‘Without Sanctuary’ conference opens with public lecture Oct. 11

October 10, 2012
Categories: Research Tags: College of Computing and Informatics, Community Engagement, Research, Scholarship and Academic Life

UNC Charlotte’s Center for the Study of the New South on will host “Without Sanctuary: A Conference on Lynching and the American South” Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 11-13. This event is in conjunction with the Levine Museum of the New South and its exhibit of photographs, postcards and narrative that explores one of the most horrific chapters of history.

The conference will bring together scholars and community members who will consider the museum’s historical images and the events depicted along with their influence today. Various sessions are scheduled at UNC Charlotte Center City, the Levine Museum of the New South and First United Presbyterian Church.

The Levine Museum exhibit, which documents hangings and other killings carried out by lynch mobs in what often became community events, will be displayed through Dec. 31.

A cornerstone event of “Without Sanctuary” is a free, public talk at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, at First United Presbyterian Church. Indiana University history professor Claude A. Clegg III will reflect upon a lynching in his hometown of Salisbury that is included in his book “Troubled Ground: A Tale of Murder, Lynching and Reckoning in the New South.” The conference also will feature panel discussions at 10 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 13, at the Levine Museum with members of families of lynching victims and of those who committed the crimes.

While the Oct. 11 lecture is free, registration for the full conference is $25 for faculty, staff professionals and the public and $15 for students. One-day registration is $10. In addition to Clegg, other speakers include UNC Charlotte faculty members; Fitzhugh Brundage, UNC Chapel Hill; Amy Wood, Illinois State University; and Manfred Berg,University of Heidelberg, Germany.

The North Carolina Humanities Council, the UNC Charlotte Chancellor’s Diversity Challenge Fund and the Levine Museum are providing support for this event. Information about the conference and a registration form are on the Web at http://clas-pages.charlotte.edu/newsouth2012conference/.