<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
mso-ligatures:standardcontextual;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style="word-wrap:break-word">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><img width="176" height="110" style="width:1.8333in;height:1.1458in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01DAA5E7.88A82400" alt="Michigan Freedom Trail logo of path leading outline of state of Michigan"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Call for Proposals / Save the Date<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Michigan Freedom Trail Commission<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Heritage Gathering 2024<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The Michigan Freedom Trail Commission and the Michigan History Center invite proposals for presentations to be given at the seventh annual Michigan Underground Railroad
<i>Heritage Gathering.</i> The conference will be an in-person assembly scheduled for September 21, 2024, at the Michigan History Center in Lansing, MI.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The
<i>Heritage Gathering</i> is an annual conference for individuals, organizations and communities interested in our state’s Underground Railroad heritage. Building off the previous year’s
<i>Heritage Gathering</i>, the 2024 conference will provide a variety of opportunities for learning and networking through keynote speakers, workshops, and group and individual presentations. It will continue to foster opportunities for collaboration.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Our theme for this year's Gathering is "Working toward Freedom: Occupations and the Underground Railroad. Certain occupations enhanced an UGRR operative's ability to engage
more fully in the work of aiding freedom seekers – from barbers who hear gossip to ministers who are traveling between communities to farmers who can move various places undetected. The theme for this year hopes to share more stories integrating occupations
with UGRR work. This Call for Presentations also seeks proposals for presentations by individuals or groups that tell the stories about all aspects of freedom seeking. This is an opportunity to share local and Michigan stories that are little known or understudied.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">The commission welcomes proposals for the September 21, 2024 in-person, online and hybrid formats, to meet the needs for accessibility and reach a broad public outreach.
The commission is interested in group and individual presentations that share state and local Michigan Underground Railroad stories of both activists and freedom seekers, as well as examples of how communities have recovered and promoted these stories.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Proposals for group presentations should be a maximum of 500 words. Proposals for individual presentations should be a maximum of 300 words.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">All proposals must be accompanied by brief biographies of the participants that highlight their connection to the topic (not to exceed 250 words each). All proposals must
contain contact information for every presenter included in the proposal.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Please send proposals to Sheri Giffin of the Michigan History Center at
</span><a href="mailto:GiffinS@michigan.gov"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">GiffinS@michigan.gov</span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">PROPOSALS ARE DUE NO LATER THAN JULY 5, 2024<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>