2025 Event Will Coincide with Founder’s 150th Birthday Celebrations

(Black PR Wire) DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) will make history in June 2025 by being the first HBCU to host the Southern Association for Women Historians (SAWH) Triennial Conference.

The four-day summit will be held at the Mary McLeod Bethune Institute for the Study of Women and Girls in Daytona Beach from June 19-22, 2025. The theme for the 13th Triennial Conference is “Unspeakable Challenges.” By partnering with the Bethune Institute, organizers hope to highlight specific topics that many females encounter as working professionals and caretakers every day.

“Not only will this be a safe space to have timely conversations aimed at affecting real change,” said Dr. Crystal A. deGregory, Director of the Bethune Institute and conference coordinator, “but it’s also an amazing opportunity to join with the Southern Association for Women Historians to mark the 150th anniversary of Dr. Bethune’s birthday and her relentless pursuit of education, equity and empowerment.”

Added Dr. William Berry, Acting President and Provost at B-CU: “It’s clear that Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune’s legacy lives on today, and it’s my hope that hosting the Triennial Conference ensures that her light continues guiding us toward a brighter future.”

The Bethune Institute is an artfully crafted resource for intentional research, programming, and support for issues paramount to the survival and success of women and girls. Of particular note are gender equity topics such as women’s leadership, food and housing security, body image, physical and sexual health and safety, LGBTQ+ challenges, mental health and emotional wellness, maternal health, and healthy relationships.

Triennial conference organizers are currently accepting proposals from professors, graduate students, historians, teachers, community advocates and independent scholars to present research and/or participate as a panelist on topics including gender equity, body image, food and housing, healthy relationships and maternal wellness.

For more information, including how to submit proposals, visit TheSAWH.org. The deadline to submit proposals is September 1, 2024.

To learn more about the Mary McLeod Bethune Institute for the Study of Women and Girls, visit TheBethuneInstitute.org.

About Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU)

Now in its 120th year, Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) is a historically-Black university in Daytona Beach, Fla., founded by civil and human rights activist Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune in 1904 as the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls. With deep roots in the history of America, B-CU is a United Methodist-related, private institution largely focused on liberal arts programs to meet students’ diverse educational, social and cultural needs. The university is home to the nation’s #2 HBCU Nursing Program, a world-renowned marching band known as “The Pride,” and is a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

About the Southern Association for Women Historians

Founded in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1970, the Southern Association for Women Historians began as the “Caucus of Women Historians of the Southern Historical Association” and by 1982 was called the Southern Association of Women Historians. By 1985, the organization had adopted its current name, the Southern Association for Women Historians. Its base of operations moves throughout the South based on the home institution of the organization’s Secretary.

Source: Bethune-Cookman University