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.
Conference - Day 1
🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:30 AM
Attendee Registration
🕑: 09:45 AM - 10:00 AM
Welcome Address
Host: Dr Hayes Mabweazara
Info: Chair of the JMS PhD Scholarship Steering Board
🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:20 AM
Scholar Presentations
🕑: 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
🕑: 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
Guest Speaker
Host: Dr Josie Gill
🕑: 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Lunch
🕑: 01:30 PM - 01:20 PM
Scholar Presentations
🕑: 01:20 PM - 01:50 PM
Guest Speaker
Host: Prof Lisa-Dionne Morris
🕑: 01:50 PM - 02:10 PM
Scholar Presentations
🕑: 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: With Dr Dayne Becanno-Kelly, Dr Josie Gill, Prof Lisa-Dionne Morris and Prof Hakim Adi.
🕑: 04:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Drinks Reception
Info: In the Glasgow University Union's Dining Hall.
Unconference - Day 2
🕑: 09:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Registration
🕑: 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Welcome Address
🕑: 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM
Making Good Trouble
Host: Briana Pegado
🕑: 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 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.
🕑: 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
