Conference Acceptance Doesn’t Mean Conference Inclusion (Karen Tellez-Trujillo)
Dr. Karen Tellez-Trujillo’s handout highlights various ideas for eliminating inequitable and exclusive conference practices.
Antiracist Conference Organization, Planning, and Resources (Mara Lee Grayson)
Dr. Mara Lee Grayson’s handout emphasizes the importance of ongoing, contextual antiracist work within organizations, and poses questions for organizers related to policy, programs, and practice.
Sharing Lessons Learned: From Antiracist Programming to Antiracist Conferences (Emily Rónay Johnston & Amanda Solomon Amorao)
Drs. Emily Rónay Johnston and Amanda Solomon Amorao’s handout summarizes three key values for antiracist work: intersectional collaboration, collective accountability, and radical care. Access an alternate version of their handout for screen-readers.
Conferencing Toward Racial Literacies from the Post-White Orientation (Marcus Croom)
Dr. Marcus Croom’s presentation slides offer an overview of the post-White orientation as it relates to literacy studies, Black education at large, and conference gatherings, as well as an introduction to Practice of Race Theory (PRT). Access an alternate version of his presentation for screen-readers.
Special Issue: Conferencing toward Antiracism: Reckoning with the Past, Reimagining the Present
This guest-edited special issue of Writers: Craft and Context features essays based on presentations from the April 2021 Watson Conference.