The 24th annual National Trail of Tears Association Conference and Symposium will be held at the Holiday Inn Riverfront/Paducah Convention Center October 11-13th, 2019.
Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. on Friday, with keynote speaker Professor Ezra Rosser of American University College of Law, Washington D.C. officially opening the conference at 2 p.m. Speakers throughout the weekend will offer presentations related to the forced removal of Indian tribes, as well as historic Cherokee and Chickasaw culture. Additional highlights of the conference will include the dedication of several new interpretive exhibits at both the Paducah riverfront and Fort Massac in Metropolis, Illinois. Chickasaw musician Jason Burwell and Cherokee musician Tommy Wildcat will be providing entertainment throughout the conference.
The public is invited to the dedication of a new interpretive exhibit on the Paducah riverfront, Friday, October 11 at 5:30 PM at the Kentucky Avenue opening to the riverfront. Registration for the conference and a tentative conference schedule can be found at www.nationaltota.com.
The Trail of Tears Association (TOTA) is a non-profit, membership organization formed in 1993 to support the creation, development, and interpretation of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. Designated as a national historic trail by Congress in 1987, the Trail commemorates the forced removal of the Cherokee people from their homelands in the southeastern United States to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) in 1838 - 1839. TOTA has state chapters in the nine states through which the Trail traverses. These states are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. For more information visit the organization’s website at www.nationaltota.com, call 918-464-2258, or email nationaltota@gmail.com.