The University of Baltimore announces Baltimore ’68: Riots and Rebirth, a conference to explore the causes and effects of social unrest in April, 1968 and the efforts at civic healing that followed and still continue. Sponsored by the Maryland Humanities Council, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and Baltimore Collegetown Network, this public conference will be held April 3-5, 2008 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and will include scholarly presentations as well as sessions featuring witnesses to, and leaders of, many efforts to revitalize Baltimore in the months and decades that followed. Comparative work that places the Baltimore experience into a national and international context is also welcome.

The cataclysmic event in the history of modern Baltimore, the 1968 riots, have until now, been largely ignored by scholars and policy makers. Baltimore ’68: Riots and Rebirth will present an opportunity for the public to have meaningful dialogue to explore the meanings of the riots themselves as well as the extent and limits of any rebirth. Proposals from presenters reflecting all relevant community perspectives and academic disciplines are invited and will be organized into tracks such as

• Racism, race relations, and race politics
• Civil defense and homeland security--police, firefighters, National Guard
• Politics -- Agnew, the rise of law and order, anti-war activity and more
• Health and strength of inner-city communities
• Business and economic effects then and now
• Engagement of arts, faith, and activist communities
• Federal involvement -- the Kerner Commission and civil rights legislation
• Community development -- land use, neighborhood issues, “smart growth”
• Depiction of rioting and social disturbances in the media
• Memory and reconciliation

Proposals for participation may take the form of papers, presentations, panels, roundtables, poster sessions, film screenings, art installations, musical compositions, or workshops and should include a one page abstract, a one page resume including contact information for each participant (phone number, address, affiliation, and e-mail), as well as technology needs. The deadline for proposal submission is November 1, 2007.