Symposium on Afrofuturism and Diasporic Scholarship
Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
African American Cultural Center, Witherspoon Student Center
About the Symposium
The Symposium on Afrofuturism and Diasporic Scholarship is hosted by the African American Cultural Center (AACC) alongside several key campus partners.
The symposium features diasporic learning, scholarship, and epistemologies through cutting-edge research, storytelling, creative works, discussion circles, and community projects from NC State and the local community. This symposium promotes student success by elevating diasporic scholarship, research, and intellectual rigor.
2027 Legacy, Libations, and Liberation
Stay tuned for more on our theme. This year we celebrate the 55th anniversary of the African American Cultural Center. Our 55th anniversary theme invites us to reflect on where we have been, celebrate who we are today, and boldly envision what is yet to come.
Call for Research Proposals: Afrofuturism and Diasporic Scholarship Poster Session
We invite undergraduate and graduate students to submit proposals for poster presentations that contribute to the ongoing conversation around Afrofuturism and Diasporic Scholarship.
Your proposal needs a short program description of no more than 150 words. This is a brief summary of your work.
Please be sure to complete every step of the proposal form. For your final proposal submission (of no more than 150 words), you must clearly address the following:
- Connection to Conference Focus: Clearly state the specific connections between your research/scholarship and the conference focus on Afrofuturism and Diasporic Scholarship.
- Theoretical/Methodological Frameworks: Clearly articulate any relevant research methodologies, approaches, critical theories, or frameworks that inform your work (i.e., Womanism, Mixed Methods Research, etc.).
- Creativity and Innovation: Describe how your project is creative, interdisciplinary, or innovative.
- Learning and Take-Aways for Attendees: Describe exactly what attendees will learn and take away from your poster presentation.
Proposal Guidelines
Each submission will be assessed against our rubric.
Research Assistance
Are you interested in presenting a poster presentation at Symposium? Do you need help with your research? Schedule a research consultation with Wynter Douglas, AACC Librarian and Library Coordinator.
Proposal Deadline and Submission
We invite students, researchers, practitioners, and community members to submit proposals for our upcoming symposium. Whether you’re planning a paper presentation, panel discussion, a poster presentation, or hands-on workshop, we want to hear from you. The submission window opens on September 28, 2026. Check back for the full link to submit.
Submission Window Opens: September 28
Who Can Attend?
We welcome students, staff, faculty, alumni and community. This year we are centering student presenters only (undergraduate and graduate students) but there are plenty of opportunities for faculty, staff, students, alumni and community to engage together in conversation, exploration, and scholarship during various break-out sessions during the day. This year’s event will feature a keynote speaker, interactive and engaging breakout sessions, a student poster presentation session, a closing workshop and networking hour for graduate students.
Volunteer Opportunities
We are currently recruiting volunteers! Thank you in advance, and we look forward to seeing you at the symposium.
Registration
Registration is now open! Reserve your spot today. Guests are welcome to join us for the entire symposium or drop in for specific sessions that align with their interests.
All presenters, including facilitators, artists, practitioners, poster presenters, etc., must register for the symposium.
Guiding Principles
The symposium will embrace and reflect the following guiding principles. Please download the Grounding Document to learn more about the symposium.
Practice Sankofa
learning from the past to build a future.
Be Futuristic
building on theories of afrofuturism (Womack, 2013), African futurism (Okorafor, 2019; Wabuke, 2020), and astro-Blackness (Anderson & Jones, 2016), these theories imagine a future where Black people do indeed exist, free from white supremacy, heteropatriarchy, extreme capitalism, and the violence of imperial wars. The “work of the imagination” as Robin D. G. Kelley frames it, offers us tools to craft “new visions” in a radical act of worldbuilding (Kelley, 2002).
Embody Ubuntu
build with and alongside community; increase capacity; honor our interconnectedness; build solidarity.
Each One Teach One
everyone has knowledge to share; decenter hierarchical power dynamics, center lived experiences and stories; cultivate intergenerational interactions and learning opportunities.
Foster Harambee
champion mutually supportive and relational ways of engaging with community, be relevant; offer solutions; share resources; ground theory in practice/praxis
Be Sustainable
create structures and systems that are equitable and just; be good stewards of our resources; build systems and institutions that can be replicated.
Be Emergent
value transformation, change, creativity, growth, and innovation; center relational ways of being; overstand that the process is just as important as the finished product (“emergent”) (Brown, 2017).
Rest as Revolution
nurture holistic practices and spirituality; be whole; be authentic.
Previous Campus Partners and Sponsors
This event is always made possible with the incredible help and generous support of our campus partners and sponsors:
- NC State University Libraries
- Office of Undergraduate Research
- Interdisciplinary Studies
- Africana Studies
- Multicultural Student Affairs
- Jeffrey Wright Military and Veteran Services
- Career Development Center
If you are interested in collaborating or being a financial partner, please reach out to Dr. angela gay-audre at [email protected] or Dr. Andaiye Qaasim at [email protected].
Partners interested in sponsoring the 2027 symposium may complete the financial partnership commitment form.
Questions?
Visit the African American Cultural Center on the third floor of Witherspoon Student Center or contact
