Meet the Keynote and Call for Proposals/Early Registration for the 2019 Conference

[Council on American Studies Education]

Friends of CASE-

Deadlines for session proposals and early registration are approaching for the 2019 CASE Conference, which takes place Friday, Feb. 22, at the Chicago History Museum.

The keynote for this year's CASE Conference on "Justice in America" is James Forman Jr.. He is a leading critic of mass incarceration and its disproportionate impact on people of color. In "Locking Up Our Own," he seeks to understand the war on crime that began in the 1970s and why it was supported by many African American leaders in the nation’s urban centers. Forman shows us that the first substantial cohort of black mayors, judges, and police chiefs took office amid a surge in crime and drug addiction. In response, these officials embraced tough-on-crime measures that would have unforeseen but devastating consequences for residents of poor black neighborhoods. A former public defender in Washington, DC, Forman tells riveting stories of politicians, community activists, police officers, defendants, and crime victims trapped in terrible dilemmas. "Locking Up Our Own" enriches our understanding of why our society became so punitive and offers important lessons to anyone concerned about the future of race and the criminal justice system in this country. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Non-Fiction. The New York Times book reviewer Jennifer Senior called it “the best book I’ve read this year.”

To register, submit a session proposal, or find more information, go to www.casechicago.org or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/casechicago 

Also, please do your part to spread word about the conference through social media, such as Facebook and Twitter. 

Here is an overview of this year's theme: 

At a time when justice can seem far away -- a very distant American ideal -- we need to envision it.  We need to ask what true justice looks like and how we make it happen.  We need to re-tell and re-articulate the stories and statements of justice that have informed and inspired movements for change throughout American history, and we need to generate new stories and statements that give us strength and hope in our present struggles.This envisioning of justice requires a delicate balance between the pessimistic and optimistic sides of the American personality -- between an awareness of the seemingly intractable systemic injustices that shape American life and a hope in our capacity for revolution and transformation.

Early registration: 

Register now for the reduced rate of $75 ($85 after December 14). Please visit www.casechicago.org/conference/registration/ 

If you prefer to pay by check, click on "Show other payment options” when you reach the Eventbrite page. Also note there is small processing fee added to this price. CPS teachers can register for a discounted fee this year.

Conference fee includes: keynote speaker/program, breakout sessions, continental breakfast and luncheon, and time to meet with fellow American Studies teachers. 

We will be able to offer CPDUs for the conference this year. We apologize for not being able to do so last year, when the shifts in CPDU-granting organizations caught us off guard.

Call for proposals: 

Proposals are due December 14. You can submit them online at www.casechicago.org/conference/call-for-proposals/ or e-mail Seth MacLowry at smac...@maine207.org with the following information:

-School 

-Contact person and e-mail address 

-Title of Presentation 

-Proposal description 

-Special equipment needed