Futures of Black Digital Humanities Conference

Futures of Black Digital Humanities Conference 

November 18-19, 2024 

National Museum of African American History and Culture, DC 

Sponsored in part by The Robert F. Smith Center for the Digitization and Curation of African American History

The Futures of Black Digital Humanities Conference celebrates the launch of the Black Literature Network, a Mellon-funded initiative aimed at advancing African American literary studies through digital tools and data-driven research. This two-day event features keynote speakers and presentations that explore the possibilities of Black Digital Humanities through projects from the Black Literature Network. The Robert F. Smith Center for the Digitization and Curation of African American History, a co-sponsor of the event, plays a key role in data curation and storytelling within digital humanities. The center’s partnership with the conference highlights its commitment to preserving and digitizing African American history and culture, offering essential tools and methodologies for managing metadata and crafting digital narratives. 

The Black Literature Network includes four key components: a podcast series, a book recommendation resource, a data visualization gallery, and a keyword guide. These portals provide new ways to engage with Black literary history, authors, and texts. By using metadata and visualizations, the project deepens the understanding of Black literature’s cultural significance and opens new avenues for scholarly research. The Robert F. Smith Center’s work in digitization supports this mission by providing best practices in data curation, making Black cultural history more accessible through technology.

Day 1: Monday, November 18 Events

Dana Williams on Toni Morrison’s Editorial Legacy

Time: 6:30 – 8:00 PM

Oprah Winfrey Theater-NMAAHC

Dana Williams (Howard University) will give a keynote on Toni Morrison’s pivotal role as an editor at Random House, highlighting her influence in shaping the careers of Black writers. Williams will use data visualizations, which will later be published in the Literary Data Gallery, to showcase Morrison’s lasting impact. A talk-back with Howard Rambsy II will follow, discussing how Morrison shaped Black literary culture through her editorial work.

Day 2: Tuesday, November 19 Events 

Time: 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM 

Explore More Second Floor 

Family History Center for the presentations 

Education Rooms for Snacks and Lunch

Allie Martin on Intersectional Listening (Time: 9:30 – 10:20 AM): Allie Martin (Dartmouth College) will present her work on intersectional listening, focusing on the auditory landscape of Washington, DC’s Shaw neighborhood. Her talk will emphasize how sound data is curated and analyzed to map the intersections of race, gentrification, and Black community spaces, highlighting the power of digital tools in studying cultural shifts.

Lightning Panel: Black Literature Network Projects (Time: 10:30 – 11:20 AM): This session will feature the Data Rangers, a group of undergraduate and graduate research assistants who contribute to the Black Literature Network. They will present their work on curating datasets, transforming them into interactive data stories, and contributing to the Literary Data Gallery.

 
Marissa Parham on Data Storytelling (Time: 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM): Marisa Parham (University of Maryland) will close the conference with a keynote on her project break.dance, which uses Beyoncé’s Lemonade to explore themes of time, code, and digital culture. Her talk will emphasize data storytelling, showcasing how digital tools can reshape how we experience and interpret Black narratives.