Third Annual Spring Symposium
Breathing Democracy into Spaces
April 25 & 26, 2025
USC Beaufort's Center for the Arts
805 Carteret St., Beaufort, SC 29902
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Join us on Friday, April 25th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm for the
Opening Reception & Keynote Presentation
Dr. Hermina Glass-Hill
Founder and Executive Director
'My Unbounded Joy': Susie King Taylor and the War of Jubilee
With a special performance by students of the
Robert Smalls Leadership Academy of Beaufort, SC
Join us on Saturday, April 26th from 9:00am to 3:00pm for
a full day of speakers, discussions and engagement.
Featured Speakers
Nathan Betcher, Historian
Reconstruction Era National Historic Site
"The Elizabeth Hyde Botume Collection"
Samantha Mischke, Park Ranger
Reconstruction Era National Historic Site
"Poetic Echoes of the Reconstruction Era: Ellen Murray's Reflections"
Jennifer Marler, A.B.D.
University of South Carolina
"Esther Hill Hawks: Doctor, Educator, Abolitionist"
Elizabeth Laney, M.A.
USCB Institute for the Study of the Reconstruction Era
"Documenting Resilience: Women's Voices in the USCT Pension Records"
Jane Ball-Groom, Julia Groom & Stacey Bell
USCT Veteran Descendants
"Inherited Strength: The Enduring Echoes of Women's Legacies"
Special Guests
Ben Hodges, LTG, US Army (RET)
Rory McGovern, LTC, US Army Professor
James Morrall, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
Linda Robinson, Women's Relief Corp
Dr. Robert Adams, Historic Penn Center
Mrs. Alvesta Roberson, Mather School Alumni
Bradley Tarrance, Robert Smalls Leadership Academy
Dawn Chitty, African American Civil War Monument & Museum
Dr. Najmah Thomas, USC Beaufort
Dondi Lyons, Beaufort Teacher (retired)
A Special Thank You to our Sponsors
Breathing Democracy Into Spaces is presented by USC Beaufort's Institute for the Study of the Reconstruction Era and sponsored by a grant from the McCausland Innovation Fund from the University of South Carolina's College of Arts & Sciences.
With support from Dick & Sharon Stewart Foundation
and the Ernest A. Finney Cultural Arts Center.