The theme of the 2015 Conference on the Black Experience (COBE) is: Civil Rights and Student Activism in America: Unfinished Business. The COBE Committee has selected this theme to mark the 50th anniversary of events, such as the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Bloody Sunday, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Such events are still very relevant and should be studied and discussed for insights into not just individuals, but ideas, organizations, and actions that changed the trajectory of America for the good. We also want to create a space for the study and discussion of the academic discourse and student activism around more contemporary protests and organizing, such as "Save Our Daughters," "My Brother's Keeper," and "Black Lives Matter." We invite all members of the regional, national, and the global community to join us from April 27th-30th in exploring the history and the ongoing struggle for human rights for all.

The organizers of COBE are interested in receiving proposals from faculty, independent scholars, undergraduate and graduate students, and community organizers and activists.

POSSIBLE TOPICS MAY INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
 New Examinations of the Civil Rights Movement
 A Genealogy of Black Activism
 Technology and Political Protest
 Civil Rights: A Global Movement
 The Roles of the News Media and/or Social Media
 The Pedagogy of Protest Literature, Popular Culture, Intellectual Thought, and/or Community Responsibility
 Economic Support and Boycotts for Social Change
 The Role of HBCUs in Political Protest, Then and Now
 Civil Rights: The Psychological, Physiological, and Social Costs of Hatred

ALL TOPICS AND/OR DISCIPLINES WILL BE CONSIDERED.

Proposals should be no more than 200 words and provide the title and thesis of the paper, panel, poster presentation, or roundtable discussion. For proposed panel sessions, the title of the panel is requested as well as the title of the discussion group, names of participants, and tentative
topics for discussion. All proposals must include name(s); institution, organization or other affiliation; mailing address(es); email address(es), and telephone number(s). Papers must have a reading time of no more than twenty (20) minutes. Poster dimensions should not exceed 28.7" x
40.6" (landscape orientation). Roundtable panel discussions are limited to a total of forty-five (45) minutes. Please note technology and space requests in the proposal.

All proposals are due no later than April 10, 2015 for full consideration.

Submit proposals to:
COBE@paine.edu or
Dr. Catherine L. Adams, Paine College, 1235 Fifteenth Street, Augusta, GA 30901