Virtual Conference
The Big Berks 2020: A Virtual Sampling ~
While we could not be together at Johns Hopkins University in May, the spirit of the Big Berks 2020 persists. To nurture our remarkable community until we can gather together again, we are happy to share a small taste of the program. Join us when you can! Some events happened live at the designated times. Others can be enjoyed at your convenience.
Big Berks 2020 Program
Tune in on your own schedule
Peruse the Big Berks 2020 Program (PDF) for what would have been the fully live Big Berks 2020 conference. Although the in-person event was cancelled due to COVID-19, this program showcases the visions, talents, and ideas of the Berks 2020 Program Committee, Local Arrangements Committee, session organizers, presenters, and performers.
Roundtable Discussion with DC’s Women’s Suffrage Curators
Live: Wednesday, May 27, 2020. 7:00-8:00pm eastern time
Live with our partners at the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission: “Curator’s Cut: An Inside Look at DC’s Suffrage Exhibits,” with Dr. Kate C. Lemay of the National Portrait Gallery, Corinne Porter of the National Archives, and Janice Ruth of the Library of Congress. Learn more >>
Virtual Book Exhibit
May 28 to August 31, 2020
This is a great opportunity to browse new titles from the heroic presses that have supported Berks members and conferences over the years. Good news! They are offering discounts just as if we were present at the meeting in Baltimore. It’s time to enhance your summer reading lists with women’s history panache!
#BigBerks2020 Plenaries Archive
Tune in on your own schedule
Sample these pre-recorded and written talks gifted to the Berks from some of our plenary speakers. The materials can be enjoyed at any time and will remain available on the Berks website. (Browse the Digital Program at the top of this page to read more about these speakers, their co-panelists, and the special sessions of Berks 2020.)
Our Environments – The Night Sky
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, cosmologist, science writer, and equality activist: “The Right to Know and Understand the Night Sky”
Activism and Self-Care
Stephanie Y. Evans, historian: “Black Women’s Yoga Memoirs Before and After 1975” (2020)
Anthropocene Storytelling
Tjawangwa Dema, poet: “Dreams (2015) and “Neon Poem” (2016) produced by Studio Revolt
Harriet Tubman’s Worlds
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- Catherine Clinton, historian: “Harriet Tubman’s Life and Legacy” (2017)
- Erica Armstrong Dunbar, historian: “She Came to Slay” (2019)
- Kate Clifford Larson, historian: “Bound for the Promised Land: The Life and Legacy of Harriet Tubman” (2019)
#BerksSyllabus2020 (PDF) Archive
Tune in on your own schedule
Dive deeper into the Big Berks 2020 program via this syllabus developed by graduate students in the Johns Hopkins University History Department. Each week, this seminar examined a #BigBerks2020 panel along with new readings. Be inspired to create your own syllabus!
Berkshire Conference of Women’s Historians Business Meeting
Live: Saturday, May 30, 2020, 5:30 pm eastern time.
The Berks leadership discussed matters arising and to elected the incoming leaders of the Berkshire Conference. This was your chance to be part of planning for the next Big Berks and co-steer the Berks toward the future. The business meeting is not archived.
The Schlesinger Library is proud of its historic partnership with the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians. When we reopen, come study the papers presented at early “Big Berks”:
- Records of the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians, 1930–2019 MC 606
http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:RAD.SCHL:sch00445 - Papers from the Berkshire Conference on the History of Women, 1974–2005 MC
http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:RAD.SCHL:sch00446
In the meantime, visit our website for a growing array of digital content exploring the tangled history of gender and citizenship in the United States.
Note: links on this page open in a new web browser window.