Gatekeepers of Truth: Artists and Archivists in Paul Robeson’s America

“Artists are the gatekeepers of truth. We are civilization’s radical voice.”— Paul Robeson

Rooted in Paul Robeson’s insistence that artists are never neutral, our conference highlights the creative, community-oriented, and interdisciplinary approaches to archival practice, public history, cultural stewardship, and artistic activation. At a moment when African American history is being actively contested and actively dismantled, Gatekeepers of Truth asks how we can preserve past and present struggles to build living archives for future generations.