Commemorating the 1st North Carolina Colored Volunteers / 35th U.S. Colored Troops
September 18–19, 2026 | North Carolina Central University | Durham, North Carolina
Sponsored by: North Carolina Central University (NCCU) | Auburn University, and the Society for Black Military Studies (SBMS)
North Carolina Central University and the Society for Black Military Studies invite proposals for a two-day scholarly conference commemorating the 1st North Carolina Colored Volunteers (1st NCCV), later redesignated the 35th U.S. Colored Troops, and centering the Black experience in the Civil War era. This gathering welcomes scholars, public historians, archivists, museum professionals, educators, independent scholars, and community researchers to examine the Civil War as a Black freedom struggle shaped by military service, emancipation in practice, wartime labor, community formation, and the contested work of memory.
We seek proposals that place Black people at the analytical center of the conflict and its afterlives—across North Carolina, the wider South, the Union war effort, and the broader diasporic and international Black worlds. Proposals will be due by May 24, 2026. Proposals should be in the form of a PDF and sent to conference organizers Dr. Le’Trice Donaldson( Auburn University) ldd0022@auburn.edu or Dr. Arwin Smallwood (NCCU) asmallw5@nccu.edu. The new Journal of Black Military Studies will solicit paper submissions that fit the journal’s mission for future publication.
Submission Guidelines
Proposals Due May 24, 2026
Submit a single PDF or Word document including:
1. Title and preferred format
2. Abstract (250–350 words) describing argument, sources, and contribution
3. Short bio (100–150 words) (include affiliation or “independent scholar”)
4. A/V needs and any accessibility accommodations
Panel proposals should include:
• Panel title + panel rationale (250–350 words)
• Individual abstracts and bios for each participant
• Chair and/or commentator (if applicable)