Past Conferences
2022 IBL Annual Conference
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOODS PROJECT OF TAMPA BAY
In 2012, with support from USF’s Office of Community Engagement, the Institute on Black Life initiated a project that explores diverse perspectives on Tampa Bay’s African American neighborhoods. Our Stories are Here was one component of a larger study, the African American Neighborhoods Project, in which data on demographics, history, mobility, and economic conditions is being collected and made accessible to local residents and to an interdisciplinary body of scholars interested in these issues locally, statewide, and regionally. This study asks questions about the lives of people who lie in historically Black neighborhoods, including residents’ historical relationships to these neighborhoods and how people feel about the future of life in Black communities. Most importantly, the local residents play a critical role in setting the agenda for the project, which is ongoing, and in communicating how the project can benefit their communities. The 2022 conference highlighted and featured the work of community experts and USF researchers focusing on communities in the City of St. Petersburg.
WATCH THE RECORDED CONFERENCE SEGMENTS:
PICTURE GALLERY
CONFERENCE SPEAKERS
Mx. Jordan Daley
Philosophy Major
Denise Davis-Cotton, Ed.D.
Director, Florida Center for Partnerships for Arts-Integrated Teaching (PAInT)
USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus
Ralph Wilcox, Ph.D.
USF Provost
Martin Tadlock, Ph.D.
Chancellor, USF St. Petersburg Campus
Magali Cornier Michael, Ph.D.
Dean, College of Arts & Sciences
USF St. Petersburg Campus
Cheryl Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Professor of Africana Studies
School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies
USF Tampa Campus
Rebecca Sohl, ABD
Graduate Assistant, USF Institute on Black Life
Geveryl Robinson, MFA
USF St. Petersburg Campus
Gwendolyn Reese
President, African American Heritage Association of St. Pete, Inc.
Jon Wilson
Vice President, African American Heritage Associate of St. Pete, Inc.
Natacha Yazbeck, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Community Journalism
Department of Journalism and Digital Communication
University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus
Casey Frechette, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Chair
Department of Journalism and Digital Communication
University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus
Ms. Jaleesa Blackshear
USF Alumni
Antoinette Jackson, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Anthropology
USF Tampa Campus
Director, USF Heritage Research Lab Founder, Black Cemetery Network (BCN)
Walter “Wally B” Jennings
Spoken Word Artist for the African American Burial Ground Project
Assistant Director, Diversity Initiatives
Program Director, Black Leadership Network USF Foundation
Mr. Corey Givens
Community Activist
Dr. LaDonna Butler, Ed.D., LMHC
Associate Program Director, Family Study Center
USF St. Petersburg Campus
Serina Lewis, MSW
Family Study Center, USF St. Petersburg Campus
Carole Kimpson Alexander
CEO, The Next STEPP Center
Dr. Bilan Joseph
Director of Thrive by Five at Community Foundation Tampa Bay
Veatrice Farrell
Executive Director The Deuces Live
Mr. Leon Jackson
Courageous 12 Retired Officer, St. Petersburg Police Departmen
LaShante Keys
Mr. Nick Davis
Digital Artist, Nick Davis LLC
Rebecca Johns, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, School of Geosciences
USF St. Petersburg Campus
Barnali Dixon, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Geosciences
Executive Director, Initiative of Coastal Adaptation and Resilience (iCAR)
USF St. Petersburg Campus
Erica Hall, M.S., CED, MBA
ARMBoard Chair/Executive Director, Florida Food Policy Council
Dr. Kenneth Bryant, M.D.