Through a Du Boisian Lens-Informing Public Policy Through Empirical Social Research: A Symposium Honoring the 130th Anniversary of Sociology at Atlanta University

The year 2025 will mark the 130th anniversary of the establishment of the W. E. B. Du Bois led Atlanta Sociological Laboratory, which operated at Clark Atlanta University between 1895 and 1924. The lab introduced research innovations such employing insider researchers, using mixed methods, and including methods and limitations sections in published works. Sociologists Obie Clayton and Earl Wright, II will organize a two-day symposium (February 5-6, 2025) examining the works of Du Bois and other early Black scholars as well as their insights for understanding contemporary and historical issues of race, race relations, regional identity, economics, migration, politics, and social justice. Participants will include university professors, local elected officials, public K-12 teachers, the clergy, community activists, and other scholars.