About this Event
The Year 5 Texas Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Democracy Schools Conference is a working convening for students, faculty, lawmakers, and civic partners committed to rebuilding democratic capacity through institutions. In a time of civic strain and institutional distrust, the conference focuses on public problem solving and democratic authorship – asking how we take part in shaping the places where we live, study, and work. Participants will engage serious questions about HBCU funding, leadership formation, and institutional responsibility in Texas, and will leave with practical methods for convening structured small-group conversations on their campuses and in their communities. The goal is not simply discussion, but disciplined civic practice connected to a growing statewide network already engaged in this work.
ANNOUNCING KEYNOTE SPEAKER – FRIDAY MORNING SESSION
Robert L. Woodson Sr. is Founder and President of the Woodson Center and founder of 1776 Unites and Voices of Black Mothers United. A longtime national voice on empowering disadvantaged communities and renewing civic responsibility, Woodson’s activism dates to the 1960s and includes leadership roles at the National Urban League and as a Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Woodson is a recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, the Presidential Citizens Medal, the Bradley Prize, and other major honors, and is the author of multiple books on community leadership and American renewal.
DAY-LONG ITIERARY
*Morning teaching and learning, and keynote address
*Lunch, campus cohorts provided by the conference
*Afternoon local and statewide strategy
*Dinner, campus cohorts provided by conference
*Evening activity – celebration planned, more information soon
Note. Meals are not included for registrants who are not part of campus cohorts.
SUPPORT FOR PARTICIPATION
The Texas HBCU Democracy Schools Alliance will support select campus cohort teams from across the state.
Supported teams may include:
*One faculty lead
*Up to three students
Support may include lodging, meals, travel assistance, and registration. Travel support will prioritize student participation and campuses with fewer institutional resources.
To request support, contact the Politics Lab of the James L. Farmer House at Huston-Tillotson University. Support confirmations will be made on a rolling basis.
REGISTRATION AND PARTICIPATION
*General Admission (Non-Cohort): $75
*Student (Non-Cohort): $15
Registration includes the full-day working conference, keynote address, structured sessions, access to the statewide network, post-conference follow-up connection, and evening activity. Meals are not included.
Seating for the in-person working conference is limited in order to preserve the structured, collaborative format of the day. A significant number of seats are reserved for supported Texas HBCU campus cohort teams. General admission tickets are available while space remains.
Early registration is encouraged.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS (Non-Cohort)
The conference will be held at the Hyatt House Dallas/Uptown, 2914 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75201. A limited number of rooms are available at a preferential group rate for conference participants who are self-paying.
To reserve a room: click the link
Hyatt | Select Room
Group Code – G-HTTN
Participants are encouraged to book early, as room availability at the group rate is limited.
For questions regarding accommodations, please contact the hotel directly at 214.965.9990.
WHAT MAKES THIS CONFERENCE DIFFERENT
This is not a traditional academic conference and not a symbolic gathering.
The Year 5 convening is designed as a working day focused on institutional practice. Students are not observers. Faculty are not commentators. Lawmakers are not guests. All participants engage as members of institutions responsible for strengthening democratic life in and through those institutions.
The format emphasizes:
*Public problem solving
*Leadership formation
* Institutional responsibility
*Practical methods for small-group civic engagement
*Cross-campus collaboration
Participants leave with a clear next step: how to convene structured conversations on their campus or in their community and connect that work to a growing statewide effort.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
The conference is open to the public. It is especially designed for:
*Students seeking serious leadership formation grounded in institutional practice
*Faculty and staff committed to civic education that produces durable capacity
*Civic and community partners engaged in public problem solving
*Policymakers and public leaders concerned with higher education and democratic life
*Texans who care about the future of HBCUs and the future of democratic institutions
CONFERENCE THEME
Second American Reconstruction: Democratic Repair Through Institutional Rebuilding Under Constraint
Year 5 is organized around the theme of the Second American Reconstruction. Reconstruction here names the practical work of strengthening institutions in a time when civic standing feels fragile and public authority often feels disconnected from everyday life. If democratic life is to endure, it must be rebuilt not only through elections or rhetoric, but through the institutions where people actually learn, work, govern, and take responsibility together.
America’s HBCUs are among the most durable institutions to emerge from the nation’s first Reconstruction. In Texas, they remain vital sites of leadership formation, civic capacity, and public responsibility. Year 5 asks what it means for HBCUs and their partners to lead again in a period of democratic strain – through disciplined institutional practice, public problem solving, and collective authorship.
WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED
The Texas HBCU Democracy Schools Conference series has, over five years, developed durable civic infrastructure across the state.
Accomplishments include:
*Establishment of the Texas HBCU Democracy Schools Alliance
*Creation of the first-in-the-nation Texas HBCU Legislative Caucus
*Advancement of HBCU-focused legislation, including House Bill 3296 in the 89th Texas Legislative Session
*Direct student engagement with lawmakers and state policy processes
*Publication of Freedom Schools: A Journal of Democracy and Community (University of Texas Press), serving as the proceedings record and scholarly companion to the conference
The conference is part of an ongoing statewide network addressing the democracy crisis through institutional practice, especially in the arena of Texas higher education policy and HBCU funding.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Hyatt House Dallas/Uptown, 2914 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, United States
USD 19.32 to USD 88.64
