Black New England Conference 2022 | Where the Money Resides: An Exploration of Racialized Access & Historic Exclusion from Wealth

“I don’t think it is a exaggeration to say that financial literacy, economic empowerment, and wealth building is going to be the last leg of the civil rights movement. Because one step toward financial literacy takes you two steps toward personal empowerment.” -- Russell Simmons For hundreds of years Black families, Indigenous populations, and People of Color have been denied access to the opportunity to build wealth. At the same time, these opportunities were available to middle-class white America which allowed them to accumulate capital and pass it on to future generations. A 2021 McKinsey & Company report estimates a $330 billion disparity between Black and white families in the annual flow of new wealth. By 2064, white families will possess $2, 782, 727 in wealth while a Black family will have $789,164 —a 70% disparity. The 16th annual Black New England Conference will review the legal framework that supported institutional practices that were barriers to wealth for non-whites. The conference will also explore the challenges and history of the social and cultural environment that supported practices such as racial zoning, redlining, school segregation, and government-sanctioned racism. Where the Money Resides will also celebrate the success stories of both individuals and institutions that serve as beacons of hope for current generations. The Black New England Conference is an annual 2-day gathering where academics, artists, activists, and community members share insights and research on Black experiences, past and present, in New England and beyond. The Conference is both an academic conference and a celebration of Black life and history. The Changing Faces of Manchester: Black Entrepreneurship Then and Now Thursday, October 20 | 3:30 PM | Bus Tour | Cost $45 Tour Guide: Anthony Poore In response to the constraints of racism and a history of enslavement, African Americans and other people of color have built a tradition of overcoming obstacles and employing creative strategies to make a living, develop businesses, and succeed. This tour focuses on Manchester’s enterprising African Americans who, from the early 1800s, established businesses from barbershops to dry cleaners to the multicultural shops of today. We will also highlight some of New Hampshire’s first entrepreneurs, descendants from an African culture of great traders, merchants, and craftsmen. Tour meets at the Currier Museum. Tour cost includes a casual dinner at the Hop Knot, a Black-Owned eating establishment. Climate-Smart Farming Practices: Farmers of Color Tour and Discussion Thursday, October 20 | 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM | Concord, NH | Suggested Donation Join New England Farmers of Color for a tour of the farm, meet with farmers, learn about conservation practices, share a meal, and engage in discussion about the opportunities and benefits of climate-smart agriculture to a resilient local and regional food system. Expand your Knowledge of Climate-Smart Farming Techniques and network with producers who are implementing soil health practices, cover crops, water catchment and conservation systems, high tunnels, and more. The Farm Tour will take place from 10:00 AM – 12 PM and will be followed by Lunch. After lunch, engage in a facilitated discussion with Farmers of Color across New England to build community and learn from one another. The event was part of a USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Racial Equity Cooperative Agreement. Black Creativity On Display at the Currier Thursday, October 20 | 2:00 – 3:00 PM | Museum Tour | Cost: Free | Registration Required Museum Guide: Rachel Kane Join us for a private viewing and conversation with museum educator Rachel Kane about two African American exhibits now on display at the Currier Museum in Manchester, NH. The Gee’s Bend Quilts exhibit features five recently acquired-contemporary quilts made by African American women who live in a remote area of Alabama. The quilts are part of an intergenerational, community-wide tradition passed down by ancestors enslaved on local plantations since 1813. The artists’ abstract designs and found fabrics break the mold of better-known quilting traditions to produce pieces that embody resilience, persistence, strength, and joy. All this is achieved in the face of mixed results that government aid brought to the community during the Depression and how Gee’s Bend quilters were rarely fairly compensated for their work which hangs in museums nationwide. Memoirs of a Ghost Girlhood: A Black Girl’s Windowby Alexandria Smith, visual artist, and a composition //windowed//by Liz Gre create an immersive environment to explore Black identity – especially that of Black girls and their dreams. Tour meets BHTNH representative Suzanne Paquin at the entrance to the Currier Museum. The Hero's Journey is an archetypal story pattern, common in ancient myths as well as modern-day adventures. The journey can be boiled down to three stages: first, travelers leave t