The Witte Museum Announces 2024 Conference on
Texas Theme: “Ode to Juneteenth: Slavery in Texas”
The Witte Museum proudly announces its 8th annual Conference on Texas, a dynamic event that highlights new research and fosters meaningful conversations about the state’s history. This year’s conference, taking place on December 5 & 6, 2024, is themed: “Ode to Juneteenth: Slavery in Texas.” This timely topic resonates nationally, reflecting broader conversations on race and history, and is also critical to understanding Texas’ past — where this subject remains deeply significant yet often underexplored. Through expert presentations and new scholarship, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how slavery shaped Texas, particularly how enslaved peoples’ labor powered the expansion of the Texas economy. The conference promises to be an essential and innovative contribution to the ongoing discussion about America’s past and future.
This year’s conference is co-presented with The Witte’s partners, the San Antonio African American Community Archive & Museum (SAAACAM) and the Smithsonian Institution’s initiative “Our Shared Future: Reckoning with our Racial Past,”. It is a continuation of the Witte’s ongoing commitment to exploring untold stories of Texas, an initiative that also brought about the award-winning exhibition, Black Cowboys: An American Story, supported by Bank of America.
Headlining the conference is Annette Gordon-Reed, a MacArthur Genius, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author of the New York Times bestseller On Juneteenth. Known for her groundbreaking work that brought Juneteenth into the national conversation, Gordon-Reed will deliver a keynote address that reflects on the significance of this historic day and its continued influence on the fight for racial justice in America.
“At the Witte Museum, we’re proud to lead and curate this conference, connecting top scholars with the community to explore Texas’ history on such an important subject. With the expertise of groundbreaking researchers, this event is a unique chance to uncover the past and understand how it shaped the Texas we know today. It’s an exciting opportunity to inspire conversation and build a more informed future together.” said Dirk Elmendorf, CEO & President of the Witte Museum.
Conference Highlights:
Keynote Speaker: Annette Gordon-Reed, MacArthur Genius, Pulitzer Prize Winner and author of On Juneteenth
Panelists: Dr. Daina Ramey Berry, Dr. Ed Baptist, Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson, Dr. Keisha Ray, and many more.
Topics Covered: The history of slavery in Texas, the role of enslaved labor in the Texas economy and the legacies of slavery impacting African Americans in Texas communities today
Partners: SAAACAM & the Smithsonian Institution
Family Day: Join us for Black Cowboys Family Day on Saturday, December 7, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Witte Museum.
