Abolition Symposium

For more information including event descriptions and bios of the speakers, please see our website: https://cvc.wisc.edu/programs/abolition_symposium/

If you have further questions, please contact cvc@mailplus.wisc.edu.

Event Program
Day 1: Friday, April 11

8:30 AM | Welcome – Opening remarks by Laurie Beth Clark and Jill Casid.
9:00 AM | Seeding Sanctuary (In-Person Only) – A workshop led by Jenna Loyd, Annie Menzel, and Rachel Kuo, exploring abolitionist spatial practices.
9:00 AM | Performance Studies and Abolition (Zoom Only) – A virtual conversation on abolitionist themes in performance studies.
11:00 AM | Spectacle Border Abolition – A keynote lecture by Jenna Loyd.
1:30 PM | Null and Void: Racial Capitalism and Black Art in the Historical Present – A keynote lecture by Che Gossett.
3:30 PM | Transtemporal Joywork: Echoing into the Future (In-Person Only) – A workshop facilitated by Jen Rae, Syrus Marcus Ware, and Dawn Weleski, exploring joy as resistance across time.
3:30 PM | Performance Studies and Abolition (Zoom Only) – A second session of virtual discussion on performance and abolition.
5:00 PM | Film Screening – Lessons of the Hour – A screening of Isaac Julien’s cinematic meditation on Frederick Douglass.

Day 2: Saturday, April 12

8:30 AM | Research Presentations – Featuring Jason Q Han, Kean O’Brien, Addison McDaniel, Abubakar Muhammad, Elijah Nicks, Ian Danner, Anju Kinoshita, Hyorim Joe, and Shruthi Menon.
11:30 AM | Lessons of The Hour: Isaac Julien’s Time Travel – A keynote lecture by Jennifer González.
2:00 PM | Grief in the Dark – A keynote lecture by Kimberly Juanita Brown.
4:00 PM | Roundtable Discussion – Abolition Now – A closing discussion featuring Che Gossett, Jenna Loyd, Jennifer González, Jill Casid, and Kimberly Juanita Brown.
5:30 PM | Reception – A gathering to conclude the event.