Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice

The 160th Anniversary of the 13th Amendment: The Undeniable History

December 3 & December 4, 2025
Salve Regina University, Newport, RI
December 4, 2025, marks the 160th anniversary of the ratification of the landmark 13th Amendment – a defining moment in U.S. Constitutional history that officially abolished slavery and reshaped law; and an Amendment that still resonates in our courts today.

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The 160th Anniversary of the 13th Amendment: The Undeniable History

December 3 & December 4, 2025
Salve Regina University, Newport, RI
December 4, 2025, marks the 160th anniversary of the ratification of the landmark 13th Amendment – a defining moment in U.S. Constitutional history that officially abolished slavery and reshaped law; and an Amendment that still resonates in our courts today.

December 4, 2025, marked the 160th anniversary of the ratification of the landmark 13th Amendment – a defining moment in U.S. Constitutional history that officially abolished slavery and reshaped law; and an Amendment that still resonates in our courts today.

To celebrate, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island organized a special educational event for judges, attorneys, law clerks, legal scholars, law students, and members of the public. This engaging full-day program featured an interactive agenda, including world-renowned constitutional scholars, legal historians, judicial officers, and thought-provoking panel discussions that addressed the impact of the 13th Amendment on our judicial system today and the ongoing struggle for racial justice in this country. The event also featured a screening and discussion about the movie “Who We Are.” 

The Organizer:

U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island

Sponsored By:

  • U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
  • RI Chapter of the Federal Bar Association
  • RI Committee on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts
  • RI Chapter of the Federal Bar Association
  • Flaschner Judicial Institute
  • Justice Harry J. Elam Judicial Conference
  • Brown University Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery & Justice
  • The Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy at Salve Regina

Program Highlights:                                                                                      

  • Keynote address by civil rights lawyer and scholar Sherrilyn Ifill.
  • Conversations on the importance of remembering slavery and the local connection to the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
  • Powerful storytelling and historical reflection.
  • Expert panel on the legal and economic legacy of the 13th Amendment.
  • Opportunities for community dialogue and engagement about where we go from here. 
two panelists sit on the stage and engage in dialogue
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Professor Sherrilyn Ifill and Honorable Angel Kelley in conversation on the History of Slavery in Session 1. Photo by Kiku Langford McDonald.

Voices of the Enslaved Performance
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April Brown and Jessica T. Pearson performing Soul Value by Kiku Langford McDonald.

Three panelists sit at the front of a room.
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Michele Goodwin, Dr. Akeia de Barros Gomes, and Thomas Koonce present on "Vestiges" during Session 3. Photo by Kiku Langford McDonald/Simmons Center.

a large group of people who were part of the conference pose together on the stage
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Finale Group Picture by Bronwyn Gallagher/Aqualux Photography

Three panelists converse around a table
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Professor Christy Clark-Pujura, Kyera Singleton, and Traci Piccard present during Session 2 of the Conference. Photo by Kiku Langford McDonald/Simmons Center.

View The Full Photo Gallery

Session Schedule

 Wednesday, December 3, 2025 | Film Screening | Jane Pickens Theater, 49 Touro Street, Newport, RI
 

"Who We Are" Screening

  • Keith Stokes | Historian Laureate, State of Rhode Island 
 Thursday, December 4, 2025 | Conference | Bazarsky Auditorium, Salve Regina University, 36 Ochre Point Avenue, Newport, RI
9:00 a.m.

Welcome, Introduction, and Overview

9:15 a.m.

Session 1: History of Slavery

  • Professor Sherrilyn Ifill | Founding Director, 14th Amendment Center for Law & Democracy
  • Honorable Angel Kelley | U.S. District Court Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts

Watch the Session 1 Recording

10:45 a.m.

Session 2: RI/New England Connection to Slavery

Watch the Session 2 Recording

noon

Voices of the Enslaved Performance: Soul Value

  • April Brown | Co-Director, Langston Hughes Community Poetry
  • Jessica T. Pearson | Assistant Professor, Rhode Island College
  • Honorable Melissa DuBose | U.S. District Court Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island

Watch the Performance Recording

1:45 p.m.

Session 3: Vestiges  – Overt and Covert – “Slavery didn't end, it just envolved” 

Watch the Session 3 Recording

3:00 p.m. 

Session 4: Reckoning – A Conversation

  • Honorable James Wynn | Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
  • Tamera Rocha | Staff Attorney/Director. Access to Justice Office & Rhode Island Supreme Court, Office of General Counsel
  • Honorable Myron Thompson | Senior District Court Judge, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama

Watch the Session 4 Recording