African American Heritage House (AAHH) 

2024 Speaker List

The AAHH is again pleased to present another slate of outstanding speakers for the 2024 Chautauqua Assembly Season.

To learn more about each speaker, Click on the name, and a short bio will appear.

Week 1 • Race and the American Religious Experience

Marla Frederick, Ph.D.

John Lord O’Brian Professor of Divinity and 18th Dean of Harvard Divinity School

Week 2 • Religion's Intersections


Dr. Conrad Tucker

Director of Carnegie Mellon University-Africa (CMU-Africa) and the Associate Dean for International Programs-Africa

Week 3 • Ethics and Meaning Making Beyond Faith

Rev. Traci Blackmon

Minister and Public Theologian

Week 4 • World Religion and a Shifting Population

Helen Bond, Ph.D.

University Professor in the School of Education at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Week 5 • Spiritual Grounding for Social Change

Pierce Freelon

GRAMMY® nominated Artist, Picture Book Author and Podcaster

Week 6 • The Arts: Expressions from the Soul

Dr. Tammy L. Kernodle

University Distinguished Professor of Music at Miami University (OH)

Week 7 • Wonder and Awe: Reverence as a Response to the World

Patrick T. Smith, Ph.D.

Director of Bioethics Programs for the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities & History of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine

Week 8 • Water: A Metaphor for Life

Raymond Arsenault

John Hope Franklin Professor of Southern History emeritus at the University of South Florida

Week 9 • All Rise: Save Us and Look Beyond

Founder & CEO of NEWorks Productions