The 12th Annual Reconciliation in America National Symposium will be held from Wednesday, May 26th to Saturday, May 29th. In recognition of the centennial of the 1921 Race Massacre, the theme for this year’s symposium is “The Future of Tulsa’s Past: The Centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre and Beyond.” Celebrated authors, activists, educators, and journalists will come together to discuss the story of the Tulsa Race Massacre and how we, as a community, can work toward the intentional journey of reconciliation. Due to constraints of COVID-19, attendees will have the option of attending this year’s event virtually or in-person with limited seating capacity.
This year’s symposium will feature 12 national presenters. Keynote speakers are Pulitzer Prize Journalist – Isabel Wilkerson, Educator and Author – Dr. Daina Ramey Berry, Philosopher and Activist – Dr. Cornell West, Historian and Journalist – Dr. Scott Ellsworth, National Park Service’s Chief Historian & Deputy Federal Preservation Officer – Dr. Turkiya Lowe, Pulitzer Prize Journalist – Eli Saslow, and Policy Analyst and Data Scientist – Samuel Sinyangwe. In addition to the Keynote speakers, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and In geveb will present research on contemporaneous Yiddish language newspaper articles and other archival sources which reflect on the Tulsa race massacre. Topics such as social justice, criminal justice, policing, the future of education, business, and philanthropy will be covered during the four days of the symposium.
The Symposium’s Opening Session begins on Wednesday, May 26th at 1:30 pm, with a tour of John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park. This tour will be led by American Sculptor and Historian, Ed Dwight who is the creator of the Reconciliation Tower sculpture that is proudly displayed at the center of the park. On Friday, May 28th at 6:00 pm, there will be a memorial held at the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park to pay tribute to the lives lost, the survivors, and descendants of the 1921 Race Massacre. To culminate the John Hope Franklin Symposium activities, a Greenwood Bus Tour will take place on Saturday, May 29th at 10:30 am. The tour will include significant sites often identified within the 1921 Race Massacre.
For more event details and to register for the 2021 National Symposium, visit the John Hope Franklin National Symposium’s website at www.jhfnationalsymposium.org/.