The Harriet Jacobs Symposium will be held April 4-5, 2003 in Edenton, North Carolina, where writer, abolitionist and reformer Harriet Jacobs was born in slavery. Jacobs’ book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, which describes her life in Edenton and her struggle for freedom, is one of the major works of African-American literature.

This symposium will be the first time that scholars of history and literature knowledgeable on Jacobs and her work have met for such a focused endeavor. Jacobs's scholar Jean Fagan Yellin will be the Keynote Speaker. Other speakers include Trudier Harris-Lopez, English professor at UNC-Chapel Hill and a Carolina Speaker; Kathleen Berkeley, History professor at UNC-Wilmington; Lucinda MacKethan, English professor at NC-State; Freddie Parker, History professor at NC-Central, and Anne Warner, English professor at Spelman College.

The Symposium will include panel discussions, lectures, music, a guided walking tour of Edenton, and more. There is NO REGISTRATION FEE for the Symposium. Everyone is Welcome.

This project is funded by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council and co-sponsored by the NC Department of Archives and History, Edenton Historical Commission, and Kadesh AME Zion Church with support from the Historic Edenton Site, NC Department of Tourism, Chowan County and the Town of Edenton.

Further Info: For Registration Procedures or to view a Preliminary Program, Participant Biographies, and an Edenton Hotel and Dining Guide, please go to the symposium website.

email: harriet.Jacobs@ncmail.net