Annual Conference

IBL 2025 Annual Conference – Black Joy

Date, Time and Location

Feb 6, 2025: 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
(Post Event Reception beginning at 5:00 p.m.) 
 
Location:  
University of South Florida - Tampa campus
Marshall Student Center 
Third Floor - Room 3707 and 3705
Tampa, FL 33620

Registration

Register

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged.

IMPORTANT: Registration is required if you plan to join us for lunch.

 

Director's Welcome

David Ponton, III

Director, Institute on Black Life  
Chair of the Racial Justice Initiative 

Dr. David Ponton

2025 Conference Abstract

The USF Institute on Black Life (IBL) is happy to announce a call for participation in the 2025 IBL Annual Conference on the theme of “Black Joy”.  We encourage participation from undergraduate and graduate students, alumni, staff, faculty, and members of the broader Tampa Bay community and beyond. 
 
Black Joy is a powerful lens through which we can understand the full breadth of Black life, identity, and resilience, offering a nuanced view that encompasses both individual and communal experiences of joy. This conference seeks to explore and celebrate the dynamic ways Black individuals and communities cultivate joy in the face of personal and systemic challenges. We invite scholars, artists, activists, and practitioners to engage in thoughtful discussions on how joy functions as an act of resistance, a cultural practice, and a source of personal and collective healing. We seek to highlight how expressions of Black joy sustain and nourish our communities, breathing life into Black futures and inspiring strength, creativity, and connection both within and beyond our communities. 
 
The conference will offer a variety of ways to engage with the theme of Black Joy, including student speakers, a faculty book showcase, and a student short-form documentary exhibition.

We welcome proposals for individual papers, panels, workshops, and creative presentations from all disciplines that explore Black Joy in its many forms. Submissions can explore topics such as Black Joy in literature, art, music, STEM, performance, athletics, and beyond; the intersections of joy with gender, sexuality, and class; joy as a political act in social movements; and role of joy in Black mental health and wellness. We encourage contributions that draw on empirical research, theory, and creative expression to expand our understanding of Black Joy as an individual and collective experience. This conference will bring us together as a USF and Tampa Bay community to celebrate and explore the rich, complex, and joyful dimensions of Black life.

AGENDA

Date Time Session
February 6, 2025 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Morning Session
  1:00 – 2:15 p.m. Lunch Break
  2:15 – 5:00 p.m. Afternoon Session
  5:00 -6:00 p.m. Reception

PARKING

parking icon

Guest parking is available in Lots 3A, 3B, and 3C with additional parking in Crescent Hill Parking Garage (CHG). Please look for signs to indicate  2025 INSTITUTE ON BLACK LIFE CONFERENCE.

For more information about guest parking options, please visit Parking Services.

USF Campus Map (PDF)

Directions

From I-275

  1. Take exit 52, Fletcher Ave/CR-582A and head East for 2.5 miles.
  2. Turn right at USF Palm Dr.  
  3. Turn left at USF Holly Dr.  
  4. Follow N Palm Dr/USF Palm Dr around the corner to find Parking Lots 3A, 3B, and 3C.  
  5. Additional parking: Crescent Hill Parking Garage (CHG) at 4119 USF Cedar Drive, Tampa, FL 33620 

From I-75

  1. Take exit 266, Fletcher Ave and head West on Fletcher for 4.0 miles.
  2. Turn left at N Palm Dr/USF Palm Dr.
  3. Follow N Palm Dr/USF Palm Dr around the corner to find Parking Lots 3A, 3B, and 3C.  
  4. Additional parking: Crescent Hill Parking Garage (CHG) at 4119 USF Cedar Drive, Tampa, FL 33620 

For reasonable accommodations or other questions, please contact CAS RSVP.