James McCune Smith Annual Conference 2026
About this Event
We are incredibly excited to announce that the fourth James McCune Smith (JMS) Annual Conference will take place on Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 July 2026. The theme this year is Every Story I Create, Creates Me: Learning, Leadership and Legacy. We have borrowed here a quotation from Octavia Butler, whose words remind us that storytelling is bound up with the pursuit of knowledge and shapes the way we see ourselves and the world.
The JMS Annual Conference is a high-profile event led by current JMS Scholars which features inspiring speakers from the Black community who are experts in their respective fields, as well as providing an opportunity for the Scholars to share their research. The Conference is programmed over two days, with Day 2 taking an ‘Unconference’ format which challenges traditional ways of presenting academic research.
See below for accessibilty guides to each our venues:
Accessible Guide for James McCune Smith Learning Hub
Accessible Guide for University Memorial Chapel
Accessible Guide for University Concert Hall
Conference
🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:30 AM
Attendee Registration
🕑: 09:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Welcome Address
Host: Prof Chris Pearce
Info: Vice Principal for Research and Knowledge Exchange (Office of the Vice Principals) and Professor of Computational Mechanics (Infrastructure & Environment)
🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:20 AM
Scholar Presentations
Host: Christopher Reid
🕑: 10:20 AM - 10:50 AM
Guest Speaker
Host: Dr Dayne Becanno-Kelly
🕑: 10:50 AM - 11:10 AM
Break
🕑: 11:10 AM - 11:30 AM
Scholar Presentations
Host: Francoise Uwase
🕑: 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Guest Speaker
Host: Prof Prof Lisa-Dionne Morris
🕑: 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Lunch
🕑: 01:00 PM - 01:20 PM
Scholar Presentations
Host: Nkechi First
🕑: 01:20 PM - 01:50 PM
Guest Speaker
Host: Dr Josie Gill
🕑: 01:50 PM - 02:10 PM
Scholar Presentations
Host: Mamello Pheko
🕑: 02:10 PM - 02:30 PM
Break
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:00 PM
Guest Speaker
Host: Prof Hakim Adi
🕑: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Panel Discussion
Info: Hosted by Dr Farai Chipato, with Dr Dayne Becanno-Kelly, Prof Lisa-Dionne Morris, Dr Josie Gill and Prof Hakim Adi.
🕑: 04:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Drinks Reception
Info: In the Glasgow University Union's Dining Hall.
Unconference
🕑: 09:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Registration
🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Welcome Address
Host: Dr Hayes Mabweazara
Info: Chair of the JMS PhD Scholarship Steering Board
🕑: 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM
Making Good Trouble
Host: Briana Pegado
Info: How can we be good troublemakers in our work as Black leaders and scholars? Historically, showing leadership has been demonstrated by particular myths, archetypes and legends that have not been attributed to Black people. By shifting the narrative of our approach to leadership and reclaiming our historic archetypes through systems like the tarot and astrology, we can better understand our approach to leadership and talk about it with confidence. At the Good Trouble Co., Pegado has taken her decades of experience with founders, artists, social entrepreneurs, and creatives across sector to develop a bespoke archetype system, in this workshop understand your Good Trouble Leadership Archetype and understand your approach to leadership in a way that is authentic to you with insights from leaders that have made mistakes, so you do not have to.
🕑: 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Break
🕑: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
2022 Cohort Panel Talk
Host: Steveen Ulysse
🕑: 12:30 PM - 01:30 PM
Lunch
🕑: 01:30 PM - 02:30 PM
Fiction, Freedom & the Social Life of Age (University Memorial Chapel)
Host: Gracie Mae Bradley
Info: In collaboration with UofG Creative Writing: a talk by award-winning writer, artist and dramaturg Season Butler, followed by a discussion with writer and JMS scholar Gracie Mae Bradley.
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:00 PM
Break
🕑: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Classical Music Performance (University Concert Hall)
Host: Adam Heron
Info: A classical music performance by Adam Heron (piano), Cristina Dimitrova (violin) and Katy Bell (cello) in the Glasgow University Concert Hall.
🕑: 04:00 PM - 04:15 PM
Closing Remarks (University Concert Hall)
Host: Steveen Ulysse
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 0.00
