Annual Conference 2026 | Institute on Black Life | College of Arts & Sciences

Annual Conference

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IBL 2026 Annual Conference

Black Life in Higher Education at USF and Beyond

Please join us for this year鈥檚 conference, Black Life in Higher Education at USF and Beyond, to reflect on the academic, social and cultural experiences that have shaped Black life at the 色色研究所 and across institutions of higher education.

IBL 2026 Digital Conference Program

Date and Location

Thursday, January 29, 2026

8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Check in and morning refreshments begin at 8:30 a.m.

Sessions start at 9:30 a.m.

Marshall Student Center (MSC)
Ballroom | Second Floor
4103 USF Cedar Circle
Tampa, FL 33620

Registration

Conference Abstract

Black Life in Higher Education at USF and Beyond reflects on the academic, social and cultural experiences that have shaped Black life at the 色色研究所 and across institutions of higher education. This year鈥檚 conference brings together students, scholars, staff, alumni and community members to explore the impact of Black presence and excellence in higher education through original research, lived experience and intergenerational dialogue.

CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS

This event is organized by the Institute on Black Life at the 色色研究所. Private funds from the Racial Justice Initiative fund this event.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Veronica A. Newton

Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology
Georgia State University

Veronica A. Newton is a qualitative ethnographer whose research examines how systems of oppression impact Black women鈥檚 lived experiences, particularly in higher education. Her work explores the intersections of race, gender and oppression, with a focus on Black/trap feminism and intersectionality. She is a member of the Cardi B Collective and co-author of 鈥淭he Sociology of Cardi B: A Trap Feminist Approach鈥� (Routledge, 2024), which received an Honorable Mention Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship Book Award from American Sociological Association鈥檚 Race, Gender and Class Section in 2025. Her forthcoming book, 鈥淭here鈥檚 Racism in the Building and Patriarchy in the Yard: Black Women鈥檚 Experiences with Discrimination on Campus,鈥� will be published by SUNY Press.

CONFERENCE Program

Time	Activity
8:30 - 9:30 a.m.	Check in, morning refreshments and book fair
9:30 - 9:45 a.m.	Welcoming Remarks (Ballroom A&B) Jordan Battle Assistant Director of Student Research Jody Harwood, Ph.D. Associate Dean, College of Arts and Science Will Tyson, Ph.D. Director, Institute on Black Life "Life Eve'ry Voice and Sing"
9:50 - 10:20 a.m.	Breaking Barriers: A Legacy of Firsts at the 色色研究所 (Ballroom A&B) A conversation with Ernest P. Boger, Ph.D. ('65), the first Black student at USF Student Moderator: Destiny Leonard
10:25 - 10:55 a.m.	Session 1A: Undergraduate Research Showcase (Ballroom A&B) The Social Construction of Nation, Domestic Space, and Innocence: White Supremacist Violence and Black Refusal in the St. Augustine Civil Rights Movement Speaker: Lalia Farhat ('25) Session 1B (Ballroom C) Beyond USF: An Alumni Journey A conversation with Anastasia Burks ('12), Dena L. Daniels ('10), TaWanna Noel ('02), and Kiana Romeo ('04) Student Moderator: Nate Perez
11 - 11:30 a.m.	Session 2A: Faculty Research (Ballroom A&B) Avoiding the Debt Sentence: Debt-Free Journeys of First-Generation Black Women in Higher Education Speaker: Candace Henry (Ph.D., '24) Assistant Professor of Higher Education and College Student Affairs, USF College of Education Session 2B (Ballroom C) Redefining the Journey: Alumni Beyond the Traditional Path A conversation with Candace Brown ('14), Meagan Glover ('08), Brittany M Taggett ('22) Student Moderator: Purnata Subah
11:35 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.	Session 3A: Graduate Student Research (Ballroom A&B) Beyond Self-Doubt: How Impostor Syndrome the Academic Liver of Black Women Speaker: Niya Burke ('24), master's student, USF Africana Studies In Search of Fried Chicken Wednesdays: HBCU Memory, Cultural Belonging, and Blackness Beyond the Dining Hall Speaker: Nadia Johnson, doctoral student, USF Department of Communication Session 3B: Community Perceptions (Ballroom C) From Community to Campus: Expanding Black Educational Empowerment Through Human Rights Education and Community Rooted Leadership Speaker: Christopher King Lived Experience as Scholarship: Black Veteran Pathways, Purpose, and Institutional Impact in Higher Education Speaker: Jay R McIntyre You are the Enterprise: Governing Degrees, Decisions, and Direction in Higher Education and Beyond Speaker: Taj Mahal
12:45 - 2:15 p.m.	Lunch Program Highlight Video: Veterans, the Franchise and Rights Restoration in Florida Film Trailer: Africana Studies: The Systematic Study of the Black Experience in Africa and its diaspora Keynote Address: Reimagining Black Life, Black Culture, and Black Resistance in Higher Education Veronica Newton, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Sociology Georgia State University
2:15 - 3:00 p.m.	Student Performance USF Black Ensemble Lead by Alyssa Jones, Director of Vocal Ensembles & Assistant Director, School of Music Final acknowledgements Will Tyson, PhD 鈥� Director, Institute on Black Life Dessert bar, coffee and tea

PARKING

Guest parking is available in Lots 3A, 3B and 3C with additional parking in Crescent Hill Parking Garage
(CHG).

For more information about parking options, please visit USF Parking Services.

QUESTIONS?

For reasonable requests and questions about the event, please contact CAS RSVP.