We Shall Overcome: Civil Rights Struggles in Northern Ireland and the United States

A one day conference organised by the School of Histories and Humanities.

During the 1960s, the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland borrowed tactics, the anthem 'We Shall Overcome,' and even its very name for the African American movement for equality. This symposium examines how this connection was formed and what it meant. It will consider both the origins of such connections and their legacy for the present. 

Sponsored by Long Room Hub, UCD Clinton Institute for American Studies, Queen’s University Belfast, and the University of Galway

Schedule of events:
11:00-12:15 Revolutionary Connections
Chair: Niall Ó Dochartaigh (Galway)
Cathy Bergin (DkIT) '"The greatest Epic of Modern History”: The Irish revolution in the African American radical press.'
Brian Hanley (TCD), 'The last white nation in slavery?': Irish republicans and race in the revolutionary era.'

12:15-13:30 Keynote Address
Kevin Gaines (University of Virginia), “The World House: Global Dimensions of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement’
Annual Lecture in U.S. History sponsored by the University of Dublin Fund

Lunch Break 

14:30-16:00 Civil Rights Era Connections
Chair: Peter McLoughlin, QUB
Sarah Campbell (Newcastle University), ‘'From Derry to Detroit: Bernadette Devlin, Black Freedom Struggles, and the Gendered Politics of Civil Rights'
Melissa Baird (Royal Irish Academy), “Berkeley Berry Pickers” versus “Green Orangemen”: Divisions within Irish America to the Northern Ireland civil rights movement’
Daniel Geary (TCD), ‘Ulster’s White Negroes: The Politics of a Reverberating Analogy”

Coffee Break

16:15-17:30 Twenty-first Century Connections
Chair: Liam Kennedy, UCD
Miriam Nyhan Grey (MIC), 'Black, Brown, and Green Voices: Legacies of the Intersections of African and Irish Identities in the US'
Niamh Hamill (Institute of Study Abroad Ireland), ‘Against the Age of Anxiety: Irish Culture and the Work of Overcoming’

Break

18:00-19:30 A Conversation with Eamonn McCann
Moderator: Niall Ó Dochartaigh (UCG)


For separate information on the 12.15pm lecture on 'The World House: Global Dimensions of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement' and the 6pm event 'A Conversation with Eamonn McCann' please see here.

This event is run in accordance with Trinity’s Dignity and Respect policy, and its commitment to nurturing a respectful and inclusive research culture.
Please indicate if you have any access requirements, such as ISL/English interpreting, so that we can facilitate you in attending this event. Contact: gearyd@tcd.ie