The Department of African-American Studies held its inaugural academic conference “Power Concedes Nothing Without Demand: Activism and Scholarship in Black Studies” on November 14-16 at the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History. This conference was held in celebration of the Department’s 25th anniversary at Georgia State University. We received abstracts from across the nation with presentations from senior and junior faculty, as well as graduate and undergraduate students. Advanced tickets sold out well before the opening day and despite the weather, the conference was well-attended. In short, it was a tremendous success and a fitting tribute to the first 25 years of the Department. THANK YOU to the organizing committee, volunteers, donors, presenters and discussants that made the conference possible. As we reflect on this huge success, we also extend our sincerest gratitude to the members of our extended community for your support whether in attendance or in spirit. Know that the conference is just the beginning of great things to come as we look forward to the next 25 years of the department. Here’s to affirming our important institutional legacy here at Georgia State University and within the discipline itself.
-Jonathan Gayles, Chair
Department of African-American Studies at Georgia State University